Most of the stores moved out when Northcross Mall changed focus to a high tech center but in 2004 the retail stores began returning. But other than Beall's, Sports Authority, an ice skating rink and a handful of smaller stores Northcross remained a ghost mall. But with the addition of a new urban Wal-Mart Super Center on the horizon, Northcross is in the news now on a weekly basis.

Location of Northcross Mall: On the south side of Anderson Lane in North Central Austin, just west of the Anderson Lane and Burnet Road intersection. There is an entrance from Burnet near Denny's (no traffic light). The main entrance on Anderson has a traffic light just past Schlotzsky's.

The Proposed Wal-Mart Project at Northcross: This Wal-Mart will be different than the usual gray box buildings that are in Austin now, the center will be a two-story urban store with a total of 220,000 square feet. Towns like Chicago and Atlanta are home to some of the urban buildings, some of the stores have been known to sell wine and organic clothes and have features such as hardwood floors and plasma TVs.

Other Changes at Wal-Mart: The Wal-Mart is just one of the major changes planned for Northcross Mall, which will be re-named Northcross Center. The Norris Conference Center, Verdana restaurant, Guitar Center and Gallery of Salons will remain at the location. Bealls, which has already been cleared out, will be the new home for a larger Chaparral Ice Rink and the Sports Authority is where the Wal-Mart will sit. Outside a three-story parking garage will be built with nearly 800 parking space across from Wal-Mart.

The executive vice president of the Lincoln Property Company says that he's talked to dozens of potential tenates to occupy the space on the east side of the mall. The names Chipotle Mexican Grill and Walgreens were mentioned but nothing is official.

Neighborhood Response to Wal-Mart at Northcross: So will the Wal-Mart be built? The city has already approved Lincoln's site plan for the mall. On December 14th, over 100 people marched at Austin City Hall after getting 3,500 people to sign a petition to stop Lincoln Properties from building. The residents of Allandale, Rosedale, North Shoal Creek, Crestview and Brentwood are arguing that the city failed to properly notify them of the proposed project.

Wal-Mart voluntarily stopped building plans for 60 days so they could answer any questions the neighborhood representatives had. The project was scheduled to be ready for tenants to move in by the summer of 2007 and for the entire center to wrap up in late 2008, with the 60 day postponement the plans will most likely be pushed back.

Wal-Mart recently unveiled plans which take into account some of the neighborhood concerns including a slight reduction in the size of the store and the possibility of having a few hours of downtime instead of operating a full 24 hours.

Not Everyone is Opposed: Although red and white signs proclaiming "No Wal-Mart" dot many of the yards in neighborhoods around Northcross, not all residents are opposed to the idea. Although less frequent, a handful of signs, some handwritten, say "Yes Wal-Mart" or "We Want Wal-Mart." Many of those in favor of (as well as some opposed) voice their opinions in comments to articles such as "Is Wal-Mart a Good Fit at Northcross Mall?" and "What Would You Like to See at Northcross Mall?"