The Post is reporting that Wal-Mart is eyeing a piece of property on Rhode Island Avenue to build a store. This could be the latest urban venture for the retailer. A coalition of activists derailed a Wal-Mart from coming into Inglewood, Calif. In Chicago, one Wal-Mart for the West Side was approved after heated debate.

DCist is a little unsure what the overall Washington reaction to Wal-Mart will be. If it gets built, will newcomers to town living in Dupont trek all the way to Rhode Island Avenue to shop or would it be scorned, labled only for Northeast locals? And will those locals welcome the Arkansas-based retailer with open arms or view it as a veiled Trojan horse that will suck out their economic vitality like a leech. Sure, cheery door greeters, low-low prices, and stories of urban rebirth thanks to Wal-Mart are uplifting, but it seems too Utopian.

Anti-Wal-Mart forces blame the big box retailer of undermining good-paying union jobs, and through anti-competitive practices, destroys other businesses. Wal-Mart says it brings jobs and low prices to underserved areas. This back and forth is likely to continue for sometime.