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Council delays Whole Foods‑anchored Shops at Jupiter site-plan after traffic and truck‑routing concerns
Summary
Applicant sought to convert the Bell's site to Whole Foods with an enclosed loading dock and architectural upgrades; staff proposed an elongated roundabout for access and the applicant offered a proportionate contribution that was later revised to $151,200. Council unanimously postponed the item for further work on truck routing, wall height, color/materials and contribution level.
The council heard a detailed site‑plan amendment for the Shops at Jupiter shopping center that would add a Whole Foods anchor, new landscaping, stormwater filtration and an enclosed loading dock, along with parking reconfiguration and tenant changes.
Ken Chuba of Urban Design Studio presented the project on behalf of owner Ram, describing architectural upgrades, a new compacted loading area with a 12‑foot wall for screening, cart corrals, stormwater-filtration improvements that will discharge to the mangrove area only after treatment, and a mangrove management and restoration plan. “We will be adding a filtration system to the water that gets discharged into that mangrove area,” the applicant said.
Staff and the town traffic engineer said the supermarket change of use would raise average daily traffic by about 46% and increase PM peak trips by roughly 77%, prompting proposed mitigation in the form of an elongated roundabout concept (Attachment D) to improve turning movements without requiring extensive right-of-way. The applicant initially offered a proportional contribution of about $96,000 toward a $1.2‑million concept but, after further modeling that included illegal left turns and peak-hour trip distributions, worked with staff to raise the proposal to $151,200 (12.65% proportionate share).
Councilors repeatedly returned to truck ingress and semi‑truck routing. Multiple members said they could not support routing semis through Inlet Village or along Beach Road and asked staff and the applicant to confirm feasible truck paths that avoid those neighborhoods. Council likewise requested adjustments to the wall removal/visibility plan, tweaks to the exterior color palette and additional planters or warmer materials to better fit the Jupiter streetscape. Given these unresolved items, the council voted unanimously to postpone the matter so staff and the applicant can return with refined engineering and circulation options and agreed-upon conditions.
