2:05 p.m.
The first Wal-Mart store inside the Capital Beltway is scheduled to open next month at the site of the former Capital Plaza Mall in Landover Hills.
The store, off Route 450, is in one of nine communities Wal-Mart says it will help revitalize.
The Job and Opportunity Zone program is also being implemented in Portsmouth, Va., Cleveland, Indianapolis and five other U.S. cities. The program started at the chain’s first Chicago store last year.
Wal-Mart said it will generate tax revenue and create jobs — 250 to 350 at the Landover Hills store — and prompt nearby businesses to do the same.
Wal-Mart will select five local small businesses each quarter to assist through advertising in the Wal-Mart store and in local newspapers. The company also will provide funding to local chambers of commerce.
“We thank Wal-Mart for coming here, and we look forward to working with the company to continue to spur economic prosperity that this area has shown over the recent years,” Bladensburg Mayor Walter James said.
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