BOCC approves Home Depot, Target and Drake Ranch projects

Proposed Home Depot development. [Photo courtesy Marion County]

The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted yes on three major projects in the southwest portion of the county in its Nov. 18 meeting.

A new Home Depot at the entrance of On Top of the World was approved, along with an okay for a Target store and apartment complex in the area and a “conservation PUD” style community, Drake Ranch, near the Withlacoochee River and the county line.

Home Depot coming to OTOW area

The commission voted 4-1 to approve a special use permit and rezoning back to B-2 Business, reversing the board’s April 2024 approval to allow a multi-family PUD. An apartment complex was planned for the parcel that sits directly east of the OTOW entrance at 8151 State Highway 200 and south of retirement villas that were built there in the 1980s.

Commission chair Carl Zalak vetoed the application, saying although he did see the need for this type of store in the area, “this is more intense than a doctor’s office or similar business.”

Public comment came from nearly a dozen speakers, all speaking to noise from big-rig trucks and forklifts loading and unloading, the additional traffic to come, the incompatibility of major retail next to a residential area and the need for a solid concrete wall between the rear of the store and the OTOW property line.

The opposition speakers were organized, polished and passionate. Most focused on reading back to the board the various commissioners’ comments from its April 2024 hearing, discussing the differences between business and residential usage and the commissioners’ own quotes requiring a wall between businesses and homes.

The Home Depot application initially proposed a fence in the rear of the store; the application was ultimately approved with the addition of 6-foot concrete wall placed on a raised section of the north side to shield the residential area behind it. Vegetation and trees would be placed on both sides of the wall to help buffer noise and visual fields.

Several speakers also pointed out that the land development code required a wall and photos of several in the county were shown, including one at the Home Depot near I-75, buffering a condominium complex to its east.

A retired trucker spoke in opposition, saying, “Noise at two o’clock in the morning sucks.” He suggested the store have restricted delivery times.

One speaker said, “We were here first. Do the right thing.”

Zalak was opposed to the project and stated that it “probably should have been flipped so that the back of the store” and its delivery noise and traffic would instead face SR 200. He also mentioned the vulnerability of the OTOW residents.

“This is a retirement community; this is different. These residents were here first,” he stated,” so you have to make every accommodation… I love me some Home Depot, but this is not in the right spot.”

Target and apartments approved

The commission voted 5-0 to approve on the consent agenda a rezoning of several parcels north of Walmart on SR 200, east of the fire station on Southwest 95th Street Road, south of the Indigo East neighborhood and west and on the opposite side of the road from the Lowe’s complex. The rezoning from Regional Business and Multiple Family Dwelling will allow for new retail and apartments on approximately 24 acres of the 37-acre parcels, with a potential Target store coming to the area.

The parcels are part of the Vested Development of Regional Impact, put in place for the On Top of the World communities in the late 1970s.

The staff report stated, “The subject property is adjacent to commercial properties along the SW HWY 200. Nearby uses of Walmart, Starbucks, Burger King, salon and other stores are similar in intensity to uses permissible in Circle Woods Square VDRI.”

Staff recommended approval based on compatibility and consistency with the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

A rezoning approval will allow for apartments, with a potential Target store. [Photo courtesy Marion County]

New eco-friendly PUD on south SR 200

In a sparsely attended hearing with fewer than a dozen members of the public present, the commission voted 5-0 to approve the rezoning for a new concept in PUDs for a 40-home community on about 407 acres, all set within a 5,800-acre conservation easement that can never be developed. The density for rural land allows for one home per 10 acres and the application shows the 40 homes on 1-acre lots all clustered in what is now cleared pastureland.

In addition to the residential homes, the application includes a ranch home for the property caretaker and allows for guest accessory dwelling units for each main home. The project plan also includes a community barn and paddocks, outdoor recreation spaces and picnic areas, and a private boat and RV storage area.

The site is on the south side of State Road 200, west of County Road 484 and near both the Citrus and Sumter County lines, the Bel Lago Hamlet and Spruce Creek Preserve subdivision, a traditional build-out community.

From the staff report, “The intention of this zoning change is to provide thirty-eight (38) one-acre lots and two (2) farm lots for a total of forty (40) lots, each to be used for a single-family residence and an accessory family cottage/guest home, for a total of 88 dwelling units. A separate caretaker residence is also proposed to manage all ranch operations. The applicant proposes recreational and agricultural amenities including a community center, sports fields, an equestrian area, a shared-use path and boat ramp/pavilion. The applicant proposes well and septic (performance-based) in lieu of central water and wastewater service. “

Although there was no public comment on the project, the county staff reported receiving “ten letters of opposition” and mentioned a petition of more than 200 signatures also opposed. The county staff recommended denial of the application; the Planning & Zoning Board recommended approval.

In contrast to many other development hearings, in which Commissioner Bryant and David Tillman often had heated discussions, Bryant complimented Tillman and the concept for the project.

“The amenity is the ranch,” she said. “In my humble opinion, that ranch is the amenity. I’d rather they not build a softball field.”

The requirement to build additional amenities was stricken; the option to add amenities such as a pool or clubhouse later was retained. Future turn lanes into and out of the community were discussed and would be required by the FDOT.

Ann Louise Drake, a family member and partner of Drake Ranch, said she felt “a little nervous” about the meeting but was “absolutely elated” to see the final vote 5-0 in favor.

“I felt that the journey we took as a family to get here proved our concept was valid. We have more work to do,” she acknowledged, “and we plan to execute a remarkable community. We will continue the mission of our ancestors to protect the land.”

The Drake Ranch concept is part of a trend to build low-impact, upscale communities that co-exist with farming, ecovillages and animal habitats. By clustering housing and amenities in one area, larger parcels can be left alone and preserved for wildlife and healthy ecosystems.

The Drake Ranch project calls for a 40-home community on about 407 acres, set within a 5,800-acre conservation easement that can never be developed. [Photo courtesy Marion County]