Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994 TAG: 9404280202
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
A Wal-Mart Superstore may anchor the new mall, according to Don Moore, director of the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission.
However, Wal-Mart's corporate office would not confirm the project.
``We're not aware of what's going on,'' said Betsy Reithemeyer, a spokesperson in Bentonville, Ark. ``It's not on our site list.''
Rumor and speculation have abounded in Christiansburg and Montgomery County in recent weeks, with people hearing that Wal-Mart would expand its store in the Market Place shopping center or open a superstore and convert its Market Place store to a Sam's Price Club.
``I've heard that [the proposal] is a Wal-Mart Superstore,'' Moore said Wednesday.
Matthews, who was a major player in the development of the Market Place, filed the request April 20 to rezone 10 acres from agricultural to business use on Pepper's Ferry Road, across from the New River Valley Mall and next to the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley Bureau.
``We need this land ... to build a 400,000-square-foot retail shopping center,'' Matthews wrote in the request.
An adjacent 15-acre parcel, already zoned for business, will make the site 25 acres in size.
``I know that Wal-Mart was considering something in Christiansburg,'' said James Douthat, a Roanoke lawyer who represents the company in its proposed Roanoke Superstore.
Douthat said 400,000 square feet is ``big enough'' for a superstore.
Access roads, according to the plan, would connect with Peppers Ferry Road and U.S. 460.
The rezoning request will be presented to Christiansburg Town Council at its Tuesday meeting and is tentatively scheduled for a public hearing June 7, said John Lemley, town manager.
Matthews did not return phone calls Wednesday.
He filed the request on behalf of two landowners: Ada Harkrader and Robert Dowdy, both of Christiansburg.
``Mr. Matthews just came to me wanting to buy the property,'' said Sam Harkrader, son of the 84-year-old Ada Harkrader. ``I do know he wants to put several tracts together for some large project.
``We haven't signed a contract on it yet,'' he said, ``but we might in the future.''
``It's no use to talk to me because it's going through some real estate agent,'' Dowdy said.
``There's a lot of secrecy going on here, as I'm sure you've noticed,'' said Mike Norwood, Dowdy's real estate agent.
Tom Sheets, manager of the 456,000-square-foot New River Valley Mall, is one of several people who said they have heard that Wal-Mart had planned to expand its store in Market Square.
``I'd rather have it across the street than across town,'' he said.
Mike Thornton, manager of the Market Place shopping center, said, ``I can't give you a comment, because I haven't heard anything about it.'' He also said he had heard nothing about an expansion of the Wal-Mart store.
The development was also news to management in the Market Place Wal-Mart store.
``We haven't heard anything locally,'' said Mark Blevins, an assistant manager. ``We're hoping to get one ... [because] it [would be] a better working environment.''
He said the biggest difference between Christiansburg's 83,000-square-foot store and a superstore, which might measure about 150,000 square feet, is wider aisles and a grocery in the larger store.
Blevins said that customers like wider aisles.
It is not clear what other stores would be in the proposed shopping center or if the center would be an enclosed or strip mall.
Dan Brugh, the Virginia Department of Transportation's resident engineer for the Salem district, said VDOT has plans to widen Peppers Ferry Road to four lanes, but ``it isn't going to happen in the next few years.''
He said another traffic light is scheduled for U.S. 460 when Wades opens a supermarket, and Lowe's and Heironimus open stores near the Kmart store. Wal-Mart's access road to U.S. 460 could use the light as well, Brugh said.
by CNB