St. Pete Rejects Wal-Mart Supercenter On Gandy

June 16, 2005

St. Pete Rejects Wal-Mart Supercenter On Gandy

By CARLOS MONCADA
cmoncada@tampatrib.com


ST. PETERSBURG - Dealing a victory to nearby residents, a city panel on Wednesday rejected a proposal to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Gandy Boulevard, citing traffic and environmental issues.

The 5-2 vote denying Wal- Mart's request for a special exception and site-plan approval was met with cheers and applause from a packed audience. Most were opponents from the 160-acre Brighton Bay community just north of the 27-acre site, across from the Derby Lane greyhound race track.

The decision by St. Petersburg's Environmental Development Commission can be appealed to the city council, but a Wal-Mart spokesman said he did not know when or whether such an appeal would occur.

"We'll be ready,'' Brighton Bay resident Tarey Franxman said while standing outside city hall with other elated opponents after the vote.

For now, the retail giant will look at revising its site plan to try to address the commission's concerns, particularly about traffic, said Eric Brewer, Wal-Mart community affairs manager.

The proposed project called for a 150,000-square-foot supercenter, a 13,250-square- foot outdoor garden center and three smaller parcels for future development. Supercenters, which are normally 200,000-square feet or more, feature traditional discount products plus grocery items.

The 9 1/2-hour meeting drew hundreds of people who packed the hearing chambers and other rooms where the proceeding was televised.

Opponents argued the project would worsen traffic on Gandy, Fourth Street and Brighton Bay Boulevard, despite Wal-Mart's offer to spend as much as $5 million on traffic improvements in the area.

Foes also cited the destruction of what they described as ecologically significant wetlands on the commercially zoned property, even though Wal-Mart would be required to "mitigate,'' or replace, the lost wetlands nearby.

Wal-Mart's phalanx of representatives countered the traffic improvements proposed for already congested Gandy would actually improve traffic flow.

They said the retailer had met or exceeded St. Petersburg's requirements for the project, for which city staff had recommended approval subject to 30 conditions.

"The fact is we've followed all the rules,'' said Jim Porter, a Tampa attorney for Wal-Mart. "We've gone way above and beyond what the city codes require.''

Yet most commissioners had lingering doubts about the project's potential impact.

"I'm just not comfortable at this point approving such an intense use when there are so many outstanding issues,'' Commissioner Diane Friel said.

There was surprisingly little of the Wal-Mart bashing that has become something of a national pastime.

"It's not about trying to stop this horrible company or stop development on that site,'' said Doug Davidson, a Brighton Bay resident. "This project just doesn't fit on this site.''

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 823-3412.

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