Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 20, 1994 TAG: 9404200122
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ADRIENNE PETTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT LENGTH: Medium
The action caps three months of deliberation over the proposed store.
As in many communities where Wal-Mart seeks to locate, the debate has centered on residents' concerns over traffic the store would generate.
In this case, the store seeks to locate on a stretch of Virginia 40 that already is narrow and congested. The road changes from four lanes to two lanes one-third of a mile from the proposed store entrance.
After conducting two traffic studies, Bob Landino, an engineer representing Wal-Mart, recommended road improvements that satisfied the board.
The board previously rezoned the land, but it delayed action on the special-use permit until members had a chance to review a revised traffic study.
Landino's suggestions included providing a wide entrance to the site with a traffic signal. Wal-Mart also will set aside land on the site to accommodate improvements to Virginia 40.
The stretch where Wal-Mart plans to build is scheduled for improvement under the Virginia Department of Transportation's six-year plan. The county is expected to ask for a four-lane road with a raised median. In the short term, four lanes will be built to accommodate existing traffic, said Tim Krawczel, Franklin County's director of planning and zoning.
Wal-Mart also will work with VDOT to determine which entrances will require signals and how to split the cost of off-site signals.
Construction of the 146,401-square-foot store is scheduled to begin in the summer or fall of 1995.
The store will be a Supercenter, which houses a grocery store in addition to Wal-Mart's typical merchandise.
by CNB