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Commission approves Home Depot special‑use permit with screen wall after heated objections from On Top of the World residents
Summary
The Marion County Commission approved a Home Depot special‑use permit for outdoor sales and overnight staging on a portion of the On Top of the World development, requiring a 6‑ft (effectively 8‑ft) precast screen wall, expanded setbacks and operational conditions after residents urged a taller concrete buffer and delivery curfews.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted 4–1 on Nov. 18 to approve a special‑use permit allowing Home Depot outdoor storage and extended staging on about 13 acres of a larger On Top of the World parcel, subject to buffer, lighting, delivery and traffic conditions.
The permit allows Home Depot to keep some merchandise outdoors during non‑business hours in defined staging areas but requires the company to plant additional vegetation, maintain shielded lighting and install a screen wall along the northern drive aisle to shield neighboring homes. Commissioners said the base of the proposed precast screen wall must be raised relative to the drive aisle so the wall will appear roughly 8 feet tall from the residential side.
Why it mattered: Residents of the adjacent On Top of the World community testified at length that outdoor material staging (palletized lumber, trailers and deliveries) would bring noise from forklifts and large trucks within a few dozen yards of bedroom windows. More than a dozen residents, several of whom read excerpts of earlier commission remarks, urged the board to require a concrete buffer wall. Speakers also raised concerns about heavy truck maneuverability on the community spine road and about deliveries during overnight hours.
What was proposed and approved: County staff and the applicant negotiated a mitigation package that included: a modified type‑B northern buffer, a 100‑foot setback from the curb to the property line at the closest point, a roughly 730‑foot secondary planted buffer, limits on external lighting (photometric compliance required), and an operational commitment to use electric forklifts to reduce noise in staging areas. The applicant also agreed to design intersection radii and other access improvements and to coordinate turn‑lane and signal work with FDOT and county engineers. The board added a condition that required applicants to seek DOT and county engineering sign‑off on turn‑lane lengths and configurations.
Public safety and traffic: County engineers told commissioners the applicant will construct a widened 30‑foot access drive, truck‑maneuver radii and signal timing adjustments to reduce queuing on State Road 200. The commission directed staff to confirm striping, cart‑path separation for golf carts and that truck docks be recessed so parked trailers do not increase visible height above the wall.
Board vote and next steps: The vote was 4–1 in favor with Commissioner Zalick recorded in dissent. The special‑use permit is approved with the added wall and detailed conditions; site plan, photometric plans and final access designs must return to county staff for technical review and for any necessary follow‑up approvals. Home Depot officials said they expect to comply with the screening and operational conditions and emphasized job creation and local economic benefits.
The board advised staff to draft enforcement language on delivery hours and noise complaints and to return any unresolved technical items to the board. The project must meet all county site‑plan requirements before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
