TEGA CAY -- Technically, there's one more hurdle to be cleared this coming Monday before the proposed Stonecrest development anchored by a Wal-Mart moves forward.

But it's clearly less challenging than the one standing in the way at the Tega Cay City Council meeting Tuesday.

After months of debate and numerous closed-door meetings, the Tega Cay Wal-Mart is one step closer toward construction.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve an amendment to the Stonecrest development agreement that would allow the world's largest retailer to build a 203,000-square-foot supercenter in Stonecrest.

The amendment is a response to a heated public controversy the city - as well as the developer and retailer - have faced since the plan was unveiled.

"I feel comfortable that what we're going to end up with will satisfy everyone's concerns," said Councilman Stephen Perkins.

Before the amendment can take affect, it will have to pass another vote and go through a public hearing. Both are on the agenda for the regular city council meeting set for Dec. 20.

A land transaction and annexation request also have to be completed, but those are considered a fait accompli.

Prior to Tuesday's vote, the council went into a closed-door meeting with city attorneys to take one last look at the 14-point amendment and make a few last minute changes. They said they also wanted to make sure it gave the city the ability to enforce restrictions on Wal-Mart and that it hadn't created any loopholes in the original Stonecrest Development Agreement, Perkins said.

Also, landowner Herman Stone, developer Bryan Tuttle and Wal-Mart, will all have to agree to it. But Tuttle is not worried about everyone else agreeing to the deal. He noted that representatives from Wal-Mart were involved with the negotiations over the amendment, so the company shouldn't have a problem with saying yes.

"We had to get over this hurdle first," Tuttle said. "It is a roadmap on how to move forward."

Tuttle and Stone still have to purchase roughly 17 acres and request that Tega Cay annex the land for the deal outlined in the amendment to take effect. Tuttle said he plans to request annexation shortly after the first of the year.

The 14 issues that council originally brought up as restrictions on Wal-Mart have not changed much in the final draft. The restriction on environmental issues was tightened to include language that requires Wal-Mart to properly maintain the retention ponds it is proposing for runoff.

The restriction on times of the day the store will not be allowed to receive deliveries was modified as well. Originally, the council had called for three and four hour windows from 6-9 a.m. and from 2-6 p.m. when deliveries wouldn't be allowed. Those windows were reduced in the final version to 7-9 a.m. and 2-5 p.m.

Also, some timelines were included in the final draft that stipulated fines and penalties for noncompliance.

"Every single one of those points was a sticking point," Perkins said.