By Ben Antonius | Daily Republic | August 24, 2009
Demolition crews continue to take down buildings at the former Mission Village Shopping Center Monday on North Texas Street. The site is being prepared for a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Photo by Brad Zweerink
FAIRFIELD - Good-bye, Mission Village.
As of Monday, a few piles of rubble were all that remained of the Mission Village Shopping Center on North Texas Street, an unceremonious end for the long-suffering strip mall.
Once all the rubble is cleared away, the site will eventually be rebuilt as a massive Walmart Supercenter.
In late July, work crews began removing the siding and wall insulation from a stand-alone bank building near the corner of Atlantic Avenue and North Texas Street. That task is still unfinished, but the rest of the demolition appears complete. The Liberty Christian Center church, which owns and uses one of the original Mission Village buildings on the property, will remain standing.
Walmart officials didn't return multiple phone calls seeking comment on the project, so it isn't clear how long the project will take.
The company's plan involves building a 185,000-square-foot store and 1,100 parking spaces.
After several years of delays, Walmart took out a building permit from the city March 31. The permit covers both the demolition and construction phases.
Building official Tom Garcia said in July the permit doesn't impose time restrictions on when the company has to finish work.
Finance Director Bob Leland said the city has adjusted its budget as Walmart has adjusted its timeline for the store. He said the sales tax effects of the new store aren't budgeted until some time in 2011.
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