From NBC Washington:
Wal-Mart has informed D.C. officials that it’s abandoned plans to construct two additional stores in the District — and city leaders are furious.
The news came just hours after the retail giant announced Friday morning that it will close 269 stores worldwide, including 154 in the United States.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said she’s “blood mad” over the dropped plans for stores at Skyland Town Center and Capitol Gateway, both in Northeast D.C. east of the Anacostia River.
Both areas are desperate for retail. Then-Mayor Vincent Gray had gotten Wal-Mart to agree to the Skyland location as a condition for building its other D.C. stores.
Neither location had broken ground, but old stores had already been cleared at the Skyland shopping center.
“We’re dismayed by Walmart’s actions,” said D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine. “The residents of the District of Columbia — and particularly the residents of Wards 7 and 8 — have long expected that Walmart would follow through on its commitment to locate stores at Skyland and Capitol Gateway.”
Racine said his office is reviewing the situation and partnering with Bowser and the D.C. Council “to explore all available options.”
D.C. Council member Vincent Orange said the District should sue Walmart for backing out of the Skyland location.
Wal-Mart has opened three stores in the District in recent years, at 99 H St. NW, 5929 Georgia Ave. NW and in the Fort Totten area.
