Unfortunately for Wal-Mart officials, hundreds of people - armed with petitions, posters, T-shirts and loudspeakers - were there to protest the development.

Objections aside, the Logan Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously approved the design of a 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart store at 1200 South and U.S. Highway 89/91 - just 2.7 miles south of a Sam's Club and more than three miles south of an existing Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

In the weeks leading up to the design review meeting Thursday afternoon, a grassroots effort to thwart the big-box company's further expansion in Cache Valley found substantial support. A daily onslaught of letters to the editor, published in the local newspaper and Utah State University's student publication, were supplemented with large newspaper advertisements and radio broadcasts encouraging people to boycott the community's three Arkansas-based stores.

Wal-Mart officials responded by collecting 1,300 signatures of support for the new store from visitors to the existing store in North Logan - and by serving frosted cookies, decorated with the trademark Wal-Mart smiley face, outside of Thursday's public meeting.

A crowd of approximately 400 activists of all ages weren't biting, though. An original plan, to begin the nearly 2-mile hike to Logan City Hall from a paved parking lot near the proposed construction site, was thwarted at the last minute when protest organizers received a memo from a south-end property management company, Sky Properties Inc. Representative W. Scott Kjar said the activists were not welcome to park or gather in the area because "a protest rally is not a permitted use under any of the leases that we have with any of the tenants of the shopping center."

Instead, opponents of the development gathered at a nearby public park and began the trek carrying "Roll back Wal-Mart" and "Think outside the box store" posters while chanting, "Do your part. Stop Wal-Mart," as they marched on sidewalks along U.S. Highway 89/91 to participate in a rally behind City Hall.

Most of the protesters were directed to an overflow room once the commission's design review meeting was under way. Planning Commission Chairman Karl Ward warned protesters that the the hearing would not be a forum for airing complaints about Wal-Mart.

The zoning laws clearly permit the Wal-Mart development because the design meets zoning criteria and most of the property has been zoned as commercial for more than 30 years, he said.

"It's a permitted use for anybody. We don't have the legal right to change that and we can't have prejudice against who desires to build a store," he said, adding that residents always have the opportunity to impact land-use decisions by participating in general plan discussions every seven to 10 years.

Logan City Councilwoman Tami Pyfer lives near the proposed site and has been active in the protest activities. She added her voice to dozens of others who complained that Wal-Mart's hiring practices perpetuate discrimination; the company's trade practices cost Americans jobs; and its extended presence will be "the nail in the coffin" for Logan's struggling downtown business community.

"We know we're fighting a losing battle, but if we did nothing, that would be worse than not trying," Pyfer said.

Protesters expressed concern to the commission about runoff pollution from more than 1,000 new parking stalls in the area prone to flooding each spring, as well as noise and light pollution in close proximity to 350 condominiums and 70 homes.

They also feared the impact from customer and delivery truck traffic, which will run 24 hours a day, will ruin the area defined by city administrators as "The Gateway" to Logan.

Logan businessman Ron Meacham has operated Cache Country Carpets for the past decade across the street from the proposed site. After comparing it to 250 Wal-Mart stores throughout the United States, Meacham praised the south Logan design and called the proposal a "very beautiful project."

"This is a vast improvement on what that property looks like now. This property is an eyesore," Meacham said. "I think they've done a wonderful job and buffered the area better than most stores I've seen [built] by Wal-Mart."

Troy Herold, an engineer from the Salt Lake firm representing Wal-Mart, said the company has made many concessions to create a site that will enhance south Logan.

"More than 25 percent of the site will be landscaped and we feel that we've done a significant improvement to the south," Herold said.

abrunson@sltrib.com