The long-awaited Sam’s Club slated for York County may no longer be in the works.
The special use permit approved in 2013 to build a Sam’s Club in the Marquis Shopping Center expired last November, Deputy Planning Director Tim Cross said.
If Sam’s Club wants to build a store in the Marquis, it will need to reapply for a special use permit and start the approval process over, Cross said.
The York County Board of Supervisors originally approved plans to build the 136,500 square-foot Sam’s Club and a gas station.
Generally, developments with special use permits must be established within two years of the permit’s approval, Cross said. Developers can request an extension — which Sam’s Club did in 2015, extending the timeline another three years.
Cross said Sam’s Club did not request another extension, which needed to happen by November, Cross said. The permit expired less than a year after Sam’s Club announced 63 stores nationwide would close.
While Sam’s Club may never come to fruition, Cross confirmed Sam’s Club still owns the land at the Marquis Shopping Center.
Its parent company, Walmart, did not return a request for comment on the project.
For those looking to get to a Sam’s Club, there is one on Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, which was not affected by the store closures in 2018.
