City residents who are opposed to a Wal-Mart on Georgia Avenue Northwest say they believe they can halt the store planned there even as the retailer makes progress with its preliminary plans. Of the four sites Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it planned to develop in D.C., the one proposed for the intersection of Georgia and Missouri avenues has generated the loudest outcry from residents — and they’re prepared to fight it to the end, including filing a lawsuit against the world’s largest retailer.
“We had over 1,000 petitions sent to the mayor, we’ve had rallies, passed out fliers and as result of all those things … it looks like we’re well on our way to preventing Wal-Mart from building in that location,” said Baruti Jahi, a Ward 4 resident and D.C. Council candidate.
Despite the protests, the Ward 4 site is one of the two that are farthest along in the development process.
Wal-Mart spokesman Keith Morris said the Northwest site and another proposed site on New York Avenue Northeast in Ward 5 were nearing a major “milestone.” Large tract review plans, required for sites larger than three acres, have been submitted to the city. Those plans were tweaked after feedback from the D.C. Department of Transportation, and now Wal-Mart is waiting for the Office of Planning’s final opinion before building.
Jahi said residents would contemplate a class-action suit against Wal-Mart if they did not get backing from the council, which so far has supported the retailer’s plans.
Wal-Mart generally has picked sites that are already zoned for such a development and don’t require public input. The proposed site on East Capitol Street in Ward 7 is the only one that requires new zoning and a public hearing. In June, a Ward 4 local Advisory Neighborhood Commission report slammed Wal-Mart’s traffic plan. Still, DDOT has approved revisions to the site plan.
Morris called the traffic fears an “overreaction” said the company has reached out to the community. “We’ve held no less than 50 to 60 meetings with local residents, business leaders, faith-based leaders, the ANC … and throughout that process we’ve really taken time to listen,” he said.
Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser said Mayor Vincent Gray is working on a community plan requiring Wal-Mart to participate in job training efforts and support businesses in the Georgia Avenue corridor. Wal-Mart last week donated $3 million to a citywide job training program.
“We’re talking about 300 jobs just on Georgia Avenue, plus [the upcoming development at] Walter Reed,” Bowser said. “What’s very exciting about this is that for the first time in many years a lot of developers are interested in the corridor.”
