Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Published: February 7, 2010
Worcester
WORCESTER — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will, within weeks, increase its already sizable presence in Central Massachusetts with the opening of one of its biggest stores on a 44-acre parcel just off Route 146 and near Quinsigamond Village.
The environmentally friendly Walmart Supercenter will be powered partially by 12 wind turbines and is expected to create at least 700 jobs, most of them full time. The store, combined with some other planned commercial build-out on the site, will also generate about $1.1 million in property taxes annually.
The national retail giant will close its Sam's Club outlet on Barber Street in the city's Greendale neighborhood and build a new 137,000-square-foot Sam's next to the new supercenter, city officials said. Construction on that structure could begin as soon as this spring.
“There's no question they are going to have an impact on the city,” said District 3 City Councilor Paul P. Clancy Jr., who represents the area in which the new Walmart complex is located.
Christopher N. Buchanan, senior manager for public affairs and government relations for the company, said the chain had hoped that the supercenter, which will be open 24 hours a day, would welcome its first customers in March, but “a minor construction delay” postponed the grand opening.
City officials said the opening was delayed a few weeks after an engineer recommended shoring up three areas of the roof to accommodate the heavy heating, ventilation and other apparatus placed upon it and to better weather New England environmental conditions.
Mr. Buchanan did not offer up a new targeted opening date, but city officials said the store — which, according to plans on file at City Hall, will include a grocery, a garden center, and a tire and lubrication facility — is expected to begin doing business sometime between late March and early April.
Central Massachusetts is home to 16 Walmart stores, including supercenters, and the Sam's Club behind the Greendale Mall.
Though construction of the Route 146 store is nearing completion, Julie A. Jacobson, assistant city manager for economic and neighborhood services, said company officials will appear before the Planning Board Feb. 24 to revise site plans that had already been approved.
That's because the original plan allowed 380,000 square feet of build-out.
With the addition of the Sam's Club and other space, the Walmart complex will exceed the limit, city officials said.
Documents filed with city officials show that the Walmart will be about 216,000 square feet, but Mr. Buchanan said the building will actually be about 209,000 square feet.
According to the company, standard Walmart stores average about 108,000 square feet, while supercenters are about 186,000 square feet, making the Route 146 store one of the biggest in the country.
Mr. Buchanan said the facility will feature many energy-saving amenities, including the turbines, which will be spread about the store's parking area.
Ms. Jacobson said the turbines, which were approved by the city last month, are about 60 feet tall, much smaller than the 262-foot turbine at Holy Name Central Catholic High School.
Other green features at the complex include highly efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems; sensors that turn off lights when rooms become unoccupied, and light-emitting diodes for exterior signs and other lighting uses.
Ronald Charette, executive director of the South Worcester Neighborhood Improvement Corp., said the store is good news for South Worcester, where he said the unemployment rate is at 38 percent.
SWNIC sponsored two Walmart job fairs last month that drew 137 people. A similar event was held downtown for minority applicants.
According to Mr. Charette, 203 area residents, to date, have received job offers.
“This is great for the South Worcester, Green Island, and Quinsigamond Village neighborhoods in many ways,” said Mr. Charette. “For example, Walmart customers might stop by a local pizza shop for lunch or visit some of the smaller businesses in the village area. There's a chance that other businesses can economically benefit from the Walmart.”
City officials said the owner of the land, Madison Worcester Holdings of Boston, is also interested in wooing restaurants and other stores to the site, creating more jobs and expanding the commercial tax base further.
Meanwhile, city officials believe the lease for Sam's Club will expire in a little over a year.
Ms. Jacobson said city officials have not been approached by the owners of that property.
“We'd be willing to help them,” she said.
According to city officials, Walmart officials weren't happy about the Greendale location because it is difficult to access.
“You can see the Sam's Club from the highway (Interstate 190), but unless you're from the neighborhood or are familiar with the area, it's not easy to get to,” Mr. Clancy said.
Mr. Clancy said he's been told that Walmart has coupled its discount stores with Sam's Club operations in other places and apparently the facilities don't take business away from each other.
The Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. operates 8,424 stores in 15 countries and generated about $401 billion in sales in fiscal 2009.
Sam's Club, whose customers pay a membership fee to shop at warehouse-like facilities offering bulk sales, is a division of the company.
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