Altria and Walmart At Odds over Proposed Henrico County Store

Source from:  Richmond Times-Dispatch 08/02/2012

Two of the country's largest corporations are squaring off over a proposed development off West Broad Street in Henrico County. Altria Group Inc. and Walmart are at odds over the retailer's proposed store in the Reynolds Crossing office park. Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, has its headquarters there. "We've expressed our concern, in particular, the impact on vehicular, truck and pedestrian traffic that may occur from this development," Altria spokesman Kenneth M. Garcia said Tuesday.

"We're hopeful … that the property owners as well as the county will balance the interest of the developer (with) those of us here that have large presences on this land, as well as the homeowner's community that is nearby." At issue is a proposed 90,000-square-foot Walmart that would go on land along Forest Avenue near Glenside Drive, closest to the Interstate 64 exit. It would be near the Reynolds III medical office building. If built, the proposed Walmart would be the chain's smallest in the Richmond region. On July 18, a lawyer representing Altria fired off a six-page letter to Henrico County's planning and zoning director laying out its arguments for derailing the proposed store. Altria's main contention in the letter is that the project does not meet certain requirements set out in the county's master plan. "We hope they take into account some of these concerns as they evaluate this proposed development," Garcia said. But the argument might be moot as long as Walmart sticks to preset zoning requirements. The property is already rezoned for retail uses, but any project must meet proffered conditions. Among the requirements is that the retail development "shall be similar in quality and style with the architecture of the Shoppes at Westgate" on Lauderdale Drive, off West Broad Street. If Walmart meets those conditions, the Planning Commission would approve the plan, Henrico Supervisor Patricia S. O'Bannon said. "A lot of this is technical," said O'Bannon, who represents the Tuckahoe District, which is where Reynolds Crossing is located. Walmart said it has been working with planning department and county officials on the issues and recently submitted updated plans that include a new exterior store design. Changes that the county has requested Walmart make include the exterior design of the store, whether to have a separate service entrance, and the position of a loading dock. Walmart said talks are continuing with the county, and that the differences are narrowing. "Walmart has been working closely with the various parties to develop a project that meets the conditions required for approval. With our latest design changes and work on other issues, we are confident that the project will move forward and be approved," said Bill Wertz, a spokesman for Walmart. Along with Altria, Reynolds Crossing is home to the Bon Secours Heart Institute, the Westin Richmond Hotel and other office buildings. Bon Secours officials were not available for comment Tuesday. Feliks Schwartz, general manager of the Westin, said he could not comment. "We don't have a position either way." Residents in the nearby Charles Glen neighborhood also have complained about the proposal, saying that, among other issues, the store will bring unwanted traffic to the area. That is a sentiment shared by Altria's Garcia. "As you know, we have employees that cross the road and there (are) a lot of medical offices where people are walking from their cars and whatnot," he said. Enditem