After years of trying to enter the Upper Valley market, Wal-Mart, the national discount superstore, may soon open a branch in Lebanon despite legal technicalities and reticent townsfolk.
K&J Associates recently applied to develop a tract of land that Wal-Mart previously tried to construct a store on. The Valley News reported that some Lebanon officials speculate that K&J might lease the land to Wal-Mart.
But many local business owners are very against the mega-store coming into the Upper Valley.
"Any large retail corporation, such as Wal-Mart, may be detrimental to local businesses," said Bill Arrand, a Lebanon planning board alternate member. "The downtown businesses are already struggling."
Wal-Mart last year tried to build a shopping center on the tract of land between Route 12A and Interchange Drive, according to the Valley News. Lebanon's planning board rejected Wal-Mart's application to build on the land because it could cause traffic problems, Arrand said.
Wal-Mart appealed the decision, and the case is pending in the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
In 1990, another company, Juster Development Corp., applied for a building permit for the site in question, according to the Valley News. Lebanon's planning board approved Juster's plans for a shopping center.
Juster paved the way for the construction of five buildings totaling nearly 200,000 square feet. K&J currently owns the site, and needs wetlands permits and a building permit to begin construction, according to the Valley News.
Basically, this means that under the Juster plan, K&J could build on the site without getting formal approval from the planning board if it builds according to the original plan.
Wal-Mart could then move in by leasing the land.
But Arrand said if Wal-Mart wants to change the site plan, it would have to go through the planning board process again.
"The configuration is completely different" from Wal-Mart's original proposal, Akins told the Valley News. "I'd say it's a 50-50 chance."
