Kyle residents can expect their own Walmart store by fall 2015—about five years after discussions regarding the stop-and-go project began, said Diana Blank-Torres, the city's director of economic development.

The last decade has seen a population boom in Kyle, even more so than many of its neighbors along the I-35 corridor.

More than quadrupling in the last dozen years, its population has grown at a rate that retail and commercial development has yet to catch up with, Mayor Lucy Johnson said.

"We collect less sales tax per capita than many of our neighbors," Johnson said. "Any type of commercial development would be a boon for us in terms of revenue for the city. That is not to say we will approve any development that comes to the city, but there is a desire from many of our residents to be able to have a Walmart in our city."

That desire led the city to hold discussions with Wal-Mart Inc. in early 2010.

As the economy stagnated, however, the conversations eventually stopped, Blank-Torres said.

For about two years, talks between the two sides were suspended. But in early 2012, the city met with representatives from the retail giant at the International Council of Shopping Centers' Global Real Estate Convention in Las Vegas.

Wal-Mart said it was looking into the Kyle market again, Blank-Torres said.

"The next thing we knew, they were in here with some plans," Blank-Torres said.

Wal-Mart did not respond to requests for comment regarding the project.

In March 2012, the city approved the company's application for a conditional-use permit, including a site plan for the 156,000-square-foot store. The measure cleared the way for Wal-Mart to begin the construction process.

The company is expected to award a construction contract for the project in January, and construction is expected to begin in April.

Once construction begins, it will take a year to 18 months for the store to open, Blank-Torres said.

Planning and zoning commission members, as well as city officials, had a say in the plans for the store's design, which city officials say is unique to Kyle.

Johnson said the store's floor plan is different from older models, and there is more of an emphasis on the exterior.

"There is more green space than one would expect at a big-box retail store," she said.

The parking lot, for instance, was designed so that it fit the standards of the city's I-35 corridor overlay district, an initiative to "maintain a high character and quality of community development," according to the site plan.

By defining a set of standards for the corridor, the city aims to boost property values and economic growth while also facilitating development.

"It is part of an initiative to really think about what we are putting here for the future and what is it going to look like," Blank-Torres said.

Additionally, the store will face Kyle Parkway rather than I-35.

Johnson said Wal-Mart wanted visibility from the highway, but the city wanted it facing Kyle Parkway, also known as FM 1626.

Orienting the storefront to Kyle Parkway as other retail stores, such as Target and Lowe's, do will help maintain consistency, city officials said.

Although Walmart stores in San Marcos and Buda bookend Kyle, residents crave the convenience of having one in town, city officials said.

And for a city $70 million in debt, Wal-Mart's arrival in Kyle is expected to provide much needed relief in the form of sales tax revenue.

"I'm aware that some Super Walmarts can generate up to $1 million in sales tax collection [per year] for cities in Texas," Johnson said.

The mayor added that no city can afford to downplay the powerful effects of sales tax.

"Whether you are going through an economic boom or not, it's always important to be able to capture sales tax to help lessen the property tax burden for your residents and grow city services," she said.

In addition to assuaging concerns about property tax, the city is ultimately aiming to close the availability gap. Adding Walmart gives residents of Kyle another shopping option without having to leave town.

"That's what we envision—ultimately having what we would refer to as a 'full-service community,' where ... the people who live here don't have to leave the city limits for any need, any service and, eventually, even for work if they don't want to," Blank-Torres said.