Oxon Hill/National Harbor Development (Potomac, Waldorf: hotel, tax, shopper)

[justtitans]

First it was the outlet mall and now it's this...

Wal-Mart planned for near National Harbor


Traffic is about to get real bad!

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by meatkins

First it was the outlet mall and now it's this...

Wal-Mart planned for near National Harbor


Traffic is about to get real bad!

Actually, the area near the Clarion Hotel is far enough away from National Harbor not to be any impact at all. Perhaps 410 may get a bit congested, but they need retail in other parts of Oxon Hill real bad. Not sure Wal-Mart was a good choice. And I'm not so sure too many people will be streaming in from Alexandria to shop at Wal-Mart. I could be wrong.
The outlet mall will definitely increase traffic for the area because it will draw people from up to 80 miles away. You'll start to get people from the Richmond area going to the mall since it will be a bit more upscale than Potomac Mills. It will offer them something different. What a nightmare!

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

Actually, the area near the Clarion Hotel is far enough away from National Harbor not to be any impact at all. Perhaps 410 may get a bit congested, but they need retail in other parts of Oxon Hill real bad. Not sure Wal-Mart was a good choice. And I'm not so sure too many people will be streaming in from Alexandria to shop at Wal-Mart. I could be wrong.
The outlet mall will definitely increase traffic for the area because it will draw people from up to 80 miles away. You'll start to get people from the Richmond area going to the mall since it will be a bit more upscale than Potomac Mills. It will offer them something different. What a nightmare!

It's not a problem for the National Harbor, it's a problem for Oxon Hill. Traffic over there is horrible. The main Oxon Hill Road corridor is horrible and is prone to having heavy traffic and accidents. It is only a two lane road with a zillion entrances on each side. Cars jump out and cut other off all the time. Imagine what will happen when you add a Walmart.

210 (not 410) is probably not going to affected at all because it is far enough away.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by meatkins

It's not a problem for the National Harbor, it's a problem for Oxon Hill. Traffic over there is horrible. The main Oxon Hill Road corridor is horrible and is prone to having heavy traffic and accidents. It is only a two lane road with a zillion entrances on each side. Cars jump out and cut other off all the time. Imagine what will happen when you add a Walmart.

210 (not 410) is probably not going to affected at all because it is far enough away.

agreed.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

The outlet mall will definitely increase traffic for the area because it will draw people from up to 80 miles away. You'll start to get people from the Richmond area going to the mall since it will be a bit more upscale than Potomac Mills. It will offer them something different.

There are comparable outlets in Williamsburg:

Williamsburg Premium Outlets

I doubt anyone from Richmond would brave more than 100 miles of 95 traffic just to go outlet shopping.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by pcity

There are comparable outlets in Williamsburg:

Williamsburg Premium Outlets

I doubt anyone from Richmond would brave more than 100 miles of 95 traffic just to go outlet shopping.

That's true and the outlet center down there is nice, but I would think they would come that far for a well-rounded experience. I mean people who go down to Williamsburg, might going to the colonial part and possibly Busch Gardens as well, which are nice, but isn't a whole lot compared to up here. Up here you can shop, go to monuments, tons of museums and what not. It's a much more diverse experience at the National Harbor. Both are great, but I think it ultimately depends on what you are looking for.

[EdwardA]

I like Wal-Mart but I have a feeling this is not what the "there's no upscale shopping in PG Crowd" wants. Should be interesting.

[TechlawyerinPG]

That location is technically downtown Oxon Hill. I am not a Walmart shopper (I go to Target in Alexandria and Waldorf) but I welcome the tax revenue and jobs for the county and state. He tried to bring Target previously on a parcel of land not far from the Harbor but it was on/near historic land and got shot down. Kmart is the only option in Oxon Hill and this should shake things up for them as they had a lock on that type of shopping over here since there was no Target or Walmart nearby. They will definitely draw DC shoppers as many of them already shop at the stores in Oxon Hill. There is already a Walmart across the bridge in Alexandria, they won't come over for that unless the Oxon Hill location has something in stock that theirs does not. We have a new Marshalls now also, I haven't been yet though.

[liliblu]

I don't shop at Walmart for many reasons. But I do shop at Target and Kmart. So the new Walmart won't change my shopping habits. But it might change my driving route. Traffic in that area can be brutal at certain times of the day. The Walmart will just make it worse.

[Steelers10]

Why does everyone keep saying that people from Alexandria (and by extension the rest of Virginia) won't go to shop in Oxon Hill? Is that some kind of prerequisite? Prince George's County is both the 59th largest county and by itself would be the 59th largest metropolitan area in all of the United States. I would think Prince George's County is a large enough market to support ONE Wal-Mart Supercenter and ONE outlet mall.