The commission's approval of the hotly debated mega-retailer came amid a chorus of grass-roots opposition to the store, which some locals argue is too large, noisy or ugly and would attract dangerous levels of traffic.

Planning Commission Chairman Steve Kroes said the store's size has come down through the years to an "OK" level and that landscaping will make it a nice-looking neighbor.

"The size stretches the limits of our guidelines a bit, but these are meant to be flexible and not set-in-stone rules," Kroes said. "In the end, it's an OK compromise." The commission passed on some caveats with its recommendation, mainly dealing with basic landscaping issues and how Wal-Mart handles truck traffic.

"These are things they [Wal-Mart officials] have already signaled a willingness to do," Kroes said. - Steve Gehrke