LEWISTON – Wal-Mart’s grocery warehouse will be slightly taller and farther back from River Road and Plourde Parkway than planned.

Work on the retailer’s distribution center is to begin in April. “We’re getting closer to it, and the plans are getting more concrete,” said Deputy Development Director David Hediger.

Plans include adding another 6 feet on top of the warehouse, but reducing the building’s footprint by about 43 feet along the southern side. Original plans set the building height at 100 feet, and the size at 485,000 square feet.

“The end result is that the building is moving farther away from the intersection of River Road and Plourde Parkway,” Hediger said. “It’s a little change, and shouldn’t have much impact.”

Hediger said the designs of machinery to be housed in the warehouse made the shape change needed. The building will be a huge grocery and produce transfer facility, full of conveyor belts and storage areas.

“Originally, they were planning to build a shell and then put the mechanics inside,” Hediger said. “Now, they’re planning on building the actual conveyors and mechanics into the building. To do that, they needed more room on top.”

Assistant City Administrator Greg Mitchell said many of the preparations for the center are complete or well under way. City crews have relocated Plourde Parkway to make room for the center and have put in new water and sewer connections. Work on an electrical substation is also well under way.

“The last report I received is that they plan to be under way by early next summer,” Mitchell said. “It’s a good-sized building, and they need to get started in time if they’re going to finish in time.”

Last April, councilors let the retailer push back construction on its Plourde Parkway grocery distribution center by more than a year. According to revised plans, the company will finish construction in August 2005.

The company will begin paying property taxes – about $1 million annually – in April 2004 as scheduled. According to the tax-increment financing deal with the retailer, about $300,000 of those taxes will be returned to Wal-Mart each year.

The company has 3,400 stores nationwide, including super centers and Sam’s Clubs. The stores are supplied by a network of 84 distribution centers, including 25 for groceries.

Four of the company’s distribution centers are in New York and one is in New Hampshire. The Lewiston center will be the second New England grocery warehouse.

staylor@sunjournal.com

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