CEDAR HILLS — Wal-Mart moved one step closer to turning a proposed supercenter into reality Thursday night at a city Planning Commission meeting.

After almost four hours of deliberation, commissioners granted preliminary approval for the approximately 123,000-square-foot project. The proposal envisions one of the smallest Wal-Mart supercenters in the country.

However, the approval came with some trepidation from the commissioners on certain aspects of the building, which would lie between Redwood Drive and 4800 West on Cedar Hills Drive. In particular, the storefront design caused some discussion.

"Personally, I don't think I can vote for final approval on this (design)," said Commissioner Steve Kroes.

In the guidelines for the building, the Planning Commission requested a colonial design to blend in with community ambience, but many of the commissioners said they were not satisfied with the attempt to create a colonial feel, a sentiment that seemed prevalent among meeting attendees as well.

"It's ugly — let's just say it," said one resident loudly from the audience in the midst of the discussion.

"Colonial" is a subjective term, though, said architect Mary Kell, who designed the building.

"We took direct suggestions (from the city) of how to make it your store," said Kell, who works for BSW International, an architecture and engineering firm. "(Wal-Mart management) is a little confused too about how to make it your store without changing the plans each time we come (before the Planning Commission.)"

And while Kell said some changes to the facade's design might be possible, the outlook for any major modifications appeared slim, according to a representative of Pacland, the development company that created the site's plans.

"Wal-Mart has basically given us the ultimatum that this is all we can do with this building," said Shell MacPherson of Pacland. "We really do want to be an element of this neighborhood. That said, there's a limit."

Despite MacPherson's forecast of Wal-Mart's reaction, commissioners tentatively planned another meeting with architect Kell and city council members to rehash the storefront design.

Other concerns arose during the meeting, including store-generated traffic and the possibility that teenagers from Lone Peak High School, which lies directly west of the site, might run across the busy street to reach the retail store.

However, commissioners seemed willing to accept some variations from the original guidelines for the project, particularly size and landscape changes.

The first concept for the store consisted of a 115,00-square-foot building, but the plans approved Thursday night show a 123,046 square-foot-building with another 8,900 square feet devoted to a seasonal garden center. In addition, only 25 percent of the proposed site's area consists of landscape, 5 percent less than the average requirement for retail sites in the area.

"You know what, our town needs a good business here," said Commissioner H.R. Brown. "I think they've gone above and beyond with landscaping."

The Planning Commission also granted concept approval to Phillips Edison and Co., a development firm, for two proposed commercial outbuildings on the 14-acre Wal-Mart site.

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E-mail: rwestenskow@desnews.com