[Email address: //allandalereporter #AT# yahoo.com - replace #AT# with @ ]Tom Linehan [Email address: allandalereporter #AT# yahoo.com - replace #AT# with @ ]

Construction on the new Wal-Mart at Northcross will get underway by end of year and completed in late summer 2010. According to Trey Salinas,
spokesperson for Wal-Mart in Austin, it will be the first of its kind
in Texas. What follows is a Q&A I had with Trey via email:

TL: Last I heard, the Wal-Mart going
in at Northcross was going to be 99,000 sf. Is that still the plan?

Trey: The Northcross store will be
97,915 sf‬.

TL: Do you have an elevation of the
planned store you can share with us?

Trey: We should have a final
rendering/elevation in the next couple of weeks. As soon as it is
ready I will get it to you.

TL: Can you tell me how the allocation
of the space will be split between grocery and general merchandise?

Trey: The current design has the
grocery at around 23,800 sf. 24% of total building.‬

TL: What will the hours of operation
be?‬

Trey: Open every day except between
the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Extended store hours during seasonal events such as
Thanksgiving – Christmas holiday season and sales tax-free weekend. Option to
offer extended hours to match store hours of retail competitors over 45,000sf within 2
mile radius of Store. ‬

TL: What is the timeline? When will
you start construction and when will it open?‬

Trey: Construction starts late summer
of 2009. Opens late summer 2010.‬

TL: How will the store compare with
other Wal-Marts of similar size elsewhere in the country?

Trey: The design of the Northcross
store is a first of its kind in Texas. It is a new prototype store
for Wal-Mart. There may be similar stores built in the future in
Texas and across the country.

TL: Should the neighborhood be
concerned about traffic flow once the store opens?‬

Trey: No. Wal-Mart has worked
diligently with City staff and others regarding traffic. In addition,
we have already paid $130,000 for our share of traffic improvements
per City requirements.

TL: Will the store be detached from
the rest of the Northcross Mall?‬

Trey: Yes

TL: Should people be concerned about
delivery trucks to and from the store?‬

Trey: No. Wal-Mart 18-wheelers will
have prescribed routes for ingress and egress to and from the Store
which will avoid neighborhood streets.‬

TL: What about landscaping around the
store. What can you tell us about that?‬

Trey: Tom, trying to find more info on
this for you but for sure I can tell you that there will be more
trees provided than are required by current City code; and the trees
provided will be larger that what is required by current City code.‬