CEDAR HILLS — If nothing else, residents of Cedar Hills have stamina, as some 30 people proved at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

The group, which dwindled from an original crowd of about 150, lingered at Cedar Ridge Elementary School long enough for the City Council to grant preliminary approval to a proposed — and somewhat opposed — new Wal-Mart.

The controversial decision came at 10:45 p.m., after hours of public debate about Wal-Mart's sound and traffic impacts. But some residents stayed until 11:30 p.m., when council members gave additional approval to the rest of the commercial subdivision that will surround the store.

Tuesday's meeting was the second of two late-night public hearings in which residents expressed mixed opinions about the proposed 132,000-square-foot Wal-Mart. The previous meeting ended at about 1 a.m. with a handful of residents still in the audience — and no decision.

"These issues are neither fun nor simple," said City Councilman Eric Richardson at Tuesday's meeting. "This is a complex review. Our actions are based on findings on fact, not on emotion or what we want, but off of what the facts are."

Although the issue has proven to be a heated one between residents who disagree, Tuesday's meeting ended flatly with no cheers or jeers, just disappointment for those who oppose the store.

Those who voiced support for the store, some wearing buttons that said, "Wal-Mart Supporter," said they are in favor of developing a larger tax revenue for the city.

"When we moved here we thought, surely, as the sign (on 4800 West) says, 'Shopping center coming soon,' it was just a matter of time until we got a grocery store in this city," said Shirley Condie, a Cedar Hills resident who has lived in the town for two years. "Now we have the opportunity to have a store that will provide ... many kinds of things. You will never be able to satisfy everyone. We need this store, we need the tax base. Let's not lose it."

Residents who opposed the store said they were concerned about the size of the building and the impact that having a Wal-Mart in the community could have.

"I think you should vote no," Cedar Hills resident Darren Simons told council members before they made a decision. "We don't have enough information to truly know that we're going to protect our children. I don't like driving 10 minutes (to get to another Wal-Mart), but if driving 10 minutes means it will be safe for our kids to walk across the street, then I'd be happy to drive 10 minutes."

Although the store received approval for its site plan, council members set some limitations on the approval. According to city recommendations, the store will be required to be quiet between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. The store also agreed to help with traffic mitigation measures on the surrounding roads by installing speed bumps where necessary.

According to Wal-Mart consultant and project engineer Shel MacPherson, the store is willing to follow the guidelines to gain community support.

"We believe this development will offer economic vitality to this community, but Wal-Mart cannot succeed without the community's support," MacPherson said.

The store, which would be located at 4800 West and Cedar Hills Drive, must now receive a conditional-use permit for the location and final site plan approval before construction can begin.

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