DOUGLAS n Wal-Mart officials announced this week the company is withdrawing plans to build a Supercenter store here.

But local officials said the preparations made for the chain's foray into Douglas will still bring economic benefit. And, the owners of the property Wal-Mart had under contract said they are proceeding with other residential and commercial development.

The company's proposal drew vocal responses from people on both sides of the issue. Some welcomed a chance to shop at a large retailer without driving 50 miles to Casper. Others protested the store for its potential to harm existing businesses.

Wal-Mart Senior Manager of Public Affairs for Wyoming Joshua Phair said the withdrawal is related to the company's broader plans, announced in June, to "more strategically prioritize development of Supercenters."

"It's really related to our broader announcement, a general slowdown in terms of Supercenter development," Phair said. "It has nothing to do with our relationship with the folks in Douglas. In fact, quite the opposite. It's a really strong business community and we have nothing but nice things to say."

Joe Coyne, executive director of the Converse Area New Development Organization, helped lay the groundwork for Wal-Mart's planned store. He acknowledged initial surprise that the retail giant would build a store less than 50 miles from Casper, where two Supercenters already operate. But he said Wal-Mart and other national retail chains will likely consider the area a valuable market as the Douglas community experiences significant growth from energy-related industries.

The groundwork laid for Wal-Mart should still prove beneficial, Coyne said. The retailer's announcement to build spurred many local businesses to focus on marketing and customer service strategies that would help them remain competitive. Those actions have made the local retailers more competitive for the future.

A recent analysis of Converse County's excise sales tax growth shows that since 2001, sales tax distributions have more than quadrupled the rate of inflation n which means retail sales are experiencing growth far in excess of what could be expected through inflation, Coyne explained. Better yet, he said, the increases span all sectors for "diverse, across-the-board growth."

Phair said Wal-Mart could revisit plans for a Douglas store in the future, a move that Coyne said won't surprise him.

"It's not the final act, but it is an intermission," Phair noted. "We're certainly interested in joining the Douglas community at some point."

Proposed Supercenters in Rawlins and Worland have not changed in status, Phair said. Construction has not started in either location.

City staff put significant hours into preparations for Wal-Mart, city administrator Bobbe Fitzhugh said, but that work may prove a sound investment as the property owners plan other development.

Ed and Karen Werner had land under contract to Wal-Mart along Esterbrook Road. Now, they are working with developers to plan multiple use development on up to several hundred acres.

"We're going forward. There will be lots available with or without Wal-Mart," Ed Werner said.

Preliminary plans call for retail lots along Esterbrook Road, with the possibility of town houses or other multi-family housing deeper into the acreage. The Werners are considering selling some rear lots for higher end housing.