ELK GROVE, Calif. -- After almost four years of fighting and hours in court, plans for a mega mall in Elk Grove are back on track.

A state appeals court ruling on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling that blocked the Lent Ranch Marketplace -- a $500 million project, which is set to be built off Highway 99 at Grantline road.

The Mayor Pro Tem of Elk Grove, Rick Soares, is very happy about the announcement.

"We made the decision to build the mall a couple of years ago. We did so with lots of community input, lots of testimony. We made the right decision," Soares said.

Environmental Council of Sacramento spokesman Doug Jaffe believes the new mall is going to cause serious problems.

"That means that there's going to be traffic, congestion, smog, all the things that distinguished us from (Los Angeles)," Jaffe said.

But both sides are claiming victory over the decision.

"The mall is going to take up about 300 acres, and we have forced the city of Elk Grove and the developers to mitigate for that farmland," Jaffe said.

"What they are asking us to do is something we do anyway. We've addressed it in our new general plan. And that's, basically, to look at different ways to keep farmland and open space in Elk Grove," Soares said.

The project's developer said he hopes construction will begin as soon as possible.

The marketplace will include an enclosed mall about the size of Arden Fair, and will be surrounded by more stores, entertainment facilities and apartments.