Carrollwood

Compromise over gas station sought

CARROLLWOOD -- People in Carrollwood Village shouldn't plan on gassing up any time soon at the Village Corners shopping center.

It could be a while before the board of directors and gas station owner reach a compromise on how the place should look.

"Most of their concerns are cosmetic," said Hamid Ghannad, vice-president of Golf Oil, a gasoline wholesaler that is buying the property. "We would like to satisfy them. There's still room to work."

Homeowners who reviewed an artist's rendering of the Marathon Gas station under construction at 4550 W Village Drive are not too thrilled about how Golf Oil plans to rebuild it.

They say the canopy over the gas pumps is too tall, the lighting too bright, and it appears that a berm which used to conceal the pumps from West Village Drive has been leveled to make way for a lighted Marathon Gas sign to which they object.

"The lighted canopy looks like something on Dale Mabry, and we would find that rather intrusive to the ambience of a residential community," said John Miley, president of the Carrollwood Village Phase II homeowners association.

Miley said the homeowners will make a formal objection to county planners. Golf Oil already has been ordered to halt construction. Only the Board of County Commissioners can amend the zoning requirements for that site.

The biggest bone of contention is that homeowners want a wooden canopy over the gas pumps. The gas station owner wants a steel canopy that looks like wood.

Located in the heart of Carrollwood Village, the gas station has been vacant since it burned two years ago in a fire, the cause of which was never determined.

Golf Oil manager Ken Dufault said the company wants to compromise with residents, but they'll have to consider the needs of Marathon Gas, insurance requirements and safety precautions.

Dufault said Marathon Gas will require lights on the canopy, but those lights can be softened to make them less intrusive.

He said they designed a high canopy so their insurance carrier would not worry about it being scraped by trucks. Still, it could be lowered a bit more. Dufault said the steel canopy is safer than wood in stormy weather, but the steel could be made to look like wood.

Most of all, Dufault said the company must consider its bottom line. For the past year, he said, Golf Oil has paid rent of $3,500 a month to the current owner. Golf Oil will not buy the property until the construction plan is approved.

"Just from a financial point of view, if it becomes prohibitive, you have to cut your losses and move on," Dufault said.

-- Tim Grant can be reached at (813) 269-5311 or at rant@sptimes.com

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