FRUIT COVE, Fla. – A proposed Daily's convenience store and gas station in the Fruit Cove area have neighbors upset and saying the store is unnecessary.
The property is around 7.7 acres, and the proposal looks to have not only a gas station but a car wash as an accessory to the store.
The total development, which would be 45,000 square feet, would allow a 30-foot scenic edge along State Road 13.
But several people in the area said they don't need another gas station. A map of the area show there's a Gate gas station just north of the spot on S.R. 13, a Speedway just south on S.R. 13, and another Daily's on Racetrack Road, just east of the proposed site.
County commissioners spoke with the applicant and local residents Thursday about the proposal.
Opponents said the station would not only ruin property values in the area, but also cause major traffic issues.
"What you see is what we're accustomed to. It's birds, raccoons, possums, and it's quiet,” said Roy Leskanic, who lives in Fruit Cove Estates.
Which is why droves of cars driving by isn't something Leskanic wants.
"This is not a good idea to change the zoning,” he said. “It doesn't, a gas station doesn't fit with the master plans of St. Johns County. I don't know how they can justify that."
A place like Daily's would require a community commercial zoning amendment. The land currently houses a plant nursery, Leskanic said the area is too busy with traffic as it is.
"They would have to come in off Otoes and to get out, they'd have to come back in here, or around, or even go as far as back down by the lake and turn around, which means we'll have more people in this community that don't belong here,” he said.
For those reasons, several residents are trying to put a stop to the plans. In the proposed blueprint (see below), the area to the left includes the gas station, car wash, convenience store and a drive-thru restaurant, and the area to the right would be sold off for a medical office or something similar.
"Nope! Not a good idea,” Leskanic said. "That about sums it up."
But the applicants told county commissioners Thursday that they are trying their best to address the concerns of residents by not removing trees in the area, keeping the square footage at a certain minimum and requiring semi-trucks to enter and exit from S.R. 13 not Otoes Place. They said the plans would benefit the area economically and would help support the growing population.
But the residents' concerns were enough for commissioners to vote no to the amendment on Thursday, which means the applicants will have to come back with a new plan on May 17.