Wal-Mart still looking for second Carson location

A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said Tuesday the company is still actively seeking an East Carson City location and has not entertained the idea of locating the store in nearby Lyon County.

Amy Hill, a Wal-Mart representative, said the company "has not settled on a site," but it would be in the store's best interest to stay within the boundaries of East Carson City.

At a Northern Nevada Development Authority-sponsored breakfast last month, Lyon County Manager Steve Snyder said he heard second-hand that the company was interested in potential new store locations in Fernley and Mound House.

"We are looking for an opportunity for a Highway 50 East location or the northwest part of Carson City," Hill said. The store "would likely also serve other areas like western Lyon County, Dayton and Mound House. We believe there is an opportunity there and a need for us to do that."

Construction of a new Wal-Mart store in Carson City could help soften the fiscal blow that Carson City will take when the Wal-Mart on South Carson Street relocates to Douglas County. Sales tax from the Wal-Mart store contributes heftily to the city's budget, money that will leave the county with the store.

Revenue generated by Wal-Mart is one of the biggest contributors to Carson City's budget, accounting for an estimated $1 million annually, or 2.5 percent of an almost $40 million budget. Exact figures are proprietary and are not available to the general public.

The company announced in early 2001 it will open a new 223,901-square-foot supercenter just north of Home Depot on Highway 395 and close its existing store, which has been in Carson City since 1991, sometime in late spring 2002.

Hill said Tuesday construction remains on track for a spring completion.

Construction crews have been hard at work for months, building adjacent roadway improvements and erecting the mammoth structure. The new building and parking lot will be situated on Gross Circle at the former site of 24-Hour Fitness. Wal-Mart, which owns its current building, has not announced a replacement tenant.

City leaders made efforts -- including attempting to broker a deal with Raley's and offering several Carson City sites -- to retain the retail giant and its millions in local sales revenue.

The new Super Wal-Mart will share the neighborhood with Home Depot, Target, Costco and several restaurants and lifestyle stores to the north. To the south, planners are brokering a deal to build a shopping center featuring more than 300,000 square-feet of store and restaurant space, similar to new "lifestyle" developments at the North end of Reno on Virginia Street.