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Planning commission recommends outdoor storage permit for proposed Home Depot with conditions on buffers, lighting and traffic improvements
Summary
After extensive public comment about traffic, buffers and lighting, the commission recommended approval of a special‑use permit to allow outdoor storage, staging and display typical of a Home Depot store on a 13.25‑acre portion of a parcel in the Circle Square Woods / Hwy 200 corridor, subject to staff conditions on buffering, lighting (downward‑f
The Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a special‑use permit that would allow outdoor storage, staging and display areas typical of a Home Depot garden center on approximately 13.25 acres of a larger parcel in the State Road 200 / Canopy Oaks / Circle Square Woods area. Kenneth Odom, senior planning staff, presented staff’s analysis and recommended approval with conditions addressing buffering, a minimum landscaped buffer along property edges, prohibition of amplified speakers, photometric lighting review with inward‑facing fixtures, noise limits consistent with County standards, and requirements for truck routing and traffic improvements.
The proposal generated extended public comment. Several residents voiced opposition over noise, truck access and safety for golf‑cart and pedestrian traffic along the access road; others requested a concrete wall rather than vegetative buffers. Applicant representatives (Kimberly Horne Associates) said the development team had increased buffering on the north side, proposed additional trees to fill gaps near a lift station, and planned to build both the designated phase‑1 and phase‑2 traffic improvements at the same time prior to store opening. The applicant also said truck staging and the truck court would be set back and at least ~150 feet from the nearest residential property line.
Traffic engineers and staff summarized a recent traffic study that recommended left‑turn lanes, signal timing changes and a right‑turn lane in phase‑1 and additional turning lanes in phase‑2; the applicant said it intends to construct the recommended improvements prior to opening. Staff also noted the project sits within the Circle Square Woods DRI and that the request was for outdoor storage/displays (a B2 use) rather than rezoning.
After discussion, the commission recommended approval with the staff conditions listed in the staff report (buffering requirements, no amplified exterior speakers, downward lighting, landscaping/hedgerows, truck access and curb/turning improvements). The matter moves to the Board of County Commissioners on Nov. 18 at 2:00 p.m.
