A downtown project is derailed by the decision to reduce the number of supercenters being built.

 An urban-designed Wal-Mart Supercenter proposed for the eastern part of downtown has been scrapped, killing a proposal to redevelop the East Village, officials said Thursday.

News that Wal-Mart will not build a supercenter downtown -- or anywhere in Tulsa -- shocked developers who were planning it as an anchor tenant for a proposed mixed-use redevelopment project.

John Williams, one of the principal developers of the East Village area, said Thursday that he was notified Monday night of Wal-Mart's decision.

He said his partner, Tom Seay of Arkansas, told him, " 'You're not going to believe what happened. Our deal, it looks like it's dead.'

"I was truly shocked. I've been working on this for 18 months," Williams said.

Seay said he doesn't know what will happen now with the property that has been secured. He said he has several hundred thousand dollars invested in the project.

Tulsa is one of many cities across the nation hit by Wal-Mart's move to reduce the number of new supercenters it constructs nationwide, said Angela Stoner, Wal-Mart's senior manager of public affairs.

"This is no reflection on the confidence Wal-Mart has in our friends in the development team of the East Village, the mayor, the City Council, neighbors or others involved in this project," Stoner said Thursday.

"This is the execution of a national growth strategy plan -- a corporate decision," she said.

The plan is specific only to new supercenters, she said, and none is planned for Tulsa.

Although Wal-Mart had announced its reduction plan in June, it had also approved the construction of the proposed supercenter for the East Village, which resulted in the developers announcing the project in August.

Stoner said an Oct. 23 meeting to review the strategy plan led to the corporate decision affecting Tulsa, which was announced this week to developers and city officials.

Stoner said it is too early to know what the next step for Wal-Mart will be in Tulsa.

Full Story:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071109_238_A1_hAdow60366

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