As Murchison Road neighborhood asks for supermarket, what's next for former Walmart?

After years of false starts and unfulfilled promises, significant investment appears to finally be on the way to the Murchison Road corridor.

Of the $412 million Cumberland County received in the state budget passed late last year, more than $172 million is bookmarked for the Murchison Road neighborhood. The Murchison Choice Neighborhood Plan was founded in December 2020 with the goals of redeveloping housing and supporting area businesses.

As part of the plan, ambassadors met with residents to survey them on what sort of improvements they'd like to see in the neighborhood. Fayetteville City Councilman D.J. Haire, who grew up in the neighborhood and has represented the area on the City Council for much of the last quarter-century, said a supermarket was among the top demands from the residents surveyed.

"We’re doing what we can to make that work," Haire said.

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A supermarket has been a need since the Walmart Neighborhood Market, which opened at 3421 Murchison Road in November 2015 amid great fanfare, closed almost exactly three years later. The Murchison Road corridor is among several areas in Fayetteville that suffer from limited access to fresh food, otherwise known as a "food desert." For a city neighborhood such as this, a person is considered to be living in a food desert if they are more than a mile from a grocery store, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Yet despite the need for accessible and nutritious food and neighborhood demand, the former Walmart Neighborhood Market sits empty. Could a supermarket once again return to Murchison Road? All parties involved seem to hope so.

Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, said Essex Realty Investments, the Massachusetts-based owner of the commercial plaza, has been actively working with the FCEDC and others to help find retailers to take over the space, which is actively being marketed for sublease. Walmart is still under a long-term lease on the property.

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Van Geons said Walmart has been "incredibly open and transparent" with the process, but that finding a new retailer to sublease the property has been difficult. He said he's spoken with at least six other retailers about the property, but they haven't shown interest.

"It's just not an easy situation all the way around," he said.

The closure came at a time when Walmart was dialing back on its smaller Neighborhood Market model. The former Murchison Road store spanned around 41,000 square feet, more than four times smaller than the average Walmart supercenter, which is around 187,000 square feet.

After years of steady growth, Walmart has plateaued at around 800 Neighborhood Market locations operating nationwide since 2018, according to data provider Statista.

Neither Walmart nor Essex Realty Investments has returned requests for comment.

Chris Cauley, economic and community development director for the city of Fayetteville, said in a statement that his team recognizes the need for a grocery store in the area and what easier access to a grocery store would have on the long-term success of the neighborhood.

"We encourage the full exploration of all opportunities: including a change in market forces enticing Wal-Mart to re-open; the owners of the development are successful in attracting another grocer; (or) another grocer opens in another location," the statement reads in part.

Haire said he's thinking beyond a specific structure and into what can make the neighborhood appealing to businesses, such as landscaping, improved sidewalks and easier access for pedestrians and drivers alike.

"We’re planning 10,15, 20 years down the road to help the businesses retain themselves," Haire said.

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Haire said he had many conversations with Circle K officials before the company opened its convenience store at Murchison Road and Pamalee Drive. Among the topics discussed were landscaping the grounds at the busy intersection, as well as the store's relationship with the McDonald's restaurant next door.

Haire said community leaders have to work to make sure the neighborhood is conducive to long-term growth. "We don't want something to open up and then leave," he said.

Van Geons said he's optimistic that the right tenant — Walmart or otherwise — will take over the vacant space and provide something to the neighborhood that residents have long asked for.

"This neighborhood is still catching up after all these years,” Haire said. “We can smell it, we can taste it."

Jacob Pucci writes on food, restaurants and business. Contact him by email at jpucci@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @jacobpucci or on Facebook. Like talking food? Join our Fayetteville Foodies Facebook group.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Murchison Road is among areas in Fayetteville known as a "food desert"