Last week, in a move that should have prompted sighs of relief from those opposed to a new shopping center in Ames, the Ames City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to approve the creation of a Gateway Overlay District at the intersection of Interstate 35 and 13th Street.

But relief wasn’t the reaction to the 5-1 decision, which moves the city one step closer to a new mall. Rather, activists took the opportunity to hurl insults and conflict-of-interest charges at council members.

Just two more readings of this ordinance and the approval of another — to rezone the site to accommodate a large retail structure — remain on the slow but inexorable march toward making developer Bucky Wolford’s vision for an Ames retail behemoth a reality.

Indeed, it seems at this point such approvals are only formalities and that construction of a new mall could be underway as soon as the ground thaws.

The real battle for and against this mall was fought a year ago, when the city’s blueprint for future development, its Land Use Policy Plan, was changed to allow for the possibility of a mall at the 13th Street and I-35 site.

The tough reality for Smart Growth and anti-sprawl activists: Their side lost.

So where do Smart Growth-ers and their ilk go from there? First and foremost, they need to give up on fighting the mall’s existence and start recognizing their ability to dictate how it comes to exist.

Activists had their best chance for input last summer, when the city held open forums to determine design standards for development on the site. The activists who actually participated in these forums scored some good victories — ensuring that, if nothing else, the development that occurs out there fits nicely with the rest of Ames and is not just a disconnected commercial pit stop for interstate travelers.

Those beneficial design standards, including pedestrian accessibility and protections for nearby Ketelsen Marsh, are now contained within the ordinance currently before the City Council.

That means supporting the ordinance is the best way to work against the possible negatives presented by a new shopping mall.

For the future, people opposed to the mall should begin thinking about how to counteract its existence, perhaps with “buy local” initiatives, support for the Ames Downtown Revitalization Program or any number of other proactive measures.

For activists to continue to fight against the existence of a new mall and any city legislation that pertains to it is not only unrealistic, it also threatens to undo the good done at earlier stages.