MARYLAND SITE FIGHT: STORE EXPANSION BRINGS CONCERN

Concerns raised over Wal-Mart store expansion [Maryland Gazette]

Wal-Mart wants to expand its store in Laurel by more than a third, a move that has Russett residents concerned the retailer will complicate traffic patterns.

Residents say they have expected the store to grow in size, but since it opened in 1994, nearby roads have become busier than ever.

Wal-Mart wants to add another 40,000 square feet to its 115,000 square-foot-store, improve the facade, lighting and store interior, said Rhoda Washington, a spokesman for the Arkansas-based retailer.

“The only problems I have is that they need to address the different entry and exit strategies from the commercial end,” said Tim Mical, chairman of Russett Community Association’s new development committee. “Right now people don’t leave in a safe way.”

Cars leaving the store only have two lanes for turning onto Russet Green East, a long and sometimes dangerous situation, said Tim Reyburn, a Russett Community Association board member and president of the West County Federation of Civic Associations.

“They’ve got to do something with their entrances and maybe open it to three lanes to get out,” he said.

An engineer has been hired to figure out a way to mitigate traffic issues, Ms. Washington said.

“There are some traffic concerns outside the perimeter. The surrounding community has grown” since the store was built, she said.

The expansion won’t change the products or services the store offers.

“Our core components are already there,” she said.

Because the store is within Russett, it has to follow the community’s covenants, a set of rules that determines how buildings may and may not look, Mr. Reyburn said.

“Everything they do aesthetically, they have to run through us,” he said.

Both Mr. Reyburn and Mr.

Mical said they would like to see Wal-Mart spruce-up the store. They said they believe it would encourage more people from Russett to shop there.

“They’ve got to clean up their act, it’s probably the dirtiest Wal-Mart around,” Mr. Reyburn said.

He would like to see the store do a better job of picking up litter on their property and keeping track of their shopping carts. Every week a stray one ends up in the middle of a neighborhood road, Mr. Reyburn said.

The expansion will be built on a vacant lot adjacent to the existing store. The necessary infrastructure is already in place and the land has the appropriate zoning, Ms. Washington said.

The decision to build an addition has nothing to do with the company’s decision to cancel plans for a new store in Crofton. “(The Russett store) was designed with the thought in mind that an expansion would take place,” she said.

The Wal-Mart is yards away from a Sam’s Club. Even with the expansion, the Russett store will be one of the company’s smaller stores., Ms. Washington said.

There is no timeline for construction, she said.