A Wal-Mart supercenter and Kohl's retail store are set to be developed at the northwest intersection of U.S. 15 and Route 55 in Haymarket, leaving town residents and officials upset about transparency, traffic and economic issues.

Haymarket Mayor Pamela Stutz and town council member Bob Weir both said Prince William County officials did not formally inform either town staffers or elected members about the changes to the land.

The slot of land being developed by Edens and Avant originally had been slated to host a Safeway grocery store and a Home Depot big box store.

However, the developer's president Jodie McLean signed a "notice of termination" with notary public Holly Aycous on June 1 that voided a 4-year-old agreement to build those facilities.

Plats recorded with the county show that Chantilly land surveyor Urban Ltd. completed a new survey for Haymarket (E&A), LCC -- the parent company of Edens and Avant -- on August 17. The title of the survey is "Market Center at Haymarket".

The town charter authorizes Haymarket officials to file paperwork with the county regarding how construction performed within a mile of the town's borders affects the actual town.

"We have not been given due notice," said Stutz.

According to Gainesville District planning commissioner Martha Hendley, one county official told her that Edens and Avant would not need a special use permit to build the Wal-Mart and Kohl's instead of the Safeway and Home Depot "because they (completed) their zoning prior to the approval of the big box ordinance."

Hendley shares Stutz’s primary concern about how the Wal-Mart would affect transportation.

"I question what it's going to do to the 15, 55 intersection," she said.

What Stutz and Weir argue is that Wal-Mart and Kohl's would bring a different amount of traffic to the area than the other stores.

"Is there a requirement for a new (traffic impact analysis) based on traffic generated by the Wal-Mart and the Kohl's?" asked Weir.

Haymarket resident Karen Key even created an online petition at Change.org protesting the Wal-Mart. As of early this week, the missive directed toward the Board of County Supervisors had 110 signers.

"The Town of Haymarket does not need a Walmart," the petition states, later reading, "Town businesses will be adversely affected if this store is built."

("Walmart" is the marketed name of the store; "Wal-Mart" is the legal name used in the easement agreement.)

According to the survey, the parcel hosting the Wal-Mart is measured at 555,297 square feet, or roughly 12.75 acres. The Kohl's parcel checks in at just over one-third of the size at 188,202 square feet, or 4.3 acres.

Another document filed with the county shows the retail and commercial space at the Market Center at Haymarket is 256,009 square feet with another 50,000 square feet set aside for office use.

That document, which puts the address of the property at 15404 John Marshall Highway, was updated on September 21 under a description titled "revision to change the building layout."

The "minimum floor area" for the Wal-Mart tract is 120,000 square feet and the Kohl's tract is 64,500 square feet, according to the easement agreement.

An Edens and Avant sketch dated July 28 shows a 26-foot tall sign for the property with the label "Haymarket Village Center" at the top. It features the logos for Wal-Mart, Kohl's and eight other tenants yet to be named.

The easements agreement lists as the Wal-Mart as a "Supercenter". According to the Wal-Mart website, "there are 2,952 Supercenters nationwide, and most are open 24 hours. Supercenters average 185,000 square feet and employ about 350 or more associates."

Such Supercenters sell all sorts of food, from bakery goods to meat and dairy products. Pharmacies are also common as one of several "specialty shops" at Supercenters.

A Wal-Mart Supercenter in Haymarket would directly compete with the much smaller Bloom grocery store and CVS pharmacy located across the road along Washington Street.

Weir has a personal stake in this in that his wife works for Bloom.

There is a political aspect to the development of a Supercenter as well.

Since the plot of land under development is just outside of the Town of Haymarket's western border, the town would not receive the tax revenue generated by any of the stores there. Prepared food also would not be subjected to the town's meals tax.

Within the easements agreement, there are also lists of industries that may not be included within the development plan.

While some are designed to create less competition for Wal-Mart and Kohl's, others are based more on aesthetics, such as banning mortuaries and sex shops.

Two Wal-Marts exist in nearby Manassas, including a Supercenter at 8386 Sudley Road. There is another Wal-Mart in Warrenton.

Stutz did not rule out legal action by the town to prevent the Wal-Mart from being created, though she did not champion it either. The Haymarket Town Council may consider discussing that topic at its October 3 meeting though Stutz confirmed it is not yet on the agenda.

"I can't say that we're going to do that. That would be up to the council," she said.

Weir said it would be, though Stutz is the one that sets the agenda. The council member may bring it up during his allotted time to speak freely.

"We're sort of operating in the dark here," said Weir about the whole situation.