New 500,000-square-foot shopping center proposed for Westbrook
The Westbrook planning board is reviewing submitted plans for a new 500,000-square-foot shopping center that would be anchored by a 155,000-square-foot Wal-Mart.
Developer Jeffrey Gove plans to accent the retail experience by converting a quarry on the site into a lake that would be stocked with fish, open for wintertime ice skating and would link to the Portland area's trail system.
The proposed shopping center would be located on Westbrook's Main Street, across from Westbrook Crossing — another shopping center that is anchored by a Kohl's department store, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Other possible tenants for the Wal-Mart anchored shopping center include the supermarket chain Market Basket, outdoor retailer REI and the popular warehouse retailer Costco. Gove told the Press Herald that he expects other national retailers to make their official announcements in the next three months.
In addition to the retail locations, Gove added that there will be more than one restaurant as a tenant in the shopping plaza, and that he has been talking to a number of regional chains about locating within the shopping center.
Groundbreaking for the project is slated to begin this fall, with stores in the shopping center likely opening in 2017.
Currently, Maine is home to 25 Wal-Mart locations in addition to three Sam's Clubs. The big-box retailer employs 7,000 people across the state.