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Hernando Today

As Stores Get Larger, County Could Get Tougher

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Published: December 26, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - BROOKSVILLE - Right now, it's mostly scrub brush and pines.

But sometime in 2008, bulldozers will clear away 53 acres on the southeast corner of the Suncoast Parkway and Spring Hill Drive to make way for a huge retail shopping complex.

Once built, the 397,000-square-foot center is expected to draw shoppers from as far away as Citrus and Pasco counties. Target and Kohl's Department Store have expressed interest in moving there, according to Robert McGarrity, senior manager of investments with Regency Centers in Tampa.

This is only one of several large scale retail developments, or "big box" stores, planned for Hernando County. With population growth, there are sure to be more.

To make sure there are safeguards in place to protect surrounding neighborhoods and the environment, the county is reviewing its regulations for these large retailers.

A Big Box store is any retail establishment 25,000 square feet or larger, such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot or JCPenney.

Commissioners had asked planning department staffers to review the current land development regulations, compare them to other counties and identify potential updates.

"The board is concerned with finding innovative ways to ensure compatibility with large-scale retail with adjacent development," Chief Planner Jerry Greif said Wednesday. "How do you make it a better fit?"

So planners looked at such key development criteria as lighting, traffic in and around the stores, noise, truck loading, distance from stores to homes, security and parking.

Planning Director Ron Pianta updated commissioners last week and presented several possible changes that could be incorporated into Hernando County's ordinance.

The board directed staff to continue its review and meet with residents and developers to further tweak regulations.

But planning staff did come up with several potential updates to the regulations, many of which may be incorporated into the final product. If ultimately approved, it could require developers to:

-- Prohibit truckers from loading between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. when many people are sleeping.

-- Restrict delivery vehicles from keeping their motors and refrigeration units from running while parked.

-- Position parking lot lights so they are pointed down and don't create "light pollution."

-- Ban searchlights for advertising purposes.

-- Shut off 50 percent of the parking lot lighting after store closing.

-- Make special areas for bicycle parking.

Greif said it is unclear yet whether these and other regulations, if adopted, would affect retail projects already approved.

It is clear that a deeper analysis of the old big box ordinance is necessary as retail establishments seem to be getting larger, he said. Gone are the days of small stores. Today, the large, superstore concept is in vogue, which places a greater burden on surrounding infrastructure, he said.

"You want to make sure your rules are keeping abreast of that," he said.

To that end, county government is seeking more input from residents who live next to these retail behemoths in planning the scope of the project.

For example, in the case of the planned Target-Kohl's, commissioners required the developer to work with residents in nearby Springwood Estates and Deerfield as much as possible as they plan roadways and install safety features.

The Target-Kohl's approval came with a long list of stipulations nailing down everything from hours of operation, security and lighting devices to sidewalks and storm water drainage.

But these agreements are often arbitrary.

For example, in a bit of horse-trading, county commissioners agreed to expand the hours of operations for the shopping center and outparcels in exchange for a financial commitment from the developer to spend $400,000 for roadway and other improvements, possibly including a sidewalk.

This attempt to reformulate the big box regulations would formalize the rules and provide more accountability to developers of these large projects.

In updating its retail rules, local planners have examined other similarly sized areas in the nation, including Fairfax County, Va., Alachua County, Fla., and Easton, Md.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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