Tag Archives: Walmart

Fort Totten Square Walmart still hiring

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square and tagged with , ,

The Walmart at Fort Totten Square officially opened yesterday. I managed to catch up with store manager Paul Hill, who said the store is still hiring in all departments. All applicants must apply online at http://www.walmart.com/apply. No applications will be accepted in the store. The store number is 3035.

Operating hours for the store are 6:00 am to midnight. Hill noted there is a very strong need for evening associates as well as overnight stock associates. The work hours for the overnight stock associates are 10:00 pm to 7:00 am. Applicants should indicate if they can or prefer to work evening hours.

He recommended that applicants call the store at (202) 756-4418 after they have submitted an online application, ask for personnel or Paul Hill, and inquire about the status of their application. He said that will let him know that the individual is really interested and really wants the job and he will be able to pull the application and take a look.

For individuals who do not have access to a computer with Internet service, DC libraries offer computers for public use, including the Lamond-Riggs Library, located at 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE. In addition, computers are available at the resource center at DC’s American Job Center, located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE (entrance on Hamilton Street).

 

Fort Totten Square Walmart is officially open

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square, Uncategorized and tagged with ,
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, FTSQ Walmart store manager Paul Hill cut the ribbon to officially open the Walmart at Fort Totten Square. Photo courtesy Gwen Cofield, Co-Chair of Lamond-Riggs Development Task Force

Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, and Walmart store manager Paul Hill cut the ribbon to officially open the Walmart at Fort Totten Square. Photo courtesy Gwen Cofield, Co-Chair of the Lamond-Riggs Development Task Force

On October 28, 2015, Mayor Bowser and Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd joined a number of Walmart representatives in cheering “Jobs!” as they cut the ribbon to officially open the Walmart at Fort Totten Square (310 Riggs Road NE). Festivities began early at 7:00 am. Led by store manager Paul Hill, the grand opening celebration was filled with music, speeches, and Walmart cheers. There were some consistent themes–affordable retail, jobs, keeping tax money in DC–in everyone’s remarks.

Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke of the long history of the project, which incidentally tracks her public service career in DC. A resident in the neighborhood, the mayor served as an advisory neighborhood commissioner and with a number of other residents created the Lamond-Riggs Development Task Force. As we all know, Bowser went on to become councilmember for ward 4 and eventually mayor. The task force with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) worked to develop the Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue small area plan. That plan created the blueprint for development in the neighborhood. The mayor noted the impetus for the plan was the desire for high quality services and amenities in the neighborhood. She highlighted the reconfiguration of the South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road intersection that eliminated the fly-bys as the start of creating an urban square, one in which people can walk to dining and shopping. The mayor gave a nod to Walmart’s movement towards increasing wages. She turned what is often a criticism–the fact that there are now two Walmarts 1.5 miles from each other in ward 4–into a positive by saying that means there are 600 people working in the ward at those two stores.

The mayor acknowledged that there is still some work to do on the South Dakota Avenue-Riggs Road intersection that the city spent almost $10 million to reconfigure. DDOT is working on a long-term engineering solution. In the interim, there are traffic control officers at the intersection. They will be there everyday during rush hour, 7:00 am-9:30 am and 4:00 pm-6:30 pm, to direct the flow of traffic and make sure drivers do not block the box.

Councilmember Todd echoed many of the mayor’s remarks. He too acknowledged the efforts of the LRCA and the task force in advocating for development reflective and inclusive of all residents. Giving a shout out to his former boss, he said Mayor Bowser’s efforts to secure funding to reconfigure the South Dakota Avenue-Riggs Road intersection when she served on the council literally paved the way for this moment. He also celebrated keeping tax money in DC and noted there are over 100 Ward 4 residents working in the store.

The pharmacy manager of the store is one of those ward 4 residents. Repeating the theme of affordable retail options, the pharmacy manager said Walmart is proud to provide savings on generic prescription drugs. The store will be administering 300 flu shots to the first 300 customers who request a flu shot at the pharmacy. (It is completely possible that by the time this post is published, the free flu shots will be gone). The pharmacy is also offering free blood pressure screenings.  On October 31, the store will be teaming up with its nonprofit partner Mary’s Center to provide a dental clinic for residents.

Anthony Greenberg, principal of The JBG Companies, the developer of Fort Totten Square, called Fort Totten Square transformative for the neighborhood and noted that it would not have happened without Walmart’s early commitment to not just building a store, but one in a vertical alignment mixed-use development. He mentioned the second phase of the project, stating that his company wishes to continue smart and responsible development with that project.

Walmart’s regional manager spoke briefly about how the store will stimulate DC’s economy and provide affordable products. He reiterated Walmart’s commitment to giving back and hiring DC residents. He noted that nearly 75% of Walmart’s management started off as hourly workers.

At almost 120,000 square feet, the store is the largest Walmart built so far in DC. It has a sizable grocery component, around 50,000 square feet, which is about the size of typical grocery store. Operating hours are 6:00 am-midnight. The store has 24 hour security and there is free underground parking. During the first few weeks that the store is open, if there are products you would like the store to carry or have other suggestions or complaints, just let the store manager Paul Hill know.

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Totten Square: Walmart opening 10/28/15 & other updates

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square and tagged with , ,

Phase I: Fort Totten Square

FTSQ Walmart grand opening

Lots of people have asked and now we know the Fort Totten Square Walmart will have its grand opening on October 28, 2015. Operating hours will be 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight.

FTSQ retail pic

As for the other retailers, Subway and Five Guys have signed leases. Subway’s signs are up. Five Guys is waiting for permits from DCRA. At last week’s LRCA meeting, the developers announced they are in negotiation to fill the two remaining retail spaces. Pending successful negotiation, the space on the corner of 3rd Street and Riggs Road NE will be a new “restaurant” concept by a local owner. Restaurant is in quotation marks because it will not be a sit-down restaurant exactly, but there may be tables outside. They have not publicly revealed what the new concept is, but they did say we are sort of a test market for the concept.

The other space, which will be between Subway and Five Guys, on the corner of Chillum Place and Riggs Road NE will be a non-restaurant use. They declined to elaborate what that use will be, but they made a previous announcement, so make of that what you will.

Phase II: Townhomes and retail

Surplus property site

Phase II site

In previous posts, we mentioned there is a second phase to the project, which will be located across the street from the first phase. The developers and District officials are still negotiating the purchase of District-owned land adjacent to land already owned by the developers on the southeastern corner of South Dakota Avenue at Riggs Road NE. The District-owned land has to go through the public disposition process.

Originally the plan for the combined parcels was for more rental apartments with retail. The plan was changed to approximately 160 to 170 for-sale townhomes and roughly 27,000 square feet of retail because the developers now believe the market favors for-sale homes over more rental units in the neighborhood. One reader asked how they could possibly fit that many homes on the property. The answer is that the current conceptual plan calls for approximately 150 back-to-back townhomes and  approximately 20 loft townhomes. Back-to-back townhomes are exactly what they sound like, so more homes can be packed on the site. This is just a conceptual plan and it may change, so there are no renderings or real site plans to provide, except for those filed with the Office of Zoning. The publicly filed documents are available on the Office of Zoning’s website by searching case number 17606E.

At last week’s LRCA meeting, the developer said he thinks negotiations will be settled in a month or so. We do not know if he was speaking off the cuff, but if he is correct, then more details will be forthcoming soon. In the interim, remember we asked about community benefits. If you have additional thoughts about that, let us know in the comments.

Fort Totten Square Walmart opening pushed back

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square and tagged with ,

We have an update on the Fort Totten Square Walmart from community representatives. The Walmart will not open in spring 2015 as anticipated due to changes in the construction schedule, but is expected to open in either summer or fall 2015. The opening of the hiring center will be pushed back as well.

From January 19 to January 30, 2015, the Walmart Foundation is accepting applications from qualified non-profit organizations for grants in the $25,000-$250,000 range.  Visit the Foundation website for more information. Organizations interested in smaller grants should contact Kimberly Lockett.

Walmart representatives also shared the following Q & As:

1. What additional retailers at Fort Totten Square, other than Walmart?

JBG and Lowe are still in lease negotiations with restaurants and neighborhood serving retail.

2. Will there be any retailers inside the Walmart store?

No, there will not be other retailers located inside of the Walmart store.

3. What is the character of the Fort Totten Walmart going to be?

There will not be any other retailers inside the store, but there will be grocery, financial services, and health & wellness services. Financial services include GoBank accounts, Walmart-to-Walmart wire transfer and Blue Bird pre-paid check cards.

4. Where is the Walmart customer parking entrance and is there zoned parking in the DDOT plan for the neighborhood?

Customers will enter Walmart from two parking entrances, one on Riggs Rd. NE the other on 3rd [St.] NE, per the plan approved by DDOT. Community stakeholder meetings after the store opening will be used to receive feedback on issues including parking, transportation, etc. If there are any specific issues noted by the community, Walmart will work with [the]community to address any outstanding issues. There is no zoned parking directly surrounding the store due to garage parking availability.

5. What will traffic patterns be for delivery trucks to Walmart and Fort Totten Square?

All truck loading/unloading for Walmart will be conducted inside the underground parking garage. Trucks will use Riggs Rd. NE and not travel on Chillum Rd. or other local roads.

6. Employment

a. How many people will be employed at the Walmart?

Approximately 300 associates will be employed at the Walmart

b. Are there requirements for local hiring?

While there are no local hiring mandates, our stores actively recruit, hire and retain associates from the local community. For example, over 65% of Walmart’s associates in Washington’s two existing stores are DC residents.

c. What will the job hiring center look like and what is the application process?

All of the applications are submitted online. Our HR department reviews all applications and interviews candidates at the job hiring center. Once a candidate has satisfied the conditions stated in the offer of employment, they begin training and employment shortly thereafter.

Walmart-related Development News

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square, Neighborhood Development and tagged with , ,

A couple of Walmart-related development items:

Large Retailer Accountability Act

By now, most have surely heard about the op-ed by Walmart regional general manager Alex Barron, stating the retailer will not proceed with three previously announced District stores that have not broken ground (Skyland, Capitol Gateway, and New York Avenue NE), if the city council passes the proposed Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013 (LRAA).  The LRAA, commonly known as the living wage bill, would raise the minimum wage for employees of retail employers with at least $1 billion in sales and that operate in spaces of at least 75,000 sq ft., from $8.25 per hour to $12.50 per hour.  The DC council is scheduled to vote for a second time on the bill on July 10, 2013.  On the first reading of the bill, the council voted 8 to 5 in favor of the bill.  According to the Washington Post, Mayor Vince Gray issued a statement encouraging the council to reconsider the bill and its stated purpose.  The Washington Business Journal reports that the Skyland developer stated that project will be on hold indefinitely if Walmart pulls out as an anchor for the development.  Mayor Gray personally lobbied Walmart to anchor the development.  Prior to Walmart’s July 9th op-ed, the Washington Post published an editorial against the bill.  That editorial followed media reports, in which Walmart executives stated they believed the city was pulling a bait and switch by soliciting Walmart’s business and then changing the business conditions under which the retailer would operate through the LRAA.

With the Washington Post editorial against the bill, the Walmart op-ed, and Mayor Gray’s statement, it is hard to see a path to enactment for the LRAA.  There are policy and technical reasons not to support this particular iteration of what some call a fair wage law, but a few questions remain.  Does Walmart’s threat now mean that even if the bill fails, any future attempt by the council to raise minimum wage across the board will be met with threats to shut down stores?  Will Walmart decide not to proceed with the three stores not under construction even if the bill fails because conceivably, according to Walmart’s logic, the council could always later introduce a bill to raise the minimum wage before all six stores have broken ground?

These questions lead nicely to the second bit of Walmart development related news since Walmart executives also stated the LRAA could affect even the three stores that are already under construction, which includes the store planned for Fort Totten Square.

Buyers sought for First and H Street Development 

The Washington Business Journal reports that the JBG Companies is seeking buyers for the Walmart-anchored mixed-use development at First and H Street NW.  That project is scheduled for a fall 2013 completion.  No other retail tenants have been announced so far.  It is not too surprising that JBG has listed the development since the developer tends to put up several of its projects for sale.  However, this is noteworthy because JBG is also part of the team developing the Walmart-anchored Fort Totten Square, along with Lowe Enterprises.  This is one of the reasons we have always believed it is important to get the Fort Totten Square project right from the beginning in terms of design and retail mix.  JBG could very well exit the project at some point.

Of course, these two Walmart-anchored projects are in different neighborhoods with different market conditions, so it is not a given that the developer will do with Fort Totten Square what it has done with First and H.  And in fact, JBG has treated the two developments quite differently.  According to the Washington Business Journal, the Walmart lease for First and H is only 20 years, while we know the retailer’s lease for Fort Totten Square is 60 years.  While both developments are mixed-use projects, the Walmart store at First and H is significantly smaller than the planned store at Fort Totten Square (80,000 square feet versus 120,000 square feet).  The First and H project does not incorporate Walmart’s typical blue branding in the building’s design.  However, the Walmart blue branding, which has appeared less frequently in recent building designs, is incorporated a bit in Fort Totten Square .

As we mentioned in a previous post, having a Walmart-anchored development in the city can carry certain risks depending on a developer’s goals.  It is interesting to see how these two projects by the same developer are shaping up.  A couple of the differences were pointed out in the past and the developer provided rationales for the differences.

Now with Walmart’s announcement about the LRAA, it will certainly be interesting to see what happens with the Walmart-anchored developments.  Another Walmart store (the Georgia Avenue store) under construction less than two miles away from Fort Totten Square is scheduled to be completed this year, while Fort Totten Square is not scheduled for completion until 2015.  There have always been questions about how this dynamic will play out.  Supposedly, Walmart executives believe the planned Fort Totten Square store will be its most successful DC store of the six announced to date.  Given this dynamic and what we know about how the various stores currently under construction are designed, one has to question how many Walmart stores will end up in the city, no matter the fate of the LRAA.

Tidbits from the Fort Totten walking tour

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Fort Totten Square, Neighborhood Development and tagged with , , , , , ,

The Coalition for Smarter Growth hosted a walking tour around Fort Totten called “Fort Totten:  More than a Transfer Point,” on June 15, 2013.  Greater Greater Washington has a nice recap of the tour.  In addition, CSG has pictures posted on facebook and flickr.

Overview

Deborah Crain from the Office of Planning provided an overview of the process that created the Small Area Plan for the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs road NE corridor.

More Apartments On the Way

A resident of the apartments at Aventine Fort Totten recounted the history of the complex, which was originally constructed in 2007 as Fort Totten Station apartments on WMATA property next to Fort Totten metro station under a 99 year lease.  The project, which consists of three apartment buildings, was originally slated to be five buildings, including some condos.  Residents and advocates were successful in finally getting a walking path from 3rd Street NE opened to Riggs Road.  Now, residents are hoping to make the walkway ADA compliant.

Fort Totten metro station is one of the stations around which WMATA hopes to create new transit oriented development.  Stan Wall, WMATA Director of Real Estate & Station Planning,  spoke a bit about plans for rental apartments on the site of the commuter parking lot on 1st Place NE.  The project will still contain commuter parking, but likely will not contain any retail.  The RFP for that project will likely be out around September of this year.

Improved Pedestrian & MBT Connection

Anna Chamberlain, DDOT transportation planner and project manager, discussed the city’s desire to create a better pedestrian experience around the metro.  DDOT’s transportation/access plan for the Fort Totten metro area, including for Galloway Street and 1st Place NE, can be found here.  Part of the plan involves transforming 1st Place NE from a service road for WMATA to a city-owned street with the attendant streetscape improvements.  WMATA and DDOT are currently negotiating that deal.  Ms. Chamberlain and others also highlighted DDOT’s reconfiguration of the South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE intersection, which eliminated the flyby, constructed a four corner intersection, and created high visibility crosswalks and streetscape improvements.

Ms. Chamberlain also discussed the Fort Totten connection to the Metropolitan Branch Trail.  DDOT plans to create a cycle staircase, which will require bikers to dismount, next to the the trail at a 5% grade.  The city has allocated money for this fiscal year and next to design the Fort Totten connection, with money allocated for FY2016 for construction of the Fort Totten portion of the trail.

Art Place at Fort Totten

With respect to the two major developments underway in the neighborhood, the tour highlighted the difference in engagement between the team for Art Place at Fort Totten and the team behind Fort Totten Square.  No one from the Art Place team was on hand to provide updates on the project.  Residents and representatives from the Lamond Riggs Development Task Force filled in the gaps.  We know that a bid is out for general contractors, with a selection expected to be made in July.

Fort Totten Square

Although the Art Place project is a planned unit development (PUD) and one would expect more engagement since there is more approval required for the project, the team behind Fort Totten Square has been much more forthcoming about the realities of the Fort Totten Square project, which is a matter of right project.  That is not to suggest that residents always get what they want with Fort Totten Square.  Residents were quite vocal about not wanting Walmart as an anchor for the project for a variety of reasons.  The reality also is that certain businesses can afford to pay rent and do not mind co-locating with a Walmart, so while the developers have promised that they will not solicit businesses like liquor stores and check cashing stores, they have not ruled out cell phone stores, for example.  The challenges of having a Walmart-anchored project were acknowledged on the tour.  However, the strong points about the project, including its mixed use design and “urban format” grocery component were highlighted.

During the tour, Jamie Weinbaum, JBG project manager for Fort Totten Square, described the amount of programming and amenities the residential component will have (yoga, outdoor movies in the courtyard, two-tiered pool, transit screens, bikeshare, car2go parking in the garage).

One other tidbit from the tour was Mr. Weinbaum’s response when asked whether his team would work with existing small businesses to improve storefront facades to contribute to the overall improvement of the South Dakota/Riggs corridor.  He said his team has had talks about development opportunities and various discussions with local businesses.  However, nothing concrete was provided.  He also discussed what is known as the south site, the grassy area in front of the mural on Riggs Road.  He said his team has resumed talks with the city about a land transfer for that site.  However, given that his team is interested in making sure Fort Totten Square is fully leased for both residential and retail purposes, it does not seem as if there is any urgency into getting control of that site if it will not be developed right away.

Overall, the tour provided a nice opportunity to meet folks from Riggs Park, North Michigan Park, Petworth, and South Manor who are all interested in seeing a great, established neighborhood have improved connectivity and more neighborhood amenities.

 

Local retail and Walmart

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square and tagged with , ,

The Washington Post has an article about Walmart’s solicitation for local businesses to co-locate with the Georgia Ave. Walmart, which lies approximately 1.5 miles from the Walmart planned for Riggs Park.  Walmart’s spokesperson Steve Restivo stated that if the retailer cannot find sufficient local businesses to occupy one or two spaces for lease, it will find a national chain.  Links to the square footage and design of the space are provided within the article.  It will be noteworthy to see which local business, if any, ends up leasing space at the Georgia Ave Walmart.

In community meetings with respect to the Walmart planned as an anchor for Fort Totten Square in Riggs Park, Walmart representatives have stated that they would be open to providing space to a local business.  It was unclear at the time (and still unclear now) precisely where that space would be–whether in the interior of the store with no access to the frontage along the street or whether there would be signage on the street promoting the interior tenant.  A point has been raised about making sure the design would accommodate a local business by providing adequate street frontage.  Construction continues apace and full financing for Fort Totten Square has been secured.

Now’s a good time to revisit the design as JBG & Lowe reach out to retailers to fill out FTS and continue discussions with the city to secure the south site to begin work there.  The Lamond Riggs Citizens Association has certainly made local retail a priority in discussions with JBG, Lowe, & Walmart.  Let’s hope local and aspiring business owners will be ready to take advantage of an opportunity to open up shop in 2015.