P&Z checks out Publix plans

The role of Publix registers with the town, according to a review of the plans submitted by the Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc. to redevelop its Longboat Key store and the Avenue of the Flowers shopping center.

“To the town, the commercial health of the subject area is extremely important, with a great deal of importance placed on the Publix,” the review of the Outline Development Plan and Site Plan Amendment pre-application conference, issued Aug. 4 by the Planning Zoning & Building Department, states. “As such, ultimately what is considered by the Town Commission for approval for the redevelopment is significant for the future of Longboat Key.”

And although the review states that P&Z staff is “encouraged and excited” about the prospects of a redeveloped shopping center, it also addresses concerns about the fact that the plan was submitted without consultation from the town and “appears to have been done without having taken into consideration many of the redevelopment visions that have been discussed by the town for more than a year.”

The comments submitted in the 26-page review address the project’s appearance.

“The design of the building, as submitted, does not appear to be one that was produced uniquely for Longboat Key,” it states, noting that ornamental features look like “add-ons” to the structure.

“The mass and scale of both the CVS and Publix structure appear to be inappropriate to the site and Longboat Key,” it states, pointing out that adequate drawings and renderings haven’t been provided.

The report states that staff can’t recommend approval of a proposed access point on Bay Isles Parkway, in part because the lack of a left-turn lane from Bay Isles Parkway into the access point causes concerns.

Additionally, because Bay Isles Parkway is a private roadway controlled by the Bay Isles Association, the association must approve changes to the road.

The review also addresses changes to open-space requirements, noting that although the proposed redevelopment technically meets the minimum requirement for open space, calculations provided by staff suggest that despite a reduction in the amount of commercial square footage, the overall amount of surface coverage would increase to accommodate the parking area.

“This is contrary to achieving the park-like atmosphere required by the code,” it states.

The report also requests additional drawings, renderings and information and points out inconsistencies, including the fact that some plans depict a 12,900-square-foot CVS while others show a drug store with 14,528 square feet.

General recommendations in the review include the encouragement of low-impact development design methods; addition of pedestrian safeguards for the CVS drive-thru; repositioning an outlying circular entry feature to expand the wooded area in the middle of the parking lot; and elimination of “a number of parking lanes” for the safety of vehicles and pedestrians.

The review concludes:

“The proposed design literally turns its back to the remaining portions of the Town Center and does not have the strong connectivity to the rest of the developments desired.”