More than 100 residents of Ames and surrounding communities voiced their opinions to the Ames City Council Tuesday about a proposed change to the Land Use Policy Plan map, which could lead to a new regional mall.

At press time, the City Council meeting was still in public forum stage, well before council debate that would lead to a decision.

The resolution before the council would move the area zoned Regional Retail Commercial — the designation for large-scale retail centers like a mall — from its current location at the interchange of Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 30 north to the interchange of I-35 and 13th Street.

This move would open the door for Tennesee-based developer James “Bucky” Wolford to build a new mall that would be nearly double the size of North Grand Mall. Wolford said the proposed mall could include a strip mall anchored by a big box store, like a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

A majority of speakers at the meeting spoke against the map change and Wolford’s proposal. Wolford has said he wants to build on the new site. The speakers cited several reasons, including environmental concerns affecting nearby Ketelsen Marsh and the effects the mall would have on residents’ quality of life. Speakers also scrutinized Wolford’s revenue projections for the new mall as well as aesthetics of the building.

The owner of the land bordering the proposed mall site, Darrell Johnson, 5441 Skycrest Dr., spoke against the development, saying Ketelsen Marsh could be seriously affected by the mall. To illustrate his point, he brought a plastic bag and tossed in the air before the council.

“A marsh covered with plastic bags is a plain old dump,” Johnson said.

He also showed aerial images of the creeks that feed the marsh, running from several directions. These streams could be polluted by new development in the area, he said.

Several speakers questioned the marketing studies presented by Wolford in his proposal to the city.

Wolford’s revenue projections were highly inflated and unrealistic, said Sue Ravenscroft, professor of accounting.

The projections foresee $347 million dollars in revenue from the mall and other stores, she said. This would mean every person in the marketing region, regardless of age, would spend $2,000 at the mall in addition to other spending.

“These sales projections are unrealistic and overly optimistic,” Ravenscroft said.

Those supporting the map change and Wolford’s proposal cited the increased tax base, retail opportunities and the creation of jobs that would come with the new mall.

Leonard Tipping, 4317 Stone Brooke Road, who said he had been in retail sales in Ames for 15 years, said he supported the mall.

“The lack of retail centers hurts Ames,” he said. “It is important to retain retail.”

Others spoke out against the mall in favor of development in Ames that embodied “Smart Growth,” the development of retail within walking distance of residential areas.

With Iowa State taking up so much land in Ames, much of the city’s land is nontaxable. This creates a need for more retail centers that will bring in additional tax revenue, said Jamie Wade, 3318 Ridgetop Road.

“I urge the council to vote for this change and others to promote the expansion of the tax base,” Wade said. “We’ve treated developers badly in the past, but now the city needs to develop.”

During the meeting, council members seemed open to approving the map change and allowing Wolford’s proposal to continue.

“We on the council welcome input, but have a preconceived notion [favoring the map change],” Councilman Steve Goodhue said.

“We should be open to [the city] staff’s proposal.”

City staff recommended the map change at the Jan. 13 council meeting.

If the map change is approved, Wolford said he expects no trouble in the annexation and rezoning stages of the process.

“If we’re approved for the Land Use Policy Plan change, we should be good for the rest,” he said.