(http://www.jacksonville.com/images/mdControlled/cms/2007/09/08/197592723.jpg)
The retailer wants to remove part of the median along Atlantic Boulevard.QuoteBy DREW DIXON, Shorelines staff writer
ATLANTIC BEACH - Wal-Mart's plan to remove part of the median along Atlantic Boulevard has some city officials worried the retailer will stymie an ongoing effort to keep some aesthetic assets along the roadway.
A 117,000-square-foot Wal-Mart is planned for the 600 block of Atlantic Boulevard on the Neptune Beach side of the roadway. Construction is scheduled to begin next year. But a Wal-Mart engineering firm is indicating the traffic pattern for Atlantic Boulevard may be changed.
"Our plan is to relocate four of the palm [trees] within the median, if possible, to accommodate an extension of the westbound left turn lane at the Seminole Road signal," stated Wade Olszewski, an engineer with CPH Engineering of Jacksonville, the firm hired by Wal-Mart. In a Tuesday e-mail to Atlantic Beach Public Works Director Rick Carper, Olszewski acknowledged the plan still has to be reviewed by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The thought of tampering with the median and removing any of the palm trees has Atlantic Beach city officials gearing up for a fight.
Atlantic Beach Mayor Don Wolfson said he intends to address the issue at Monday's City Commission meeting and wants to lobby the FDOT to block any changes to the median.
"My concern is that their initial traffic survey said nothing about removal or changing that median," said Wolfson. "That would change the ambience and appearance of that drive, which is very important and special to Atlantic Beach," which borders Atlantic Boulevard to the north.
Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach have been working on beautifying that stretch of roadway for about 20 years, Wolfson said, and it has involved money in addition to efforts to keep it looking presentable.
"[Getting] the FDOT to agree to the planting [of trees] on the median took a lot of time, is very expensive and is part of the very image of the two communities when you come to the Beaches over the Intracoastal Waterway," Wolfson said.
The median fight could be the latest in a string of battles Wal-Mart has faced in anticipation of beginning construction on the Supercenter next year. The Neptune Beach City Council tried to stop permits for the store in 2006 but a mediator ruled this year the city had no right to stop the retailer from erecting the building where a Scotty's, Food Lion and clothing outlet store once operated.
The flap drew hundreds of residents into the fight who said they feared a Wal-Mart would ruin community character and could clog local traffic, especially along Atlantic Boulevard.
That's what makes the median questions so important, Wolfson said.
"Our position all along was that we were concerned about the traffic patterns," he said. "We were told from the outset that there were no issues with the traffic. Now we're told because of the traffic patterns they're going to have to start making changes to one median in particular and maybe others."
Atlantic Beach City Manager Jim Hanson said he agrees. "Atlantic Beach has put a lot of time and effort and money into maintaining those medians at the highest level possible. We would be very concerned about the elimination of any of those trees."
Hanson said he's adding the issue to the agenda for the commission meeting that begins at 7:15 p.m. at City Hall, 800 Seminole Road.
drew.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/090807/nes_197592669.shtml
Wal Mart will win.
Or they could just agree with the city and forget about making any road improvements in the area. The only thing that will happen is traffic will back up worse on Atlantic, but the trees will be preserved.
Hey, is there any way to go wider at the intersection to make way for turn lanes without encroaching on the median. I don't remember the stretch at the Beaches, but rather then cut into the median, it is sometimes possible to jog the outter lanes and thus free up the lanes near the median for turning purposes???
I've seen it done in a lot of places and it works out just fine, just wondering?
Ocklawaha
i think if you dug up some of the grass along the side of the street, but i can't remember what is along the side on that stretch. i hope they're not adding an extra stop light. there's enough on that road to begin with.
it souinds like the are only looking to take the turn-lane and extend it a hundred feet or so. A very minor adjustment to the existing condition. The median won't be eliminated if that's the case.
The median won't be eliminated, but a few palm trees will.
Ock, the other option of expanding the road's width would be a lot more expensive because you would then be looking at acquiring land from privately owned businesses on the north side of the street. Two of these businesses' buildings have no setback from the public ROW, meaning they would have to be demolished. In addition, utilities would probably have to be relocated.
Is the preservation of litterally TWO to FOUR plam trees to extend an existing turn lane worth spending hundreds of thousands more to demolish a number of small businesses on the North side of the street?
From the Google Earth aerial it looks like it would be best to extend the single turn lane and lose the two palm trees. To make up for them, just make Walmart spend a little more money landscaping the parking lot and buffering it from the street.
well i do like thoses trees so im gonna go with a negotaive on that one wal -mart