Atlantic Beach, FL. Wal-Mart To Replace Trees with Supercenter

Wal-Mart road plans spark new controversy [Florida Times-Union]

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.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, September 10, 2007

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