City commissioners ensure truck's won't enter residential neighborhood.
The Linder Community Unit District was originally approved in 1997. The parcel of land sits south of I-4 at the southeast corner of South Frontage Road and North Maryland Avenue. The owner of the property, Linder Industrial Machinery, requested from Plant City’s government permission to build an additional 10,000 square feet of commercial warehouse space, and two covered wash bays, adding another 1,800 square feet, and a new semi-truck exit-only driveway on North Maryland Ave. designed to restrict trucks to right turns north to South Frontage Road only. Additional proposed site improvements include design modifications and increasing the size of the onsite detention pond, additional pavement to make room for vehicles to be moved easily, and a new parking area near South Frontage Road. The company also asked to officially change the name to the Linder Planned Development District.
The Planning Board voted 4-0, with one board member abstaining, to recommend approval of the proposal to the city commission, subject to the inclusion of two additions. The first is that the city would require signs to be installed on South Frontage Road to prohibit commercial trucks from traveling south on North Maryland Avenue. The second is that, to comply with Plant City’s noise ordinance, construction hours will be limited to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 8:00 a.m. to – 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. The company agreed to these additions to the proposal.
This proposal came to the city commission for a hearing and vote on August 11. During the discussion, city commissioners were intent on ensuring truck traffic would not enter the residential area that begins 100 yards south of the property. After the presentation, City Commissioner Mathis questioned the presenter. “Where would the signage begin? Would it be near Cherry Street?” she asked. “Where would the sign be for trucks not to enter on North Maryland Avenue? The answer was that the restriction signs will be on South Frontage Road. “So, no trucks should come off of Park onto Cherry, and then Maryland Ave.; no signage for that to make sure that doesn’t happen?” The presenter responded that it would be a matter for the city engineer to address.
“You mentioned that there will be a forced turn onto North Maryland,” Mayor Kilton said to the presenter. “Will there be a curbed structure that actually forces that? Because signage is not going to be enough for me on this. I can appreciate that the planning board will add that to it, but there needs to be a curb to make sure that there is no possible way for them to turn left on Maryland.” The presenter responded that there will be a raised curb shaped like a pork chop that will require the truck to turn right to go north on Maryland.
After further presentation and discussion, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the proposal. “I will state for the record that I am supporting it only because, with the pork chop-forced northbound-only egress, and no ingress to that going north or south, I am satisfied, based on the presentation, with my understanding of how this would work,” Kilton said.
Linder Industrial Machinery was founded in 1953 in Lakeland. It sells, rents, leases, and supports heavy equipment. In addition to the parts warehouse and equipment sales and service on this site in Plant City, the company’s corporate headquarters is also located there. Linder has 24 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, employing 379 people. Its annual gross revenue is $73 million.
