Developers can still create an additional 290,000 square feet of commercial space near a proposed 180,000 square foot Walmart Supercenter, officials revealed at Tuesday’s St. Johns County Board meeting.
Commissioner Christian Whitehurst broached the retail project, telling the panel that he’s been been deluged with questions and concerns from the public since The Citizen broke news of the proposal last month.
The county’s Growth Management Director Mike Roberson told the board that the developer has entitlements dating back to 2003 that theoretically allow it to build another nearly 300,000 square feet of retail space in the area — even after the Walmart goes up.
Whitehurst appeared taken aback by the implications of that assessment.
“So even after they build the Walmart they’ll still have 290,000 square feet of entitlements remaining?” he responded.
Whitehurst said constituents have asked him why the county can’t prevent the Walmart from rising given the area’s worsening traffic congestion.
The project is slated for 3405 International Golf Parkway — about two miles west of the Buc-ee’s and Costco off of I-95.
A Bass Pro Shops also recently opened its doors in the vicinity.
Whitehurst said complainants have insisted that the potential for further traffic snarls should qualify as “extenuating circumstances” and suffice to stop the project.
But Interim St. Johns County Attorney Rich Komando quickly extinguished that notion, telling the board that the developer is well within its rights to build out the Walmart per the 2003 deal.
Attempting to block the effort at this stage, he said, would expose the county to painful legal blowback.
