George Fisher, who led the Centerville Citizens First movement against the big-box retailer, appears to have lost his bid for a shot at a City Council seat. His 11-vote defeat in Tuesday's primary is not final. About two dozen absentee ballots remain to be counted.

That same night, many of those opponents attended a City Council meeting and had to listen to officials who describe the new Wal-Mart as the nicest big-box store in the state.

"They really have tried to work with us," Centerville City Manager Steve Thacker said of Wal-Mart's proposals during an interview this week. "That's part of what's taken so long - that we've tried to lessen impact and make it more palatable.

"I don't know what they have in other parts of the country, but I believe this will be the nicest one in Utah," he said.

There will be no gray, cinder-block giant with the trademark red stripe that exists in places like Logan and Price.

Plans for the Centerville Wal-Mart show a beveled exterior that gives the effect of not one giant store but of several adjoining buildings along a city street. There are window shades and faux-brick archways on the building that add a touch of quaintness. Trees will dot the parking lot.

Those are just some of the 31 conditions - including traffic-mitigation changes - the city is insisting on before a final development agreement between the giant retailer and Centerville goes before the City Council in the next few weeks.

But opponents still are not sure if the city and Wal-Mart have done enough.

"We haven't seen the plans," said Fisher, who left the meeting early. "That's business as usual in Centerville. They make sure the developer gets to see everything but no one else."

David Putnam Jr., a former resident, has filed a lawsuit citing traffic and other concerns for the "health, safety and welfare" of residents. He is waiting to formally serve the city because he wants to see the designs.

He said anything over a 50,000-square-foot store will bring too much air pollution, crime and traffic into the community. The store Wal-Mart is proposing is 207,000 square feet.

"I was disappointed to hear [Economic Development Director] Cory Snyder tell the City Council [members] they couldn't make more changes," said Putnam after the briefing this week, where he wasn't allowed to speak.

In the meantime, city officials have imposed several traffic-mitigating restrictions. These include Wal-Mart paying to instal additional turn signals and access lanes along 400 West, Parrish Lane and the city's Main Street. The company also will pay for additional lanes to access northbound Interstate 15.

Over the course of the next several years, the company will contribute a portion of reconfiguration costs for several Centerville intersections impacted by the additional traffic the store is expected to generate. The total cost to Wal-Mart: more than $270,000.

Then there is a special request from outgoing Mayor Michael Deamer: Should the store go out of business and remain vacant, the owner will tear down the building, cap the utilities and remove the foundation.

"That effectively turns it back into an alfalfa field, and we can go on," said Deamer, who continues to oppose big-box stores, but has felt longstanding city ordinances lacked definitions that would have legally kept out Wal-Mart.

lorib@sltrib.com

What's next?

* The Centerville Planning Commission meets Oct. 12 to consider whether to approve Wal-Mart's final site plan and enhanced design. Commissioners also will review the conditional-use permit and the development agreement between the city and Wal-Mart.

* The City Council has final approval of the development agreement. That vote could occur as soon as November.