Walmart to open in Ontario

After a nearly 10-year battle, Walmart will open a supercenter today in the north part of Ontario.

The 190,000-square-foot store at 1333 N. Mountain Ave. is a coup for the city because it puts a major commercial location back in play after years of sitting vacant, said John Andrews, the city’s redevelopment director.

“It’s been a Target, a supermarket and a Toys “R”Us, so it’s been a revenue producer for us in the past and now it will be again,” Andrews said of the site between Fifth and Sixth streets. “It’s a big event for the city.”

Ontario reportedly spent more than $1 million in legal fees defending its environmental impact report on the project, which is expected to generate about $800,000 a year in sales tax revenue for the city.