Wal-Mart Negotiates First DC Area Store

Wal-Mart is negotiating opening its first store in D.C. on New York Avenue N.E. near the intersection of Bladensburg Road.

The chain has been interested in opening a store in the District for years but has not yet signed a lease for the land that is believed to be owned by a family in the taxicab business, according to the Washington Post.

Currently, various auto part shops and the Skylark Lounge, a strip club are on the property.

Unlike other locations Wal-Mart has considered in the past – such as property in Anacostia – a store on New York Avenue would likely require no city subsidies or zoning charges. This could allow the company to avoid the political concerns it attracts due to uneasy relations with organized labor.

The addition of a Wal-Mart could help send shoppers and sales taxes to the suburbs. It would also offer a large number of jobs, since Wal-Mart is one of the nation’s largest employers with about 1.4 million employees, as of March 2010.