The Heights at Quarry Bend will sit next to the Wal-Mart, but Bryson Garbett, President of Garbett Homes, said the proximity to the retail giant should not deter buyers.

"Our experience has been that people really like the idea of having shopping close by," he said. The 228 homes, priced in the $200,000 to $300,000 range, will give young and elderly couples a chance to live in the community, where home prices are steadily rising, Garbett said.

Save Our Communities member Robyn Bagley said the group will no longer protest the development.

"We always said what we wanted was to give the voters the opportunity to vote on the gravel pit. And they did last November and we're respecting that decision."

SOC spent $16,000 on its grass-roots campaign. Friends of Quarry Bend, the committee formed in favor of the zone change, did not disclose its budget. The majority of Quarry Bend's money came from Wal-Mart.

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