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NORA KOCHOfficials of Tarpon Springs raise some residents' concerns about a proposed supercenter near U.S. 19.
TARPON SPRINGS - With plans to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter off U.S. 19 overlooking the Anclote River, the world's largest retailer is trying to work with the city to mitigate potential traffic problems and environmental concerns.
Representatives of Wal-Mart spent Monday meeting one-on-one with Tarpon Springs elected officials to discuss preliminary plans to build a superstore on a 75.4-acre site north of Live Oak Street and east of U.S. 19, Mayor Beverley Billiris said. The mayor said she spent about 45 minutes with the Wal-Mart contingent discussing the company's initial concepts and her early concerns.
While "they're willing to do whatever it is to please our residents to be welcomed into our city," Billiris said she has not made a decision about whether to approve the project.
But it appears the project is heading full-steam ahead.
Because the City Commission has to approve site plans, it is not unusual for a developer to meet with commissioners to discuss plans in advance, Billiris said. Wal-Mart has yet to formally file plans for the project.
Residents who live near the site have expressed concerns about environmental effects of building the megastore, its potential aesthetic impact and traffic.
Donald Munro, who lives in the Sail Harbor development behind the site, is concerned about traffic and worried about how the late-night fluorescent lights might shine on his property. But so far he has little concrete information.
"Because I have such a minute amount of information, I can't say that it's carte blanche a horrible thing," he said Tuesday. "I'm not against Wal-Mart, but I'm against some of the things that happen after they move into a site."
Munro and other residents will have an opportunity over the next few months to learn more about the project and give their input at public meetings held by Wal-Mart, city officials said.
There is no clear timeline for the project, city officials said. Wal-Mart representatives did not return a call Tuesday about the Tarpon Springs site.
But Monday's meetings did help answer some questions.
In early talks, residents had expressed fear that traffic might enter and exit the site off Jasmine Avenue, a residential street. But Commissioner Peter Nehr and the mayor both said that Wal-Mart's representatives assured them Monday that U.S. 19 would be used. Commissioners Peter Dalacos, David Archie and Jim Archer did not return calls about the project Tuesday.
Nehr said he was able to discuss some of his concerns about the proposal, including the store's effect on local small business. The representatives told him that in most markets, the discount store forces other stores to become more competitive, which is better for the consumer, Nehr said.
The lot also includes a separate parcel in the front, where Nehr said the store will probably put a major restaurant.
The big-box giant's conceptual plan also includes some sort of buffer between the store and neighborhoods behind it. Much of the property consists of wetlands along the Anclote River, and Billiris said she talked about including a nature boardwalk in the wetlands on the property. The store representatives also indicated to Billiris that they wanted to be an active member of the community.
Both Billiris and Nehr said separately that they voiced interest in the store's design reflecting the flavor of Tarpon Springs.
"I don't want to see a big square gray box," Billiris said. "I want them to come back with a design that will keep Tarpon Springs in mind."
The city has not offered the store anything in the way of tax abatements or financial incentives, Nehr said.
- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.