Wal-Mart has taken another step to expand in the Washington area by agreeing with local developer the Peterson Cos. to open a store in Oxon Hill, just more than a mile from the National Harbor complex, in Prince George’s County.
The chain, which held its annual meeting in Fayetteville, Ark., today, is quickly adding new stores locally. Since last fall it has announced plans to open four stores in the District, a fifth in Tysons Corner on the site of a former Cadillac dealership and a sixth in the former north hall of the Dulles Expo & Conference Center, in Chantilly.
The Oxon Hill Wal-Mart store is to have a brick and stone facade — not the blue-gray exterior that is more prevalent in rural areas — and is to have a glass atrium entrance. (Courtesy/The Peterson Cos.)
Taylor O. Chess, Peterson Cos. senior vice president for retail, said the plan still requires some approvals from the county but he expected that construction could begin as soon as next spring with a store opening pegged for 2013.
“I think that we’ve got a really strong demographic here, and we haven’t had any new construction along the Oxon Hill corridor for some time,” Chess said.
Wal-Mart spokesman Steven Restivo issued a brief statement saying that, “We look forward to better serving our P.G. County customers with a new store that will not only offer a broad assortment of products at an affordable price but also an improved overall shopping environment.”
Like many of the Wal-Marts recently designed for more urban communities, Chess said the Oxon Hill store would feature a brick and stone facade — not the blue-gray exterior that is more prevalent in rural areas — and would feature a glass atrium entrance. He said he expected the store would have “all the services of a full super store, with a good grocery component and all of their other major departments.”
For the Peterson Cos., developer of the National Harbor project nearby, the Wal-Mart deal marks the second major retail announcement recently, after the developer announced in late May that it would open a Tanger Outlet Center in the area in 2013.
Along with the deal for Wal-Mart, the Peterson Cos. announced that it would partner with Prince George’s County to extend Felker Avenue for improved access to Oxon Hill High School and that it had agreed to sell two acres to the county for construction of a new fire station.
