Ocoee residents voice concerns over proposed gas station

Members of the city of Ocoee staff hosted a community meeting Thursday, July 10, at the Lakeshore Center to solicit feedback and listen to concerns from residents regarding a proposed 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store development at the intersection of Clarke Road and Ocoee Vista Parkway.

Residents of the area raised a variety of concerns during the meeting predominantly focused on safety, traffic, environmental considerations and a general belief that another gas station is not necessary in this neighborhood. 

“I’m not (going to) belabor the point, especially because the developer is going to just build what they want to build,” said Joe Fana, a resident of a neighborhood surrounding the proposed gas station for 17 years. “But from the city’s point of view, I don’t think this is a good idea. … What happens is we’re seeing a lot of gas stations that aren’t aging well. And we could debate whether this could increase crime and those types of things, but it’s definitely a concern. 

“Another major concern with this is traffic, specifically the access points being so close to the light on Clark,” he said. “If we do a double light, and we’re talking about the second light coming quickly on a downward hill, that’s concerning. And I think being so close to the firehouse is concerning, I see the fire trucks have issues getting out of that area all the time. There’s also the matter of the impending 80-plus homes that are going to built at the end of Ocoee Vista, I’m worried about how that will affect traffic.”

Other residents brought up concerns about how the development could pose an increased safety risk to school children who are picked up at their bus stop on that corner.

“I’ve heard from Commissioner (George) Oliver, and I hear it from you guys about the traffic concerns and safety issue,” said Trey Vick, CEO of V 3 Capital Group, the developers of the project. “To be clear, as a commercial developer, we want sites to function properly, too … getting in and out is important, and doing it safely is important. All that is stuff we do look at, and we’re fully in support of putting a traffic signal there. We’re more than happy to work alongside the city and help execute with our time and help drive that process to get it there quicker. … It does seem like with the activity in this area, it can make sense. We’d need to collaborate with staff.”

Because this is a small-scale development site on a property zoned for commercial use, the development application would be reviewed administratively and not by the City Commission. Because of this, the city is limited in its power to approve or deny this development, specifically in its ability to rule based on use. If the zoning of the property allows the use, then the city cannot stop the development based on that factor. 

The application will be reviewed for its form and function — meaning it needs meet the standards set by the city’s land development code, specifically engineering standards, utility standards, transportation standards, open space standards and more.

“Upon review of the application, we have to look at the entitlements of the property and the commercial standards that were in place,” Assistant City Manager Mike Rumer said. “That’s what we’re held to, so we cannot say this can only be a small gas station or it can only be a large gas station or only be a 7-Eleven. We can’t say that it has to have a car wash or it can’t have one. We’re limited in what we can do. … If it’s permitted under its zoning, we don’t have a say in the use. What we have a say in is how function is formed, and those requirements may make the user not want to comply.”

Upon learning this, residents voiced even deeper disapproval of the gas station, suggesting for more needed developments to take its place. Vick explained the developer has been open to other options but this 7-Eleven proposal has been the only viable operator for the land in a decade.

“We hear it a lot: We don’t want this and we would rather have that,” Vick said. “But look, this site has been on the market for 10 years. … That’s 10 years of people that could have been alternative users, that could have come and done something else with this site. Put a restaurant on it, put up any other use you guys are talking about. So, all I’ll say is there has been lots of effort put into what this could be. There’s been other options that have been designed there, that’s been marketed to all the retailers that exist that could come here. This is the national retailer that has expressed the strongest interest to come here and build this product. So I can want to put anything here as a developer but if there’s not a demand out in the retail community to operate there, I can’t build it, or I would go broke. … So it’s not that we don’t listen to you; it’s not that we don’t care. We’ve been to the market … and this is the first national retailer that’s come here that’s been actionable.”

This development is still in the early stages of its review and Rumer reiterated no approval has been made. He urged residents to contact their elected officials with their concerns.

“This meeting is for staff to get your feedback, and I want to make it very clear: No votes have been taken on anything,” Rumer said. “Nobody’s looked at anything other than informally as part of the pre-application. You have two elected officials here, the mayor and the District 4 commissioner, that are both itching to talk — which they’re not allowed to talk tonight … about something that’s going to come before them at commission, that’s state law. I will encourage you, after the Q-and-A is over to seek them out and talk to them one-on-one and tell them what your issues are.”