Wal-Mart Stores has placed 16 acres of land in the Washington Avenue corridor under contract, company spokeswoman Kellie Duhr confirmed Thursday.

The deal comes two days after neighborhood residents voiced their opposition to the project to the Houston City Council.

Though some council members complimented the residents on their proactive efforts and passion for their neighborhood, most emphasized the city can do little to stop Wal-Mart from building what reportedly would be a 152,000-square-foot Walmart near Yale and Koehler. The property owner, the Ainbinder Co., holds 24 acres in the area and plans a retail development anchored by the Supercenter.

City officials are considering offering tax breaks to the developer.

Mayor Annise Parker's director of communications, Janice Evans, said the city could use future tax revenues from the development to partially reimburse Ainbinder for infrastructure work such as widening area streets.

Ainbinder executives have not returned calls seeking comment.

Parker said she and Councilman Ed Gonzalez, who represents the district that includes the area, plan to form a committee of residents and businesses through which the community can articulate its concerns. Gonzalez was not present at Tuesday's meeting.

Parker said the aim of the group would be "not to stop the project, but to make sure that whatever goes in there, that at least we attempt to negotiate mitigations to potential neighborhood impacts."

Seven speakers from the neighborhood voiced concerns about increased traffic, the risk of crime in the parking lot, noise and light pollution, and decreased property values.

Duhr addressed some of the concerns in a statement, saying the company uses low-pollution lighting in its parking lots and reaches out to local police in developing security plans for its stores.