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Marion County rejects proposed permanent food‑truck park after residents cite safety and traffic concerns
Summary
Commissioners denied a special‑use permit for a planned permanent food‑truck park near Tropicana Village, citing incompatible intensity, hazardous access and unresolved traffic and pedestrian-safety issues after extensive public comment and a county engineer warning about driveway spacing and a merge conflict on SR 484.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted to deny a special‑use permit for a proposed permanent food‑truck park adjacent to Tropicana Village, after residents and county staff raised traffic, safety and compatibility concerns.
The project’s applicant sought permission to operate up to 20 food trucks, outdoor seating and permanent restrooms on a 2.02‑acre B‑1 parcel on County Road 484. During the hearing dozens of residents from the nearby Tropicana Village retirement community and other neighbors described worries about pedestrian safety, nighttime lighting, noise, emergency access and spillover traffic into local streets.
County staff and the county engineer flagged technical problems with the proposed access. Stephen Cahoon, county engineer, said the proposed curb cut onto SR 484 would conflict with a nearby merge and noted code driveway‑spacing requirements for a 45 mph roadway: “That driveway you see today actually predates the arrival of the Dollar General… there is indeed a merge conflict that would be present at this location,” he told the board. Staff recommended limiting trucks to 15 or requiring a full traffic study if the applicant wished to keep more.
Residents presented safety reports and described a recent pedestrian fatality near the Dollar General intersection. Pamela Newell, a Tropicana Village resident, urged the board to require turn‑lane improvements, signal timing review and formal access management, saying the study showed the site “is expected to generate 160 plus trips during peak hours.” Other speakers described concerns about fire and food‑safety regulation, light spillover and late‑night noise near a 55+ community.
The applicant said they reduced the proposed number of trucks from 24 to 20, planned double buffers and two fences, and intended to install underground electric hookups and a managed pump‑out service for grease. He offered a reservation‑based day‑pass model and an on‑site dining pavilion, and said hours would respect neighborhood quiet hours. However commissioners concluded the site’s ingress/egress and surrounding context made the proposal incompatible. Two commissioners described the location as too intense for the existing access and residential neighborhoods.
Motion to deny the special‑use permit passed unanimously. The denial means the applicant must either redesign the project to address access and compatibility issues or consider alternative locations and permits.
The county noted that if a future application sought similar use in a different configuration or access pattern, it would require a new traffic study and full review under the Land Development Code before any permit could issue.
