The Wal-Mart Wilderness fray is officially over.
Civil War preservationists hailed a Monday announcement from the retail giant that it would build a superstore three miles west of a previously selected Orange County site, which was on historic land next to the Wilderness Battlefield National Park.
“By honoring its public commitment to choose an alternate site in Orange County, Wal-Mart has demonstrated that preservation groups and retailers can work together to find universally beneficial resolutions,” said Jim Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust. “We could not be more pleased with Wal-Mart’s decision to move away from the battlefield.”
The superstore is now slated for the intersection of Route 3 and Somerset Ridge Road.
Facing a court challenge, Wal-Mart in January abandoned plans for the site near the battlefield where Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee first met in battle. Actors Robert Duvall and Richard Dreyfuss had also joined the fray, urging Wal-Mart to find a different site.
“We are delighted to have found a location that is commercially zoned by the county and also supported by the preservation organizations. We look forward to serving the Orange County community,” said Eric Zorn, Walmart’s executive vice president of realty. “This has been a collaborative process that we believe resulted in a successful outcome for everyone involved.”
