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Edges smoothed on 'big box' rules
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET © St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001 INVERNESS -- A revised version of the "big box" ordinance that is coming before the County Commission for a vote today may face little opposition from the Citrus County Builders Association, the group that once was the measure's chief critic. Association president Chris Ensing said the county has clarified the language to deal specifically with building aesthetics, not with building materials that are already regulated. He said other concerns have been resolved as requested by Wal-Mart, the company that will have to deal with the standards firsthand when it builds a supercenter outside Inverness and perhaps another one near Crystal River. "If the people it's going to affect are satisfied with it, we're satisfied with it, too," Ensing said Monday. Wal-Mart did not return a call for comment. Contractor Gaston Hall, who has spoken on behalf of the association at several hearings on the proposed ordinance, has complained that previous versions included design standards that would conflict with the building code. Hall said Monday he had not yet read the revised version of the proposal, but he planned to do so before the 5:01 p.m. hearing today in commission chambers at the Masonic Building in Inverness. The proposed ordinance aims to soften the boxy look of warehouse-size stores by requiring extra landscaping and architectural features, such as clearly defined entrances and patterns on long outside walls. At Wal-Mart's request, the county removed the language requiring sidewalks around the store to be raised a step from the parking lot. Wal-Mart officials were concerned about the injuries, and possible lawsuits, that could result if customers tripped on a raised sidewalk, county community development manager Larry Frey said. Under the revised ordinance, stores still would be required to build sidewalks, using scored concrete, pavers or bricks to offset the paths from the surrounding asphalt. The sidewalks could be raised or kept level with the parking lot. Since the last public hearing on this proposal, Frey said he talked to officials from seven other Florida cities about their aesthetics ordinances for large retail projects. "None of them have had any challenges or legal issues to speak of," Frey said. The county also spoke with the Florida Division of Building Codes and Standards to make sure that the aesthetics ordinance did not infringe on construction standards. "They have absolutely no problem with it, and they couldn't understand why it's an issue here," Frey said. The ordinance states that in a case where the aesthetic requirements conflict with county or state building codes, the developer must follow the building code. In a separate issue, the commission will postpone hearing a rezoning request that would allow a mega-sized store to set up across from Home Depot at U.S. 19 and W Venable Street. Realti Corp., a holding company with a long-term option on the 32-acre tract, originally planned to build a 226,000-square-foot store with two smaller stores. It began revising its plans after the state Department of Transportation last week denied its request for a traffic signal at the south end of the proposed shopping center, at U.S. 19 and W Penn Drive. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marian Pscion said the intersection is too close to two existing signals: W Venable Street to the north and W Ozello Trail to the south, each less than a quarter-mile away from W Penn Drive. Realti Corp. will scale back the size of the proposed stores and continue to work with the Department of Transportation to come up with the best traffic management plan for the site, regional partner Robert Smith said. Smith hopes to submit the revised master plan within a month. If the county Planning and Development Review Board approves the plan, then the County Commission will take up the rezoning request, senior county planner Jenette Collins said.
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