Wal-Mart commits to Greene County development
WAYNESBURG – Wal-Mart has officially committed to locate a 145,000-square-foot store on property in Franklin Township and could be open within two years, development officials confirmed Wednesday. According to a release from the DeBartolo Property Group, Wal-Mart is the first tenant to commit to locating at the site, situated just off Interstate 79 and optioned to DeBartolo earlier this year from Greene County.
John Bisio, director of corporate communications for Wal-Mart, said in a statement that the new store will help the company better respond to “the changing and growing needs of our customers in the Waynesburg area.”
“With the advent of our new store, our customers will find more convenience and more choices,” he said. “But more than this, Wal-Mart intends to be not just a good merchant, but also a good corporate citizen to its neighbors in the Waynesburg area.”
DeBartolo and McHolme Construction Co. of Elizabeth are working together to develop the 115 acres of county-owned property and purchased it from the commissioners earlier this year. After paying 10 percent of the total purchase price, another 45 percent of the purchase price is due when a tenant lease is executed, or by July 31. A third and final payment is scheduled for no later than Dec. 31.
If any of the payments are not made, the agreement between the county and McHolme/DeBartolo is terminated.
“This has been one of the county’s top development priorities, and Wal-Mart’s intention to locate a 145,000-square-foot store here makes this project a reality,” said the firm’s Norman McHolme. “Residents of the county will soon have new retail shopping options available to them.”
Mark Escaja, director of development for DeBartolo Property Group, said interest from other parties has been positive.
“We are currently in discussions with a number of other retail and commercial firms about locating at this site, and we expect to make additional announcements in the near future,” he said.
During a recent interview with the Herald-Standard, Leroy Kline of Delta Development Group, with whom the county has worked to develop the site for retail tenants, said that a second announcement could be forthcoming.
He said that the issue of financing for the project has been resolved, especially after the Franklin Township supervisors repeatedly voiced opposition to any incentives, other than the existing five-year tax abatement, in an attempt to lure major retailers.
According to Kline, the tax abatement will provide the tenant funds to make site improvements, while federal and state money will be used to extend Kiwi Road and make improvements to Route 21, and the developers have already contributed money for site work and preparation.
Commission Chairman Dave Coder said Thursday afternoon he was pleased that Wal-Mart committed to the site and be part of a development on land that has generated very little revenue for the county for years.
He said a large amount of site work will be done and gas lines will have to be moved to accommodate the new development. Along with the jobs the new store will bring, Coder said the excavation and other site work will bring construction jobs to the county.
“I’m very pleased that Wal-Mart found our site to be a great location for their new store,” he said.
Construction of the new store is expected to begin next summer, with a grand opening tentatively scheduled for early summer 2005. DeBartolo estimates that the entire development will create 500 new jobs in Greene County and increase state and local income tax revenues by $1.57 million annually.
Officials project another $250,000 in annual tax revenue to the county, township and Central Greene School District from the land.