It took more than three years of discussion, planning, legislation and negotiations for groundbreaking to begin on the new Walmart Supercenter in Clearbrook.

That work started just recently, but the mega-marketer was back before the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday seeking to tweak its proposal, saying its proposed sign won't be big enough.

The supervisors agreed -- but only by a little.

Instead of a 7-by-10-foot sign, Walmart will be allowed one 10-by-10.

That came at the recommendation of Cave Spring District Supervisor Charlotte Moore, in whose district the store is being built.

Unlike previous public hearings involving the Walmart proposal that drew scores of angry opponents, only one person spoke this time, saying the board would be more faithful to the Clearbrook Village district with a smaller sign.

The company's architects wanted a 20-by-24 sign, but neither the planning commission, who heard the request Monday night, nor the supervisors were willing to consider that.

The company contends that the smaller sign will be hard for motorists to see -- the topography of the site means it will sit about 165 feet off U.S. 220.

The company also argued that the smaller sign will not have sufficient space for stores other than Walmart to advertise.

Walmart's experts tried to convince the board that even a sign as small as 18-by-24 would be smaller than they needed, but to no avail.

Architect renderings also showed a new "earth tone" color scheme for the building.

The company wanted more leeway in deciding what specific colors to use on the building's exterior, something the planning commission endorsed, but Moore disagreed.

Her motion -- which passed unanimously -- will require the company to come back before the supervisors any time it wants to change any colors from those first submitted in 2006.