POWAY: Wal-Mart submits plans to expand Poway store

By GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Monday, July 7, 2008 11:05 PM PDT ∞

POWAY ---- In a move anticipated for months, Wal-Mart has submitted plans to expand its Poway store into a "Supercenter" that would turn the retail outlet into a hybrid store that also sells groceries.

The expansion, a slightly scaled back version of what originally was proposed, would add an additional 55,000 square feet to the store at 13425 Community Road, and some residents said they feared the large store would attract traffic from outside the city and hurt local grocery stores they now use.

"They're smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood," said Karen Knecht, secretary of the South Poway Residents Association, a group of about 200 who oppose the expansion. "If that weren't the case, this wouldn't be a problem. But it's too intense of a use for a neighborhood surrounded by homes."

The store is one block north of Poway Road, the city's major street, but also is across the street from a residential neighborhood. Knecht said she would not object to a Supercenter if it were built in the city's business section.

"We're not rabid anti-Wal-Mart whack jobs," she said. "Wal-Mart is what it is, and it's there. But it does create a lot of traffic."

Besides the increased traffic, Knecht said her group is concerned the store someday will be open for 24 hours and will hurt other local grocery stores.

"There are three grocery stores there now, and we expect to lose two out of three," she said. "It's just a matter of time. And nobody wants to see that happen because it eliminates a lot of shopping choices."

Poway City Planner Oda Audish said the retailer submitted its expansion plans last Tuesday. Store officials had met with city officials to go over the proposal in December, and Audish said the most recent plans are a revised version of what was discussed then.

The 18-year-old store, the first Wal-Mart built in California, would grow from 142,937 square feet to 197,700 square feet in the expansion. The Supercenter would include a grocery area complete with fresh produce, meat, dairy and frozen food sections, a fresh bakery and a deli, said John Mendez, the store's Southern California spokesman.

"There will be a beautiful remodel of the store that will make it easier for our customers to identify departments, whether it's general merchandise or electronics," he said.

The store also will have wider aisles and more checkout lines, said Mendez, who anticipates the Supercenter could open by mid-2010.

Mendez said the new store may not include the existing automotive service area.

Audish said the Supercenter would include a new facade and a third entry. Plans do not call for additional parking because the original design had enough spaces to accommodate a larger store, she said.

Residents will have opportunities to address concerns about the store during the next several months.

"We anticipate an environmental impact report being done with this," Audish said. "There will be public reviews and public meetings for six to nine months."

Once the environmental impact report is complete, the plan will go to the City Council, where the public can again have input about the proposal, she said.

Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna said he has gotten about 50 e-mails from people since Wal-Mart proposed its expansion in December, and about 60 percent have opposed it.

"The opposition primarily seems to be concerned with the effect on other businesses and the traffic," he said. "The proponents are those who shop there and believe that Supercenters are nicer stores and easier to get around. They widen the aisles, and the merchandise is displayed better. It's just a nicer store to shop at than the small ones."

Cafagna said he does not believe Wal-Mart has had an effect on other businesses since opening in the city 18 years ago.

"I'm really not concerned about competition," said Cafagna, who is not a Wal-Mart customer. "It's not going to change my shopping habits."

As a city official, Cafagna said he is more concerned with how the expanded store will affect traffic and the environment, which are issues he said will be addressed by the council.

While Cafagna said he does not have strong feelings about the expansion one way or another, he does think the store can use a make-over.

"It's an old store," he said. "Part of its expansion is going to be revamping the outside of the existing store. From that standpoint, I support it. I'd like to see it get updated."

Wal-Mart bought the former Ployboys Market at 13430 Midland Road last September in anticipation of the expansion. Mendez said Wal-Mart offered to allow Ployboys to stay open until the expansion plans were approved, but its owners declined. The two stores are back to back.

Wal-Mart has 33 Supercenters in California, according to the company's Web site. Another Supercenter is planned in Vista, where the chain is set to expand an existing store by 28,000 square feet.

The retailer also announced plans to expand a store on College Boulevard, near Highway 76 in Oceanside.

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.

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