Plan Commission denies a key waiver and continues review of Walmart Market after public opposition

At the Feb. 23 meeting, staff recommended denial of DPR 25-18 (a proposed ~50,000-square-foot retail building with a pharmacy drive-through at the southeast corner of Avon Avenue and Governors Row) and denial of two requested waivers while recommending approval of a third. The petitioner, Misha Rabinowitch of Walmart Real Estate Business Trust, withdrew Waiver B during the hearing.

Several nearby residents remonstrated against the petition, expressing opposition to the proposal and its traffic and lighting impacts. The commission voted to deny Waiver A and voted to approve Waiver C. After discussion and a petitioner rebuttal, Mr. Rabinowitch asked for a continuance to the March 23, 2026 Plan Commission meeting; the commission granted the continuance by a 5-0 vote.

Staff’s conditional approval language outlined detailed public-street improvements that would be required if the petition were approved, including construction of a roundabout at Avon Avenue and Governors Row, widening of Governors Row, installation of multiple speed humps, and a dedicated right-turn lane at County Road 150 South, together with requirements for revised landscape and architectural plans and a landscape bond per UDO Section 6.1(D)(3). Because the commission denied Waiver A and the petition remains continued, the final scope of required roadwork and access remains subject to further review and the petitioner’s revised submission.

The commission did not take a final vote on the DPR; the continuance preserves the petitioner’s ability to revise plans and return on March 23.