They Want a Gas Station

They want a gas station in the commercial plot next to our community. That's the takeaway from a presentation representatives from Barclay made to the HOA last night. That's why they want us not to contest their request for a waiver from the guidelines in Hillsborough County's Riverview Uptown Overlay District.



Boiled down to it simplest terms, the Uptown Overlay District plan calls for buildings to sit up against US-301 road with parking behind them. This would virtually eliminate the possibility of a gas station going in that parcel. There are a tiny number of gas stations in the entire country where the pumps are behind the building, not visible from the road. While the developer could still put one in while conforming to the Overlay District plans, it is highly unlikely.

The reps from Barclay didn't explicitly say they intend to put a gas station there, but they want the option, since that maximizes their profit from the property, not to have the buildings up against the road, and have the parking between them and US-301, like every other strip mall.

The very thing the Uptown Overlay District plan hoped to prevent. (Read the plan's details here.)

Among residents at the meeting, the opinion not to support the waiver request was unanimous. The board did not seem to like the idea, either. But the board did not decide. It wants feedback on whether we can mount enough protest — either in person, or by email and letter — to persuade the Hillsborough County Commissioners to stick with their plans and reject the waiver request.

Some board members fear that the commissioners will side with the developer and want to explore negotiating with Barclay. Their thought is that it's better to get a gas station with nice landscaping as a buffer between it and us, than getting one with only a fence or a wall separating us.

Your humble blog author believes that a gas station going in that space is our worst-case scenario. Whether it has nice landscaping or not matters little, and thinks we should rally residents and unit owners to urge the commissioners to refuse the waiver request.

Let your board members know your thoughts. Do you want a gas station in that plot, or not? Are you willing to fight to keep it out? Your effort could be as simple as writing a letter of protest, but you also need to write to your board members at board@stcharlesplace.us.