Alpine Ave. Wal-mart Construction Updates

[pcdoctor]

Since I didn't see any topic about Wal-marts anywhere or to see if anyone even cares, I figured that I would start a new topic about the construction progress of the new Wal-mart Supercenter going up on Alpine Avenue.

I would like to start off by saying that a couple of months back, more so around April or so, they did some road construction on Alpine/Cordes to add an additional left turn lane on cordes/alpen horn drives. Also a new traffic signal up as well.

As of how things look at the present moment:

You cannot go past the 2nd driveway as the roadway is blocked off to construction traffic only. You can still drive back to the Express Lube clinic, but just past the 2nd set of garage doors, it's all fenced off there. But that didn't stop me. I walked down to the other end of the store to see if I can see anything. And sure enough I did. The building of the new Wal-mart Supercenter has already begun. I didn't want to go too far back, so I'm not 100% sure of what's going on there. Anyone who may have updates, feel free to post if they wish. I will try to get updates myself when I can.

[pcdoctor]

OK so I just posted about the new Wal-mart Construction, now this post will be about my experience at Wal-mart the other day.

I decided to go in the old store to walk around and I will say this. Hopefully the new store will be much bigger with wider aisles and not crammed like crazy. That's what it felt like walking through the store. Even the main concourse going east/west direction was just packed full of clothing racks.

And so I proceeded to walk up and down some of the Aisles there, and the electronics department is one place to avoid when the store is extremely busy. It's aisles are narrow, but can be hard to manuever around in when lots of people are there.

I had to use the restroom after eating a good lunch at checkers. So I go to the restrooms located in the back of the store where Layaway is and here's the result. Stinky, dirty and beat. I wasn't in there for long.

Also, one may notice that the security alarms go off quite often compared to Meijer. their employees know nothing about demagnitizing stuff.

And also, leaving the store, there was a lady there doing a fundraising thing. Not sure if that's allowed. That's about all I have to say.

[tamias6]

Ah yes Kent County's first Wal-Mart supercenter is under construction as we speak. This is a shot of the construction site I took on 6/02/2007.

Now if memory serving me correctly, this Wally-World will be about 209,000 sq. ft. in size and will be ready to smash, slash and eviscerate any competition that stands in its way with always low prices sometime next year. It is also this new Wally World that prompted Meijer to pull out all of its stops and invest 16 million dollars into transforming its outdated Alpine location into a lean mean state-of-the-art retail machine. As for what the new bigger, better, badder Wally World may look like, nine chances out of ten we will get something like this...

However the ever calculative heads in Bentonville have been trying as of late to make incoming Wally Worlds more palatable to increasingly resistant communities. So hopefully the Wally-World being built on Alpine Ave. will take the form of this instead.

A shot of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter on US-31 just south of Grand Haven being finished up.

[pcdoctor]

Would you happen to know how big the current walmart store is?

[tamias6]

Would you happen to know how big the current walmart store is?

[blueradon]

Go to the Greenville Walmart (just outside of the west side of town) It'll probably look like that...has a tan stucco finish to it with the walmart blue signs

Don't know if Alpine would get any fancy brickwork

[tamias6]

If you have a digital camera or a camera phone can you post a picture of the Greenville Wal-Mart if posible?

Go to the Greenville Walmart (just outside of the west side of town) It'll probably look like that...has a tan stucco finish to it with the walmart blue signs

Don't know if Alpine would get any fancy brickwork

[tamias6]

Today is a day I will never forget for I have seen how relentless the machine that is Wal-Mart can be. Never have I seen an edifice of any sort rise in such a short time. What was once an open construction site only a few weeks ago is now a new building whose structural skeleton is already 1/3 complete. Even side walls complete with finish surfaces are already being erected. Mind you, Wal-Mart has opted on conventional masonry walls vs. Meijer's use of prefab walls for its buildings. So behold fellow planeteers. Like an omnipotent God manifesting itself, the infamous smiley face is indeed rising.

A shot from the Menard's parking lot showing the new Wal-Mart looming over the home improvement store's garden center.

Shot with DSC-P200 at 2007-07-05

As seen here, the new Wally World is being constructed directly behind the existing store. Notice the light red finish brick work already installed on the new cinder block walls. Thus 'tis apparent that we're not getting the standard blue and gray box thank goodness. So even though its still going to be a Wally World on the inside hopefully it won't look so "Wally" on the outside.

Shot with DSC-P200 at 2007-07-05

This is a view from the Sam's Club tire shop. Based on this shot the new Wal-Mart will sport higher ceilings than the existing store. Like most Wal-Mart supercenters this one is likely to have no drop ceiling and may even feature skylights to help illuminate the sales floor. So the new store will not feel quite as claustrophobic as the old one. Again notice the finish brick work already in place.

Shot with DSC-P200 at 2007-07-05

[tamias6]

Ha! And you thought it was just a bad dream. Well think again. The evil smiley face is still building on its new supercenter. Anyway. Here's the latest on the new Alpine Ave. Wally World.

Approaching Wal-MArt from the intersection of Alpine Ave. and Henze St.

Too bad for Henze St. Its nothing more than the smiley face's private drive, a slave to the Sam's Club and Wally World parking lots. This poor street's future only looks more bleak as it will have the added burden of funneling poor souls into the awaiting jaws of the new supercenter.

Construction Work commencing on land in front of the Waly World parking lot.

I can only hope this will not become even more asphalt as the existing Wal-Mart will become more parking to serve the supercenter. But then again the dessert like asphalt sea of a Wal-Mart supercenter makes a Meijer parking lot look like a small driveway belonging to a 50's subdivision tract house.

Old and New

Here the new supercenter towers over the old store like some monster about to pounce upon helpless prey. In a way that is a literal description as the old store will meet its fate with the wrecking ball once the new supercenter opens.

Yes. Big is Right!

The rear of the old store look pale compared to the new store's massive 32' tall grocery entrance. Oh, but that is only the start of it.

Behemoth is the Key word here.

It's not just the entrances that are huge. This new Wal-Mart will make no modesty on its 209,000 sq. ft. physique. In fact the whole facade plays up the word "BIG!". Once you park you car in the new supercenter's parking lot and step out, you will be awed and down right overwhelmed by this manifestation of the omnipotent power and imperial might that is Wal-Mart.

Lastly the cavernous innards.

Just as vast is the cavernous interior taking shape within the massive walls of the supercenter. Inside will be a sales floor that combines a full line supermarket and discount department store under once roof resulting in one stop shopping. However based on other Wal-Mart supercenters I've stepped foot into, Wal-Mart still has an awful long way to go before it can design a cohesive and easily navigable store layout that rivals that of the supercenter format pioneer, Meijer.

[pcdoctor]

oops. Message was meant to be posted in Alpine Meijer topic.

[blueradon]

If you have a digital camera or a camera phone can you post a picture of the Greenville Wal-Mart if posible?

[tamias6]

Wal mart Construction updates:

Wal-mart is just one of those things that keeps on growing and growing and... oh, grow some more. The smiley face has been doing this as a company since its founding. Why else has it become the largest most powerful company on the face of the earth? What dose that have to do with its Alpine Ave. new digs? Well, Walmart is applying its agressive growth strategy on the construction of its new supercenter. Just when I thought this thing was B-I-G, this thing just keeps on growing. As of today large pyramids big enough to satisfy Khufu where placed on top of the new supercenter's grocery and retail entrances. The entrances are now about 45 feet tall from grade to the summits of their new pyramids. In addition the building has grown southward forming most of the new tire and lube center and a great deal of the garden center. A third entrance, which leads into the garden center is being roughed in with metal stud work. Though slightly smaller that the retail and grocery entrances, the garden center entrance is still massive in size. Lastly from some strange reason the old Wally-world's front drive has been top coated with a new layer of asphalt. Why Wal-mart would waste its time doing anything to a store who's day's are numbered is a mystery.

Anyway there's some shots taken today.

The garden center entrance taking shape. To the right is the retail entrance looming behind the old Wal-mart. The large pyramid on its top really makes this entrance huge.

A crappy shot of the retail entry. But its enough to give all of you an idea of how big the supercenter's front facade is going to be. Look at the side wall of the retail entrance. Notice the line where the red bricks stops and the gray bricks begins. From grade to that line is about 24 feet high. So you are looking at an additional 20 feet in height from where the gray bricks pick up to apex of the entrance's pyramid top. That's about 45 feet of total height folks.

The old Wally World sporting a freshly top coated front drive. Why the bean counters in Bentonville would invest any further in a store its replacing other than basic upkeep is a mystery.

Construction Activities going on at the front of the Wal-Mart site. It's starting to look like Wal-Mart is adding some more outlots to its Alpine Location.

The new supercenter's grocery entrance towering over the old store. Like the Retail Entrance, its now crowned by a large pyramid further adding to its immensity.

The scale of the new supercenter is most impressive from the Menard's parking lot. Even from this angle one can still clearly see the pyramid top of the retail entrance even though most of the new supercenter's front facade is obscured by the old store.

[Veloise]

Wal mart Construction updates:

...

The scale of the new supercenter is most impressive from the Menard's parking lot. Even from this angle one can still clearly see the pyramid top of the retail entrance even though most of the new supercenter's front facade is obscured by the old store.

...

[Veloise]

This is what happens when you use bargain-basement imported cheapie construction tools.

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2007/10/two_...ruction_ac.html

[tamias6]

Looks like a bit of an oppsy to me. I guess one can't build a store that quickly without something happening.

[jbr12]

This is what happens when you use bargain-basement imported cheapie construction tools.

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2007/10/two_...ruction_ac.html

[snoogit]

I drove past what I thought was going to be some more outlots the other day, and I found they were paved over in asphalt!!!

the first thought in my mind was "They need MORE PARKING?!?!?!"

[jbr12]

That was one of my questions... has anyone seen the site plan?

I find it hard to believe that they will use the entire existing parking lot & the existing building as parking lot after its demo'd.... They have got to be leasing those outlots

[snoogit]

That was one of my questions... has anyone seen the site plan?

I find it hard to believe that they will use the entire existing parking lot & the existing building as parking lot after its demo'd.... They have got to be leasing those outlots

[tamias6]

The space occupied by the existing building couple with the existing parking lot would provide all the parking the new Wally-World will ever need. The work taking place at the front of the site has got to be for making out lots. But then again I've been to a couple of Wal-Mart supercenters both of which featured parking lots that are significantly larger than any Meijer parking lot. and many times scarier. The Wal-Mart in my Grand Parent's home town is like driving into a carnival's bumper car ride.

[jbr12]

The WalMart in Petoskey is crazy huge and always full, but thats because its where EVERYONE within a 40 mile radius shops! I can't imagine Wal-Mart's business is going to pick up that much once the Supercenter is done... do they think they'll steal that much Meijer business??

[Raildudes dad]

That was one of my questions... has anyone seen the site plan?

I find it hard to believe that they will use the entire existing parking lot & the existing building as parking lot after its demo'd.... They have got to be leasing those outlots

[tamias6]

The WalMart in Petoskey is crazy huge and always full, but thats because its where EVERYONE within a 40 mile radius shops! I can't imagine Wal-Mart's business is going to pick up that much once the Supercenter is done... do they think they'll steal that much Meijer business??

[d8alterego]

So, do you think this new TITANIC supercenter is using sustainable building practices and possibly going to qualify for LEED certifying??????????

[tamias6]

The new Wally-world might feature an ultra efficient HVAC system the Bentonville bean counters have been working on for the past couple of years, LED illuminated coolers, and skylights to reduce the amount of store lighting needed. Wally-World claims that these features have cut the power consumption of their supercenters by 25%. However even with those "green" features I don't think the new Alpine Wally will be LEED certified.