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Will new store clog traffic?

Pinellas Park planners aren't worried about a new Ashley Furniture coming to U.S. 19.

By ROBBYN MITCHELL
Published July 19, 2006

PINELLAS PARK - Residents worried about the traffic problems that may be caused by the opening of a new Ashley Furniture store across from a Wal-Mart Supercenter on U.S. 19 and 80th Avenue can breathe easier - for now.

Pinellas Park planners don't believe the already-congested area will get worse because of a new flood of traffic headed to the furniture store.

"Think about it. It's not like a grocery store, you don't go furniture shopping every day or on your way home from work," said Dean Neal, zoning director for Pinellas Park.

Ashley, which is taking over the commercial space of the old Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Building, has applied for and received the required city permits, but it won't be using the entire area.

"There are two sizable retail spaces on either side, and we're not sure exactly what they will be right now," Neal said.

The furniture store is under construction. Neal said he wasn't certain of an opening date, but that he would guess that it would be in time for the Christmas shopping season.

If other businesses decide to open in the lot, the limit is nine stores before owners have to get special city approval.

Engineers grade traffic flow on an A-F scale. The section of U.S. 19 in that area is rated a "D."

Assessors said the furniture store will not add enough traffic to drop the road a letter grade, but they admit the area will have to be re-evaluated if it becomes a strip mall.

"We don't know what's going to happen at this point, so we can't make any judgments," said Richard Eggers, traffic director for Pinellas Park.

If the potential shopping center does congest the roads, it will be up to the federal government to help out.

"It is a federal road, and we cannot do anything to it to ease traffic because the government is responsible," Neal said. "They are the ones doing all the work to make it better now."

Neal and Eggers both said that if there are problems, they will be farther off in the future after development of the area is complete.

Until then, Pinellas Park drivers can be content with having a bad ride home, instead of the worst.

[Last modified July 18, 2006, 19:58:22]