Are big box stores on the way to King George

Date published: 11/23/2007

By COREY BYERS

A new study hints that Wal-Mart and Lowe's are considering opening stores off U.S. 301 in King George County. Officials with both companies and the county are being tight-lipped.

But a recent traffic study included in plans for a new Rite Aid pharmacy notes a proposed Lowe's and Wal- Mart west of the U.S. 301 and Owens Drive (State Route 614) intersection.

That would be about two miles east of the proposed Rite Aid, across from the Naval Support Facility at Dahlgren.

The study also notes correspondence with representatives of the two companies and says the proposed Lowe's is estimated to be 90,000 to 120,000 square feet and the proposed Wal-Mart is estimated at 180,000 to 190,000 square feet.

Wells and Associates Inc. prepared the study, dated Oct. 9, 2007, for Rite Aid Corp. Neither Wal-Mart nor Lowe's has filed site plans with the county.

Maureen Rich, a spokeswoman for Lowe's, said in an e-mail last week that the company has not purchased property in the county.

"It's our policy not to comment about specific sites Lowe's may be considering for new stores unless we have closed on all real-estate matters," Rich said.

Kelly Hobbs, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, issued a similar e-mail statement.

"While we have been looking at opportunities in King George County, we don't have any specific plans to share right now," Hobbs said.

Ashley Flower, a spokeswoman for Rite Aid, said the company does extensive studies, taking into account population, competition and the number of healthcare providers, before deciding to open a new store.

She said she had no information on whether Rite Aid decided on King George because of the possibility that Wal-Mart and Lowe's would locate nearby.

Dahlgren District Supervisor Steve Wolfe declined to comment specifically on the possibility of either retailer coming to his district.

"Those are private-sector initiatives--it would be inappropriate for me to talk about it," Wolfe said. " I don't want to jeopardize anything they may or may not be doing."

In a March newsletter to residents, Wolfe mentioned commercial development along U.S. 301 in Dahlgren that would include "three 'big-box' anchors of nationally-recognized chains."

"If it were to happen it would indeed be a significant event because King George is a retail-free zone," Wolfe said last week.

"The proposed Lowe's and Wal-Mart are to be located on the west side of the Route 301/Route 614 intersection. As per our correspondence with company representatives, the proposed Lowe's is estimated to be between 90,000 and 120,000 square feet and the proposed Wal-Mart is estimated to be between 180,000 and 190,000 square feet. In the interest of conservatism and lack of adequate information on the building footprints, the upper range of these values was used and pass-by trips were not accounted for in order to conduct a conservative analysis Lowe's is forecasted to generate a total of 3,576 daily trips; and the Wal-Mart is forecasted to generate a total of 9,350 daily trips upon completion and occupancy." --Source: Excerpt, Rite Aid Traffic Impact Study to King George County, Oct. 9, 2007

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Date published: 11/23/2007

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