Wal-Mart To Open Stores In The District

Wal-Mart plans to open four stores within the District, promising to boost the local economy with approximately 1,200 new jobs and lower prices for consumers.

The paved piece of property near the intersection of Georgia Avenue Northwest and Peabody Street used to be a car lot. Now it's one of four sites where Wal-Mart has proposed putting a new store.

Currently, it houses large white tents. Vendors set up shop here to sell their goods as part of a farmers market. But these tents may soon have to go.

This comes as bad news for farmers market vendor Alucious Himney, who makes a living selling produce here.

"I'm not happy about it. They are going to disrupt the standard of living of the area," Himney says.

Lifelong D.C. resident James Howard has a different opinion. He lives in a neighborhood near the lot.

"We need a larger box store. We only have Target down at 14th and Irving Northwest, so I think Wal-Mart's coming here because they think it's about time to put a store in Washington. It's about time, I think," Howard says.

Wal-Mart has pegged the Washington area as one of the top 10 jobs and opportunity zones in the country.