Greenville City Council voted tonight to re-zone 29 acres of land in East Greenville for commercial development clearing the way for a Walmart or another retail giant.
There's been no specific business identified with the property on Portertown Road near East Tenth Street.
However, the petitioners are the same people who represented Walmart's failed bid last year on another property.
They say the development would bring 700 jobs to the area.
Opponents raised concerns about crime, traffic, and drainage.
Others want to make sure evergreen trees line the property to provide a buffer zone.
They say oak trees are one example because they keep their leaves, but businesses often install cheaper maple trees that lose their leaves and fail to meet the desired separation effect.
"Without evergreens, everything that would be in that parking lot would just look like sticks, which means there would be no buffer," said landscape contractor Van Brown.
Tonight's vote was five to one in favor of the zoning change.
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