Wal-Mart submits plans for third Neighborhood Market

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the last three months has filed plans for three Neighborhood Markets in Springfield.

On Aug. 4, Wal-Mart officials submitted plans to the city’s building development services to construct a $1.6 million Neighborhood Market at 545 W. El Camino Alto Drive. The store would be located across from Sam’s Club, the anchor tenant of the eight-acre James River Commons southwest of Campbell Avenue and James River Freeway.

In June, Bentonville-based Wal-Mart filed plans for two of its smaller, grocery-focused versions of the Supercenter model – at 3150 W. Republic Road and 1320 S. Glenstone Ave.

Springfield City Councilman Scott Bailes said at a July council meeting that Walmart planned to bring as many as six of the Neighborhood Markets to town. Wal-Mart representatives would neither confirm nor deny those intentions.

According to plans on file with the city, Union-based general contractor Cochran is slated to design and build the 40,601-square-foot James River Commons market.

Stu Stenger, a development partner in James River Commons, said he was unaware that Wal-Mart had filed plans, and he declined to comment, citing ongoing lease negotiations with Wal-Mart officials.

Calls to Cochran officials were not returned. Wal-Mart spokesman Jason Wetzel did not return calls for comment by deadline.

Look to the Sept. 5 Springfield Business Journal print edition for more on this story.[[In-content Ad]]