Review for new Wal-Mart slated for Wednesday

By CHELSEY POLLOCK
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY -- Plans for a new Walmart on Ashleigh Drive will return to the planning board for another design review Wednesday.
Town staff say a formal plan is likely to go before the board in late winter.
The planning board first heard the proposal to build a 155,000-square-foot Walmart store on Ashleigh Drive in July, which would replace the existing store on Manchester Road.
The structure would be built on a 52-acre parcel with the rear 20 acres of woods, fields and wetlands remaining nearly untouched.
After the initial design re­view with the board last summer, Walmart representatives will meet again with the board Wednesday to present a few updates. 
Among them, town staff say Walmart representatives have brought forward plans to widen Ashleigh Road with an additional lane entering the site off of Manchester Road. 
Further, Public Works Director Mike Fowler said the update includes a minor redesign of the extension of London Road to connect to an emergency access road to the rear of the Walmart property. 
The access road would cut across the 20 acres at the rear of the site to connect the Walmart store to residential London Road. Walmart will be required to put money into an escrow account to fund improvements to London Road associated with the project. 
The board is also likely to see updated traffic data Wednesday that include numbers from a proposal to put several retail buildings on the old Allen motors sites next door to the Walmart store, according to town staff. The two developments share access on Ashleigh Road. 
Planning staff said the final Walmart plan is likely to go before the planning board in the later winter. The widening of Route 28 near the project site is expected to begin in April. 
Wednesday’s meeting of the Derry Planning Board begins at 7 p.m. in the third floor meeting room at the Derry Municipal Center.