Walmart begins construction on new supercenter on central Reno

Published: 03-Mar-2010

Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer Walmart has begun the construction on the new Super Walmart on Reno-Sparks Indian Colony land at East Second Street.

The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer had planned to break ground on the project in February of 2009 after a lengthy environmental cleanup at the site that once housed a radiator repair shop and a topless bar. More than 6,000 tons of oil-contaminated soil was removed from the 24 acre site.

The new Super Walmart will replace the company’s undersized store at Northtowne Plaza. The new store would be about 185,000 square feet, 60,000 square feet larger than the Northtowne location — and will include groceries, tire and garden centers, and a drive-through pharmacy. As per the company officials, the 250 Northtowne employees will have the option of transitioning to the new location, and the company will hire 200 additional employees to meet the demands of the larger facility. Hiring will begin in fall 2010. Walmart expects to close the Northtowne location and open the new store within one day of each other during the fourth quarter of this year. With the opening of the new store, Walmart would have five Supercenter locations in the Truckee Meadows.

Construction of the new store, which lies just yards away from the banks of the Truckee River, was dependent upon completion of a 2,200-foot-long, $5.8 million floodwall and levee to protect the site, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony properties, and the Northern Nevada Restitution Center. Campbell Construction Company completed the floodwall work, and A&K Earthmovers graded the site. R & O Construction of Las Vegas is the general contractor on the job.

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