- November 15, 2024
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Due to concerns about existing traffic on Granada Boulevard, the Ormond Beach Planning Board voted 3-1 to recommend denial for a redevelopment plan that would lead to the construction of a drive-thru coffee shop at the Winn-Dixie parking lot.
The board was reviewing a special exception redevelopment plan at its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14, for the construction of the proposed 800-square-foot Ellianos Coffee at 353 W. Granada Blvd., next to the existing Taco Bell. The property owner, KJUMP Incorporated, is seeking two waivers — one for landscaping buffers and another for the city's vehicle stacking requirements — as the site is located in the Downtown Overlay District and does not meet Land Development Code standards.
But three board members in attendance — Al Jorczak, Barry du Moulin and Chair Doug Thomas — were worried that the addition of a drive-thru coffee shop in the Winn-Dixie parking lot would worsen conditions on Granada at peak travel times. Board members GG Galloway, Angeline Shull and Troy Railsback were absent.
"It's already a nightmare to get into anything of the left hand side of the road with eastbound traffic, and the traffic really is tearing by the time it gets there from U.S. 1," Jorczak said.
Jorczak mentioned the existing issues with the Starbucks at 1246 W. Granada Blvd., which the board didn't think would happen when they recommended approval for the project in 2019. The Starbucks opened in 2021.
A coffee shop in that spot is "probably a nice amenity" to have, he added, but without a traffic study to provide the board with information on how many trips it will generate, he found the proposal concerning.
Planning Director Steven Spraker said that, because the project was located in the downtown, transportation concurrency requirements do not apply. Additionally, at 800 square feet, Ellianos would also not generate enough trips to require a traffic study.
The waivers are necessary, according to a city staff report, because the city's LDC requires a 6-foot landscaping buffer, and there is no landscaping in the Winn-Dixie parking lot as it stands today. As for stacking requirements, the city requires six cars per service lane, and the applicant can only accommodate five in each of its two proposed drive-thrus. City staff recommended approval for the waivers.
Spraker said that the city's Site Plan Review Committee had concerns about vehicles stacking on Granada Boulevard, leading to the addition of a physical barrier on the plans to ensure cars can't access Ellianos directly from Granada Boulevard.
"This is a physical barrier that forces the movement into the shopping center," Spraker said.
Is there more traffic with a new coffee shop than without one? Absolutely, he said.
"But there's nothing in our Land Development Code that says a shopping center is not allowed to increase their square footage and their trip generation," Spraker said.
Changes are also coming to that plaza. Winn-Dixie is closing in early December, and will become an Aldi. A portion of the building will also house a new Dollar General store.
Christopher Gmuer, an engineer representing the applicant, said Ellianos, a franchise with 60 locations in the North Florida-Georgia-Alabama region, has had success with its drive-thru concept. Because of its size, it blends into existing shopping center locations and often utilizes empty spaces at a time where the center's parking lots are empty.
"They're not like a Starbucks, where they pack every square inch of a site and they end up blocking parking spaces and everything with their driveways," Gmuer said.
Ellianos services up to 300 cars a day, he said when asked by Jorczak.
Board member Mike Scudiero — the only member to recommend approval for the project — said that the existing Winn-Dixie parking lot is likely twice as big than what is needed, as the property used to be a Walmart in the past.
"For the traffic to back up onto Granada as you're heading westbound, the stacking would have to be most of the gentleman's 300 cars at one time, that he anticipates, for a whole day," Scudiero said.
He told the board that they were there to discuss two issues: the landscaping buffer and the stacking change.
"Our question is are those two issues a problem that makes this less of a project than it would otherwise be?" Scudiero said. "And I don't think any reasonable person could say yes to that."
Thomas said he didn't disagree, but that he could see issues arise as vehicles start turning into the parking lot because there isn't a deceleration lane. Stacking on Granada Boulevard has become a problem.
"Maybe there's a solution other than coming in off Granada," Thomas said. "I don't know if it's practical, but then, that would be a recommendation."
The Ormond Beach City Commission will have final say on the approval, or denial, of the waivers. The item is expected to come before the board on Jan. 7, 2025.
