“This has been a project we’ve been working on for quite some time,” Mayor Randy Ross said Saturday night. “You will probably see us begin turning dirt in about a week to 10 days. It’ll be a matter of us putting in utilities and laying concrete.”

The announcement was made by Choctaw’s development firm, Town Square Developers, LLC.

Wal-Mart intends to open the store by March 2013, Ross said. The store will be the anchor for the 30-acre Town Square development, which is located off NE 23^rd between Mazzio’s and Braum’s.

“It should take us about six to nine months to get the property ready before they start building the store,” he said.

Retailers that typically follow Wal-Mart are Sally Beauty Supply, Payless ShoeSource, Dollar Tree, RadioShack, GNC, Subway, Fashion Bug, Cato Fashions and Friedman's Jewelers, according to the National Research Bureau. More retail outlets that could locate in Choctaw are Bed Bath & Beyond, Hibbett's, Sports Clips and Maurice's.

“There’s also probably a jewelry store and the movie theater is still part of the deal,” Ross said.

Projected sales from the Wal-Mart store could produce about $2.4 million to $2.6 million in sales tax revenue for Choctaw.

“That’s pretty good considering our total city budget right now is $2.9 million,” Ross said.

Wal-Mart and the stores that follow the retail giant will bring hundreds of jobs to Choctaw, the mayor said.

“It’s the biggest project in eastern Oklahoma County,” he said.

Ross said city leaders and the developers expect the store will serve a large area including Jones, Luther, Nicoma Park, Harrah, McLoud and “as far away as Meeker.”

A gap analysis conducted on behalf of the city showed residents were leaving the area to shop in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.

“Some of the sales went to other competing stores in the Oklahoma City area,” Ross said of the findings in the gap analysis.

Wal-Mart officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.

City Manager Robert Floyd, who has been in that job for the last 25 years, said the Wal-Mart announcement will eventually turn Choctaw into a regional retail shopping area.

“We are today what Edmond was in the ‘60s – a little sleepy town. We have the space, the topography, the water. We have it all. This will help tremendously,” he said. “For the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve just been getting by and we’ve put a lot of stuff off. I think once this gets into play and brings in the revenue that they expect, we will be able as a city to play catch-up on a lot of stuff and provide services people really want.”

Like Ross, Floyd referred to the gap analysis as a major reason for Wal-Mart’s decision to come to Choctaw.

“We are delinquent on almost every retail store there is and they saw that,” the city manager said. “There was a major leakage of people going to Midwest City and Oklahoma City to shop.”