Did you know that Sanford has a Tractor Supply store? Don't be embarrassed if you weren't aware of its existence.
Sanford's Economic Development Coordinator is doing his best to get investors interested in repurposing the Seminole Towne Center Mall.
The way Sanford is treating Tractor Supply may give them pause to get involved in anything in our fair town. First, the City gave the company problems with access to State Road 46. Tractor Supply opened with no curb cut in front of the store. To get to the place you had to turn on Central Park Drive and then left behind Seacoast Bank.
The City finally allowed Tractor Supply to have an entrance on State Road 46. But that is not the end of the story. The City required extensive landscaping including a berm topped with bushes. This prevents anyone from seeing the store from the highway. Between the berm and the parking lot is a retention pond sized to take a 500 year flood, a complete waste of money and space.
But the coup de grâce is what the City did to obscure the Tractor Supply sign. You can't see it! Why not? Because the City required the company to plant a magnolia tree in front of it. Not only that, but in addition, right behind the magnolia, are two extremely healthy palm trees whose fronds block any view of the sign. The company understands there will be severe consequences if it trims the magnolia or the palms.
The City Manager just got a nice raise. He drives by the site on his way to work. Maybe he can slow down and look at the situation. If so, he can earn his keep if he can get rid of the magnolia and the palms. Tractor Supply and the Economic Development Coordinator would both be happy.
