After weeks of waiting, it was finally time. Time for neighbors who live near Northcross Mall to voice their concerns to Austin City Council that they don't want a Wal-Mart Supercenter moving in.

A group of neighbors known as Responsible Growth for Northcross have been crying foul over plans for the 219,000-square-foot store.On Thursday evening, they pleaded their case in front of the Austin City Council.

"We hope to tell the council why they have a legal justification and duty to revoke the site plan," group member Hope Morrison said.

According to the city, Lincoln Properties, the owners of
Northcross Mall, did nothing illegal when they filed their original plans in January 2006.

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"The way this played out never should of happened. The problem would appear to be the law and the way the applicant sneaked this inappropriate project in just before the law changed," council member Brewster McCracken said.

For the past two weeks, city staff has been combing through the original plan trying to find something that would give them the legal right to void the plans.

But after three hours of public testimony on Thursday, the talking was done and the council took no action.

"We wish city council would have taken a motion and taken real action on this. They have chosen not to at this time, but our fight continues. Our fight doesn't stop one bit," Jason Meeker of Responsible Growth for Northcross said.

The city council is looking into an ordinance regarding bix box
retailers like Wal-Mart. If the ordinance passes, buildings larger than 100,000 square feet will automatically be required to go through a public hearing.

This would not affect the planned Northcross Wal-Mart. It falls under an old law which only requires administrative approval from the city.

Lincoln Properties did agree earlier this week to suspend development at the site for 60 days.