Walmart wants to bring a delivery hub to Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood

Walmart is looking for permission from Pittsburgh's zoning board to turn a vacant Rite Aid in Bloomfield into a delivery hub.

Neighbors spoke out in opposition to the plan at a hearing on Thursday, saying it's not a good fit for the site and would create additional traffic. 

Walmart is looking for permission to use the space as a grocery store. But unlike a traditional grocery store, shoppers would not walk in to buy items. They'd have to place an order on Walmart's app or website and have the items delivered to them.

"A gig worker comes in, grabs a product off the shelves, just as you would at any other Walmart or retail space. They put them in their cart, they scan them out and they put them in their car," said Griffin Bobbett, the chief development officer for Kinetic Design + Development who represented Walmart at the zoning hearing. 

The drivers act like independent contractors, just like DoorDash and Grubhub drivers. Drivers would be in and out of the building in less than five minutes.

"I like the idea of having a store I can go to, walk in, buy things, and walk home. This is not that. This is a warehouse," said neighbor Alex Mittereder. 

The hub would go on a one-way street across from the Bloomfield Bridge and a busy intersection. Neighbors were concerned about the increasing traffic and people driving the wrong way down the one-way street to head back to the bridge.

"I'm not opposed to the idea of distribution centers in general. But in a pedestrian-based main street area, it's not an appropriate fit," neighbor Jodi Lincoln said. 

Walmart representatives who spoke at Thursday's zoning hearing said there'd only be five box trucks coming to the building daily. The traffic study they commissioned found that, compared to the Rite Aid, there'd only be an increase of 23 cars. 

"I don't believe that they're actually basing those numbers on the real conditions of this Rite Aid," Lincoln said. 

Few people actually drove to the Rite Aid, with most opting to walk or bike, Lincoln added. The group of neighbors KDKA-TV spoke with on Thursday said Walmart should look elsewhere, with some suggesting the Strip District.

The zoning hearing board has 45 days to decide on Walmart's request. Some of the members appeared skeptical about calling this a grocery store instead of a warehouse.