The supercenter, which opens in about a month, wants to erect two massive signs, but the county says they're too big.
By TIM GRANT
Published September 26, 2003
CITRUS PARK - Dozens of employees have reported for work and the vast inventory has started to arrive.
The long-anticipated Wal-Mart Supercenter at Gunn Highway and Henderson Road is set to open on Oct. 29.
But the retail giant has yet to stamp the building with its well-known corporate logo, and it has not placed a single sign along Gunn Highway. There's a reason for that.
The company wants to erect two enormous signs to advertise the super-sized development, but they're way too big for Hillsborough County's sign ordinance, county records show.
"The sheer scale, size and depth of the project, its array of uses, it's really unparalleled in most commercial circumstances . . .," Wal-Mart representative Todd Pressman told a county land use hearing officer in July.
Wal-Mart is asking for a 322-square-foot sign on Gunn Highway that is 122 square feet larger than what is allowed. The company also wants an 839-square-foot sign on the front of its building that is 639 square feet beyond the limit.
A zoning hearing master denied both requests in a July hearing. The county Board of Sign Appeals will consider the request at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3.
However, the Board of Sign Appeals cannot reverse the land use hearing officer's decision, said Karen Matches, a manager in the county's Citizens Board Support office.
"The appeals board can only uphold the decision or remand the case back to the hearing officer," she said.
Homeowners in the Logan Gate Village subdivision who live near the Wal-Mart Supercenter have mixed reactions to its sign request and its upcoming grand opening.
Don Hardy, president of the Logan Gate special tax district, is one of a handful of homeowners who live closest to the 28-acre Wal-Mart development.
"Some people in here despise Wal-Mart," Hardy said. "I think the Wal-Mart will definitely bring some convenience to the people in this neighborhood, and there's value in that."
The 208,000-square-foot building will house a multitude of stores under one roof. Among other things, it will have a grocery store, a pharmacy, and a tire and lube center.
Pressman, the Wal-Mart representative, argued that a building with that many uses should qualify for a bigger sign because if each individual component displayed a sign, it would equal a much larger square footage.
But neighbors like Hardy don't believe Wal-Mart should get special treatment.
"The county has ordinances and rules in place," Hardy said. "Wal-Mart needs to play by the rules. Every other business - big and small - has to live with the current ordinance.
"I don't see a need for the extra square feet they are looking for. Who is not going to know there is a Wal-Mart there?"
