The parties will likely discuss county concerns about a proposal to build a Supercenter in a wetlands area.
By JUSTIN GEORGE
Published February 19, 2004
An attorney for Wal-Mart plans to meet with county officials later this month to hear the county's concerns about a controversial proposal to build a Supercenter at U.S. 19 and Ozello Trail.
That site is part of the 500 acres Crystal River is poised to annex. The City Council approved the annexation plan on first reading earlier this month; the second and final vote comes Monday. Last year, South Carolina-based RealtiCorp approached the county about developing a Wal-Mart Supercenter on the acreage. But RealtiCorp walked away after county officials opposed building on wetlands there.
The company returned this year and was involved in a plan to have Crystal River annex the land.
The County Commission hasn't formally taken a stand on the proposed annexation. However, it has instructed its staff to preserve the county's right to challenge the annexation in court.
Amid the quiet posturing and chess positioning taking place between Crystal River and Citrus County, County Administrator Richard Wesch said, Marilyn Mullen Healy, Wal-Mart's attorney, pitched a meeting.
He said Wednesday that he looked forward to the meeting, but that nothing had changed when it came to the county's position on building on wetlands.
"If you meet the ordinances of the county, we'll issue you a permit," he said. "But in regard to the issue of the wetlands, our position has not changed and it will not change."
Healy said Wednesday that the meeting was not designed to open up negotiations between the county and Wal-Mart in case the Crystal River annexation fell through.
"We're not trying to hide the ball or pick what jurisdiction we're going to be in," Healy said.
Although county officials might still feel miffed that RealtiCorp, in their view, made an end run around the county by negotiating with Crystal River, Healy said Wal-Mart never was part of the Citrus County talks last year.
She said she hopes to hear the county's concerns now so Wal-Mart can lay the groundwork for construction, which will require, to some extent, county approval - regardless of whose borders the store falls within.
According to Healy, even if Crystal River annexes the property, the county's development code for the area remains in place until the city enacts a code amendment - a procedure she said was "some time out."
That means Wal-Mart developers expect to follow county code when they build, and the meeting is aimed to work with the county in the future, she said.
"From Wal-Mart's standpoint, we're determined to be a good corporate citizen regardless of what jurisdiction we're in," Healy said.
The site in question includes land for additional commercial development beyond the Supercenter. An item on RealtiCorp's Web site advertises the property to builders as "The Preserve at Crystal River."
The item names 11 different properties open to development, including nine business sites, an 18-acre, multifamily site for apartments or townhouses and a 36-acre residential site.
Wesch said he learned through the Southwest Florida Water Management District officials that one of the residential components RealtiCorp is proposing included as many 1,000 homes. The property currently is zoned for low-density residential use.
