Walmart opening delayed until August

May 12, 2015

The Planning Board unanimously granted a temporary certificate of occupancy to Walmart Monday night after construction delays have pushed back its target opening date into August.

Due to a harsh winter and an improperly laid National Grid gas main on Route 28, Walmart will not be able to open its new superstore in West Wareham until the late summer, according to James Cranston of Bohler Engineering.

Cranston said that National Grid will likely be done with the gas main work by the end of this week. The width and number of lanes on the section of Route 28 would remain unchanged from Walmart’s original plans. The shoulder lanes would be temporarily smaller than required by law, due to the gas main work.

The temporary certificate of occupancy is to avoid any further delays for the launch date. Cranston said Walmart was seeking the temporary measure, so it could begin bringing in merchandise to the store over the next few months.

According to Cranston, site work would be “substantially completed” by the end of the month and that “the interior work is plugging along, there’s a lot of lipstick that goes on at the end of the project.”

The opening was originally scheduled for late spring, then June, and is now slated for August. The new plan has been reviewed and approved by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, before coming before the Planning Board.

In other news, the Planning Board was forced to continue the hearing on the 94-unit Bay Pointe development for a second consecutive meeting.

The development would include 62 lots with 94 units, 60 single-family homes and 34 condominiums at the Bay Pointe club in Onset.

The developers are seeking an approval of a subdivision, a site plan review and a special permit. Only four of the five Planning Board members were in attendance Monday night, as Michael Baptiste was absent due to illness. Because the special permit requires a supermajority of board members for approval, the developers asked to have the hearing continued. They will come before the board again on June 8, as next Monday’s meeting conflicts with the Onset Fire District Annual Meeting.