The landscape of south Baton Rouge will shift next month whenthe new Wal-Mart SuperCenter opens at Village Square shoppingcenter on College Drive.
The SuperCenter will hold its grand opening Oct. 27, the sameday the Wal-Mart at Perkins Road and Acadian Thruway closes itsdoors, said Charles Landry, the local attorney who representsWal-Mart contractors Bright-Meyers of Atlanta, Ga.
Wal-Mart hired Baton Rouge engineering company ABMB to resolveany traffic issues the new store would cause on the congestedroad.
City approval is pending for four improvements between PerkinsRoad and Bankers Road, said Mike Bruce of ABMB. An extra turninglane at the Perkins intersection and extension of the Interstate 10on-ramp are among the changes.
The improvements almost have cut travel time in half during peakhours for motorists traveling north on College, Bruce said. It took9.3 minutes to go from Perkins to Bankers Road before the changes.The same trip now takes 5.3 minutes.
Bruce said most Wal-Mart shoppers would not be shopping at thepeak hours, so the new store should not cause more traffic.
“We don’t expect traffic to change much when the store opens,”he said.
Commercial Properties Development Corporation of Baton Rougelast week bought the shopping center that houses Wal-Mart andBooks-A-Million on Perkins.
There are several options for developing that area, includingoffice and retail spaces, said Camm Morton, director of CommercialProperties. He said residents of the surrounding neighborhood willhave input in the decision-making process.
Morton said several retail outlets have expressed interest inthe area, but his company has some hurdles to clear before they canmake firm plans. Kimco Realty Company has a lease on the Wal-Martbuilding through 2007.
Morton said he could not comment on whether (Kimco) will give upits lease when Wal-Mart vacates.
Candy Lowe and Emily Patton, both freshmen, are ready for thenew SuperCenter to open.
“That’s where we are going to start going,” Lowe said. “Wealready drove by to see if it was open.”
Patton said she avoided going across town to the nearestSuperCenter and was scared of the one on Perkins.
“That other Wal-Mart is ghetto,” she said. “I heard people getshot there.”
Ben Lunsford, a civil engineering senior, said he avoidsWal-Mart no matter where it is.
“I am not a fan of Wal-Mart,” Lunsford said. “There are too manyand they are taking over everything. I go to Target now.”