Nancy Jensen and her neighbors in the Enchanted Hills subdivision in south Rapid City hope a strong showing at tonight's Rapid City council meeting convinces council members they are "quite serious" about opposition to building a Wal-Mart Supercenter along U.S. Highway 16 near their homes.

"It's a very big intrusion into our neighborhood," Jensen said. "The impact of just the traffic itself is going to be tremendous."

The council will decide tonight whether to accept or reject the city planning commission's denial of a rezone and land-use plan amendment for a less-than-half-acre triangle of property along the east side of the proposed store.

Jensen said she and people who live in Enchanted Hills, located east of the site across a steep, wooded ravine, are not opposed to Wal-Mart building a store somewhere in southern Rapid City.

But they believe the current spot - and its accompanying increased noise, traffic, lights and around-the-clock activity - will hurt their neighborhood.

She said homeowners were told several years ago that there could be some offices or commercial businesses built in that area. Neighbors would not oppose that kind of activity, she said.

But a 200,000-square-foot big box retailer just doesn't fit, she said.

"It doesn't fit the property, it doesn't fit the neighborhood, and it doesn't fit as the gateway to the Black Hills," Jensen said.

Alderman Bill Okrepkie hopes just as many Wal-Mart supporters show up tonight to make their feelings known.

"We need to show that there are a lot of people who want to see Wal-Mart come in. Over 70 percent of the people voted to have it last time; just under 80 percent in Ward 3 wanted to see it," Okrepkie said, referring to a landslide vote in favor of Wal-Mart's Sammis Trail location two years ago.

"I'd like to see as many people as possible come support this project," he said. "Right now, we need to have some solidarity that we do want shopping on the south side of town; it is important for us, and this is how we're going to make it happen."

Three years ago, Wal-Mart announced it had selected a site farther south of the current location, at Sammis Trail and Highway 16.

For a year and a half, the supercenter proposal survived countless city meetings and political challenges.

In June 2006, Rapid City voters approved the plan in a lopsided referendum election.

But a month later, the Sammis Trail plan was withdrawn after developers failed to get an easement for a rear-access road east of Highway 16.

Okrepkie said the landslide election shows the vast majority of people in Rapid City want a second Wal-Mart.

He said he is listening to the majority - people he believes are tired of the delays in completing a project.

"What we're talking about is making the zoning the same all over. We've got this one itty bitty piece there that's zoned something completely different," he said. "We're not voting for any TIF. It's simply a zoning change for a sliver of land. I hope we can get that done."

Alderman Ron Weifenbach said Friday he hasn't made up his mind about the issue, but he wants to be fair to the people of Enchanted Hills and to Wal-Mart.

He planned to study the issue before tonight's meeting, but at first blush he said he isn't willing to take away people's right to enjoy their neighborhood.

"I'm an advocate for people doing what they want to do with their property as long as it's conducive to the neighborhood and fits in. I definitely have some concern with chipping away at that forest that's back there," he said.

Weifenbach said in his opinion, the council should have a good, well-reasoned rationale before it overturns the planning commission's decision. But he isn't against Wal-Mart by any means.

"I'm a Wal-Mart shopper. I think a Wal-Mart will go into south Rapid at some point. If this is the point or not, I'm not sure," he said.

If you go

Monday night's council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the City/School Administration Center, 300 Sixth St. The Wal-Mart zoning issues are items No. 106 and 117 on the agenda.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com.