SANFORD, Fla. – A group of neighbors who first reached out to our News 6 Neighborhood Network and then took their concerns to Sanford’s City Commission — got the result they wanted.
This week, the Commission denied a proposal to build a 7-Eleven near their homes on the corner of E. Lake Mary Boulevard and Skyway Drive.
Recommended Videos
Our News 6 team first visited Parkview Place in early March when the neighbors pushed back against the proposal, citing concerns about traffic, noise and light pollution, and more.
“It’s right outside our door,” said Shanique Sisk. “It’s right next to the gate that we leave out every morning and come in every afternoon. Those of us that do, you know, travel to and from school and work every day. There have been many times I sat at that gate for nearly 5 to 8 minutes.”
Plans submitted to the city of Sanford included eight gas pumps, and the convenience store that would be built on the 3-acre property, along with a stormwater pond and landscape and buffering required by city code. The applicant believed the proposed 7-Eleven would support the nearby Boombah Sports Complex, airport, and neighborhoods.
But this week, neighbors told city commissioners once again that they did not want a gas station and convenience store so close by.
“We are taking a quiet residential road connected to a school and turning it into a commercial traffic access point,” said Mandy Martin. “I am not asking that this gas station not be added to support our community and further development of Sanford, I’m just asking and advocating that we put it in a more responsible location.”
In response to public comment, the applicant told the Commission that their role was to make a decision not based on “preferences,” but to “implement your code and your comprehensive plan in a way that’s based on competent substantial evidence that your staff has provided to you.”
Commissioner Sheena Britton, who represents District 1 where the 7-Eleven would be built, told the audience that the Commission’s decision would have to be based on compatibility with the city’s comprehensive plan and land development regulations.
“I just want to say that legally we cannot vote based on your genuine fears or your concerns,” said Britton.
“This is a hard one to me because, you know, this is designed for mixed-use,” said Mayor Art Woodruff. “But I’m concerned about those specific impacts.”
In the end, the vote from the Commission to deny the proposal was unanimous.
Commissioner Britton shared a statement on social media acknowledging that their decision was “tough” but “thoughtful.” She wrote in part, "When a resident asked us to think of it as if it were our own backyard, I truly did. Those 15 homes facing a proposed 24-hour, high-intensity commercial use that introduced noise, lighting, and activity levels that were incompatible with the adjacent neighborhood."
Our News 6 crew went back to the neighborhood Friday to speak to the neighbors about the outcome.
“Our kids are rollerblading, scootering, biking together,” said Mandy Martin. “I don’t know if we would have been able to replace this community and this neighborhood. This is kind of our dream idyllic neighborhood that we’ve been looking to find.”