Family Dollar Store to be built in the FPA
Soon there will be a new Family Dollar store in Orange Lake at the intersection of W Hwy 318 and US Hwy 441. While this intersection is one of the gateways to the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA), it is located in one of the 10 Rural Activity Centers (RAC) that are designated for this exact type of business. The property already has the correct land use/zoning and is being built by BP 5440 Micanopy, LLC and the Contineo Group.
Marion County’s comprehensive plan allows for limited commercial and residential development in designated Rural Activity Centers (RAC) (Policy 2.1.21) The new Family Dollar store is a perfect example of what the RACs were designed for – to allow small mixed use commercial islands within the rural areas to help residents and businesses meet some of their daily needs and to reduce trips to the urban areas.
At the intersection of CR 318 and 441 in Orange Lake, all four corners have the RAC land use and it encompasses about 57 acres. In 2021, the rural community of Flemington grew with a new Dollar General store, which is located in the Flemington RAC. All four corners of the intersection of W Hwy 318 and N Hwy 329 are included in the RAC. The new Dollar General is located across the street from the old Flemington Store, which has been a part of the community for over 50 years. The new store is a little bit of a stark contrast with the old store and its white clapboard siding and rusty metal roof.
Marion County’s comprehensive plan does not include design guidelines for the 10 RACs to help protect the rural character of the FPA, but there are design guidelines for the area around the Florida Horse Park as part of the CR 475A Visual Enhancement Gateway Development Overlay. The design guidelines cover signs and include additional buffering and landscaping as well as the optional addition of a three-board fence.
While the design elements are not required for the new Family Dollar, if the company included them, it would be a symbolic statement to the community that Family Dollar supports protecting the character and culture that horses and horse farms create in the FPA.
Groceries, Gas, Baling Twine…
Marion County’s rural area is vast. Just the Farmland Preservation Area is 193,000 acres. The RAC future land use designation allows for mixed use nodes of residential and commercial uses, including agricultural-related commercial uses. These commercial islands within the rural areas are beneficial because they help residents and businesses meet some of their daily needs and also reduce trips to the urban areas.
Some of the additional commercial uses allowed in RACs include hardware stores like Gilbert’s Hardware at the intersection of Hwy 225A and CR 326, gas stations, post offices, and grocery stores. In the Blitchton area, on US 27 near H.I.T.S. and many of the sport horse farms, there are 3 feed stores and 2 restaurants – Berrettini Feed Specialists, Larsen Hay and United Hay for horses and The Beach and Yum Yum Kitchen for riders and trainers – important services conveniently-located for hard working equestrians.
In addition to the commercial development, the RAC allows for higher density residential development. In the RAC, up to two dwelling units per acre are permitted. Even in the FPA, the residential density can be up to two dwelling units per acre inside the RAC. Outside of the RAC, to help protect the rural character of the FPA, the zoning is one dwelling unit per 10 acres.
The development standards for RACs – the distance from the intersection, the allowed uses, the set backs and the building heights – are the same no matter where they are located, even if the RAC is located inside the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA).
For commercial uses, the floor area ratio is 35% – that means that the buildings can only occupy 35% of each parcel.
For properties that are not located in the RAC and are zoned Agriculture (A-1), landowners are permitted to set up a roadside stand to sell hay or vegetables that are grown on the same property.