This is a
proposed commercial development to include the following:
| Square Footage |
| Anchor grocery store with fuel station | 61,000 |
| Six 2 or 3 story buildings with retail and 100 "work/live units" | 18,500-33,500 each |
| Work/Live Unit: apartment/condo-like living above retail space; NOT detached, single-family residential |
| Six out-parcel retail buildings | 6,000-7,000 each |
| 5 retail units attached to the anchor | 5,000-15,000 each |
| Out-parcel of 3 attached retail units | 3,200-4,500 each |
| Over 1,100 parking spaces |
| That's over 282,000 square feet of building space |
| With a total of 25.9 acres of building and parking lot area! |
The approval of this development will, in effect, re-zone this land to C-1 - Neighborhood Business and/or C-2 General Business. These categories will allow service or retail uses as described in
Chart 1 of Article IV of the Lakeland Zoning Ordinance which can include drive-thru dining services.
The property is currently zoned "AG - Agricultural District" with the Land Use Plan
recommending Residential Support Center use. The Land Use Plan defines Residential Support Center as: Primarily planned developments containing neighborhood commercial uses with no one user having greater than 75,000 square feet, limited office, religious facilities, schools, public buildings, and institutional uses. Development requires public water and sanitary sewer service. Streets are designed with an urban cross-section.
The applicant (Lakeland Commons LP) has submitted the Preliminary Development Plan (PDP), and it is currently under review by the staff at City Hall (city engineer, growth director, natural resources director, et. al.) The plan has not yet been brought before the Municipal
Planning Commission (MPC) for a vote. The MPC will vote on
the recommendation to give to the Board of Commissioners (BOC) (approve or deny). Regardless of the recommendation from the MPC, the BOC
will cast the deciding votes that will determine whether this development can become a reality.
Please help ensure that commercial development at this intersection will never be a reality for this or any other other developer! Please sign the
petition if you agree with the concerns stated here.
The majority of natural resources on this 41.7 acre property will be disturbed. And in place there will be over 1,100 asphalt parking spaces.
Certain amounts of land are
required to be set aside per Lakeland Ordinances. This includes streamside buffer management and Open Space areas.
Do you appreciate the
dark skies we have in this area of Lakeland? A fully lit parking lot is not consistent with the enjoyment of dark skies. Or what about the the birds and critters that call Lakeland home too? Have you slowed to let a deer cross your path and delighted in that moment you shared with nature? The loss of trees is also a loss of habitat for our wildlife. Will Lakeland be just another 'suburb of Memphis' in ten years? Repleat of the natural beauty and wildlife that so many residents enjoy?
Site usage:
- Gross Site Area: 41.7 Acres
- Site dedicated to Right of Way: 5.1 Acres (i.e. granted to the public right of way on Hwy 70 and Seed Tick for expansion of those roads)
- Site dedicted to Stream Buffer: 7.2 Acres
- Net Site: 29.4 Acres
With over 280,000 square feet of building space plus 1,100 parking spaces and "the majority of natural resources" being "disturbed", it is hard to imagine this development as having "green space". The majority of the green space is likely referring to new plantings and landscaping rather than preservation of existing "green space".
Per staff at City Hall, the developer has recently submitted a mitigation plan that includes 'remedies' such as planting oversized trees and enchancing the soil to encourage healthy growth of new trees. Is that enough? Drive by the site and decide for yourself. Look at the plans (see
Documents below) for yourself. Should we wait 20-40-60 years to see the same type of growth that exists there today?
The city has chosen an image of a tree-lined road to display on their website to represent the character of Lakeland. And the site displays the 'motto': "Where Quality is a Way of Life". We need to ensure that this doesn't change!
From the Preliminary Development Plan:
"...the majority of the natural resources must be disturbed to procure an economically feasible commercial center meeting regulatory requirements..."
"although...will require substantial earthwork, considerable attention has been given to preserving perimeter natural areas and existing tree stands while also creating internal green space which will be heavily landscaped..."
"Approximately 50% of the gross site has been retained as green space...of this 36.4% including streamside buffer has been reserved as Common Open Space..."
Regarding changes to roadways: "...50' buffer along West right of way of Seed Tick to create scenic corridor...preserve existing specimen trees where possible and provide supplemental landscaping to create canopy effect..."
Regarding Scenic Corridor (Common Open Spaces & Other Public Easements): "...where possible, the developer shall retain all 8" diameter or larger trees in the buffer area."
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This project alone will increase traffic along the affected roads. Add to that the additional 4 developments proposed or already approved to be built on Memphis Arlington Road, East of Seed Tick.
Their traffic impact study suggests that this is not a problem because the roads won't be at capacity. Well, we do not
want the roads to be
at capacity. Just because they
can handle additional traffic flow, does not mean that they should. Are we going to turn our scenic corridors into congested roadways just for the sake of 'convenient' retail?
The traffic study does not address the impact of traffic from the perspective of the existing residential property owners whose homes face these streets. To these homeowners, Memphis Arlington Road
is their 'subdivision'. There isn't an entrance sign to this subdivision, but the homeowners are passionate about their homes and property. Their choices to buy or build in this area were no doubt based on the rural appeal. It was not based on the hopes that it would only take 1 mintue to get to a grocery store. A commercial development at this location is not in any way consistent with this area.
One of the stated goals in the "Goals and Objectives" of the City of Lakeland Land Use plan is to "Make Transportation Plans Compatible with Comprehensive Plan" with the following objectives:
- 1. Encourage alternatives to automobile dominated community that are fully compatible with all types of development...
- 2. Balance the requirement for road connectivity with preserving the natural environment.
- 3. Preserve Scenic Corridors
This development encourages access only by automobile. It increases traffic in the area, thereby making the entire area unsuitable for non-motorized traffic. It seems likely that the benefits of having a designated bike lane on the section of Memphis Arlington between Seed Tick and Canada Road will be lost within the traffic of a commercial center generating 16,000 car trips daily.
Why isn't this same section of Memphis Arlington designated a scenic corridor in the Land Use Plan? What changes when you cross Seed Tick? Is this designation made in order to accommodate the possibility of commercial development?
From the Preliminary Development Plan, Lakeland Commons Preliminary Traffic Study:
Regarding Existing Conditions
- Seed Tick Road is a two lane scenic corridor running from Huff n' Puff/Beverle Rivera...It directly serves several residential subdivisions and Lakeland Elementary School. It currently carries less than 2000 trips per day.
- Memphis Arlington Road is a two lane east/west collector running parallel to US Hwy 70. The volume of traffic on the leg immediately east of Seed Tick is presently less than 1000 trips per day, but west of Seed Tick the volume is over 3000 trips per day. The projected
traffic follows this same pattern, with the anticipated traffic east of Seed Tick at 2000 trips per day and the volume west of Seed Tick
to be ultimately over 16,000 trips per day, obviously requiring an enlarged roadway.
- US Hwy 70 is a four lane undivided highway connecting Memphis, Bartlett, Lakeland and Arlington. Current volumes in the vicinity
of the project are 6,150 trips per day.
Table of values reflecting the increased traffic brought by the elements of the project
|
Area |
Daily |
AM Peak |
PM Peak |
| Living Units |
100 units |
618 |
54 |
64 |
| Office |
40,000 sq ft |
658 |
90 |
126 |
| Retail |
93,900 sq ft |
6,796 |
158 |
632 |
| Grocery |
61,000 sq ft |
6,804 |
258 |
652 |
| Peak Hour of adjacent street traffic 7:30-8:30 am - 4:30-5:30 pm |
CONCLUSIONS The proposed project will generate a signifant increase in the volume of traffic, but the
adjacent streets have the capacity to handle the additional traffic. The main entrances to Lakeland Commons are from the new collector road, and the intersection at Seed Tick and US 70. The Seed Tick intersection will probably warrant a signal when the Harding Academy project is constructed. The other intersections can be adequately controlled with stop signs.
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The preliminary development plan includes a School Impact section for assessing the impact on the surrounding schools in terms of the number of potential new students. It does not address, however, the impact of unnecessary traffic or passers-by into the surrounding neighborhoods and near the campus of our elementary school.
Homes along Memphis Arlington have already been plagued by break-ins this year. Yet homeowners have been told by law enforcement officers that there isn't much they can do to catch these criminals or to stop them--other than what the homeowners can do for themselves with neighborhood watch programs, alarms, etc. How much more incidence of crime will be invited into our neighborhoods due to the proximity of a commercial center that is designed to attract traffic from Hwy 70?
From the Preliminary Development Plan:
"...distance to Lakeland Commons: 0.7 miles" [proximity of Lakeland Elementary School campus]
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What is a "Work/Live Unit"? This is a building with retail below and office or living space above. It is multi-family residential living in an area surrounded by established, estate residential homes! Also note that the Residential Support Center concept does not recommend residential uses, but the developer is promoting it as being compatible with the flexibility and innovation that is encouraged by our city ordinances.
A gas pump in the French Eclectic and French Provincial style...interesting. This development has been likened to Saddle Creek. The last time you were at Saddle Creek, did you stop in at a Kroger and pump your gas out front?
Per the zoning ordinances, the C-2 designation allows for drive-thru dining services. Drive-thrus are not particularly up-scale!
From the Preliminary Development Plan:
"...prospective tenants: large retail grocery anchor, financial institutions, dining services, fashion merchanise and live/work units..."
"...Service/Retail Commercial...all uses as described under C-1, C-2 Zoning District in Chart 1 of Article IV, Schedule of District Regulation, City
of Lakeland Zoning Ordinance...and INCLUDE service stations as an accessory use to the anchor tenant with the exception of the following
PROHIBITED uses: Auto sales & service or repair; golf course; green house or nursery-commercial; wireless transmission; radio/TV stations..."
"...Live/Work Units...PERMITTED Single Family Attached, Multi-Family, Home Occupations, Offices-General & Professional, Retail Stores...1st floor:
only retail and/or office; 2nd, 3rd floors only office and residential...
"...Residential Support Center...does not generally recommend residential uses...design flexibility and innovation encouraged by City of Lakeland Zoning
Ordinance & Planned Development Regulations..."
Regarding Design Guidelines: "...reflect the massings, patterns & details of the French Eclectic and French Provincial architectural styles..."
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This property should not be commercially developed. Now or ever. There is no statement made in the preliminary development plan that addresses the impact of this development on the neighboring properties.
Further, the preliminary development plan did not include any economic feasiblity studies or market analysis to indicate that this can be a viable commercial development. Drive down Hwy 70 to the intersection at Appling. There is commercial development on nearly every corner. Hwy 70 is a major roadway. The Bartlett Recreation Center and Performing Arts Center are right around the corner. Yet the outparcel building at that location stands empty. It has had several tenants that have not lasted. There is empty space in the area adjacent to Kroger. Is this what we can expect to have in our neighborhood? Can this area support 200,000 square feet of retail and office space? Once the land is "disturbed", it cannot be regained. The natural, rural beauty will be forever destroyed. In favor of what? Empty retail space?
What about existing land that is zoned commercial and when developed will not disturb natural resources? What about the Outlet mall that is only at 65% occupancy currently? Or the approved 145 acre mixed-use development adjacent to the factory outlet mall with 200,000-300,000 square feet of commercial space? Is Lakeland becoming all about retail? How much retail do we really need?
With your support we can tell our leadership that this development is not what the public is interested in.
Article VI of the Lakeland Municipal Zoning Ordinance:
| Section 3 - Standards and Criteria, A. General Standards and Criteria |
| 1. Effect on Surrounding Property | The proposed development will not unduly injure or damage the use, value and enjoyment of surrounding property nor unduly hinder or prevent the development of surrounding property in accordance with the City of Lakeland Comprehensive Plan and current development policies. |
| 4. Consistency with Public Interest | Any modification of the zoning or other regulations that would otherwise be applicable to the site are warranted by the design of the Preliminary Development Plan and the amenities incorporated therein, and are not inconsistent with the public interest. |
| Section 4 - Procedure for Approval, B. Preliminary Development Plan |
| 1.e. Quantitative data for the following: | land areas for each separate use area, total land area, total number and type of dwelling units; proposed lot coverage of buildings and structures; approximate residential densities; total amount of open space (including each separate space, and a separate figure for each usable open space); traffic studies; economic feasibility studies or market analysis where necessary, and other studies as required by the Planning Commission. |
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Click
here to see the latest version of the design available at City Hall as of 7/30/2007.
It is interesting to see how predominately the proposed Harding Campus is referenced on the flyer. Is this commercial development really for purposes of serving as a "Residential Support Center" for the residents of Lakeland? Or is it strategically located in proximity to a proposed school campus because the commercial center will be attractive to the Harding commuters and employees, thereby serving Lakeland primarily for revenue purposes?
The Lakeland Municipal Zoning Ordinance requires the preliminary development plan to include a statement of "intentions with regard to the future selling or leasing of all or portions of the Planned Development, such as land areas, dwelling units, etc." [Article VI, Section 4, B.1.d.] Lakeland Commons LP plans "to sell all portions of the property to commerical developers and investors. A portion of the inline shops directly adjacent to the proposed anchor may be developed and retained by Lakeland Commons LP as commercial space for leasing." So this prime location of Lakeland natural resources is being sold out for commercial interests and monetary gain. The property was puchased for 5.5 million dollars [records available through Shelby County Clerk]. This property was seen listed on LoopNet.com for 25 million dollars.
Article VI, Section 4 of the Lakeland Municipal Zoning Ordinance outlines the requirement for providing 'Notice of Meeting'. The requirements are (1) Notice by Publication, (2) Notice by Mailing, (3) Posted Notice on Subject Property. Did you notice their sign? It's there. But with all of the available open space both at the corner of Seed Tick and Hwy 70 and also at Memphis Arlington Road and Seed Tick--they chose a rather odd 'conspicous location' to post notice.
Obtained from the MAAR Commercial website:
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