Residents of the Soaring Eagles neighborhood in southeast Colorado Springs thought they had won the war in 2006 when they dissuaded Wal-Mart  from building a Supercenter on 28 acres of vacant land.

Turns out, they only won the battle. On June 9, they lost the war.

The Soaring Eagles Homeowners Association asked the City Council to spike a new concept plan for the vacant land. The plan includes an anchor building that is smaller than the 207,000-square-foot behemoth proposed byWal-Mart. But at 175,000 square feet, the building would be huge.

The concept plan also calls for a dozen smaller building scattered across the property for shops and restaurants.

Here’s a look from www.FlashEarth.com at the vacant property.

Here is a drawing of the Wal-Mart project rejected in 2006.

Here is an architect’s drawing of the newly approved concept plan:

Neighbors are not happy with the new plan. They say it is still too big for the neighborhood. They fear the owners still hope to lure Wal-Mart to the property.

But Mike Schultz, city planner on the project, said it appears Wal-Mart is more likely to land on 40 acres about a half-mile to the west, along the Hancock Expressway, just south of Drennan Road.

Here’s another FlashEarth image showing the possible Wal-Mart location:

The neighborhood is considering a lawsuit to appeal the City Council decision. They have 30 days from the June 9 decision to file.

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