Northborough Walmart to begin expansion soon

After receiving approval from town leaders more than a year ago to expand its 200 Otis St. store, the local Walmart is close to breaking ground.

Spokesman Christopher Buchanan said yesterday that Wal-Mart is accepting bids to expand the store into one of the chain’s “supercenters.” Construction is expected to begin sometime in the spring, he said, and last about a year.

“With a full-service grocery component and everyday low prices, the Northborough supercenter will bring a new shopping opportunity for the community,” Buchanan said.

The grocery section will feature fresh local produce, frozen foods, a bakery, a deli, a meat department and a dairy department, he said, as well as more than 30 aisles of general merchandise offerings.

The retail giant received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals last January to expand the building by about 50,000 square feet on the north and east sides, and add about 150 parking spaces as well.

When finished, the building will occupy 173,371 square feet and have 787 parking spaces, according to plans filed with the town. The store will remain open during construction.

Wal-Mart has bought a neighboring building that will be razed for more parking space. Parking spaces per square foot will decrease overall, from 5.14 spaces per 1,000 square feet to 4.54, according to the plans.

The company will also move its garden center and renovate the entrance to the building.

In response to town officials’ concerns about safety, the Walmart store will install a traffic table — a 6-inch raised platform, like a big speed bump, designed to slow drivers — at the Otis Street entrance.

Town Engineer Fred Litchfield said last week that plans for sewage have changed since last year, which may in part be responsible for the reason why construction hasn’t started yet.

Wal-Mart had originally planned to expand the septic system, Litchfield said, but decided to tie into the town’s sewer system instead.

“Sewer is always better than septic because it’s forever,” Litchfield said.

That process has taken about six months, said Town Planner Kathy Joubert, and will ultimately result in Wal-Mart agreeing to pay a betterment fee to the town to tie into the system.

Buchanan said his company has secured approval to tie into the system and is looking forward to the expansion.

“Wal-Mart is very excited to be able to save our Northborough-area customers money so they can live better,” he said.

(Brad Petrishen can be reached at 508-490-7463 or bpetrishen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Petrishen.)

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Northborough Walmart to begin expansion soon