SUPERSIZE LANCASTER WAL-MART NO SMALL TASK NEW 218,500-SQUARE-FOOT STORE TO BE ANCHOR OF CENTER.Byline: JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape SKEEN Staff Writer LANCASTER -- A Super Wal-Mart that will serve as the major anchor for a revamped Valley Central Way shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into is expected to be open by early fall. Wal-Mart is building a 218,500-square-foot store just south of its existing 116,000-square-foot store. Once the new store is ready, the smaller building will be split up into spaces for three or four stores. The Super Wal-Mart will employ about 400 people, company spokesman Kevin McCall said. ``We're excited about it,'' McCall said. The new store is a key component for a $25 million effort to renovate and revitalize re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. the shopping center, which lost three major tenants in recent years. Costco relocated in 2003 to Avenue L at the Antelope Valley Freeway The Antelope Valley Freeway is a freeway in Los Angeles and Kern counties in southern California. It is signed as California State Highway 14 along its length. It connects Greater Los Angeles to the rapidly developing Antelope Valley. , Circuit City moved to Palmdale, and the House2Home store closed in 2002 when the corporation went out of business. Wal-Mart will be the center's second store to expand. A 24,000-square-foot 99 CentsOnly Store was built on the former House2Home site, replacing a 15,000-square-foot store that sat on part of the new Wal-Mart store site. The former Costco store also was demolished de·mol·ish tr.v. de·mol·ished, de·mol·ish·ing, de·mol·ish·es 1. To tear down completely; raze. 2. To do away with completely; put an end to. 3. to accommodate the new Wal-Mart. Three pads along Valley Central Way will be built to accommodate either smaller stores or restaurants. To aid the revitalization re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. of the center, the City Council in 2004 approved a $2.3 million incentive package for the makeover. The package included turning over ownership of the former Costco building, providing $500,000 for remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling work, and offering $1.8 million to be paid over several years at a rate of one-half of the sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. increase generated by the new development. The made-over center is expected to generate $500,000 annually in increased sales tax revenue for the city, officials said. Developers Diversified Realty acquired the shopping center in September 2000 from Pacific Burnham as part of a $355 million deal for 15 shopping centers. The transaction did not include the old Costco building, which had been acquired by the city as part of an effort to relocate the giant wholesale retailer into a larger building. james.skeen@dailynews (661) 267-5743 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) A construction crew works Friday on the up-and-coming Super Wal-Mart in Lancaster that will serve as the major anchor for a revamped Valley Central Way shopping center. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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