Design of Publix Shopping Plaza, 1999
When the developer of the shopping plaza at the intersection of County Road 775 and Cape Haze Drive first revealed his plans, many in our neighborhood expressed concern that it would not be compatible with the existing architecture in the area. Because CHPOA provides the structure to organize neighbors into action as well as the authority to speak for most property residents, we were able to quickly insert ourselves into the approval process as a vitally interested party. This activity was not simple or easy, but it was successful, and we had a profound impact on the final construction. Some of the areas of concern were:
Architecture
The original plan for the shopping center proposed a typically mundane facade not really in keeping with the architecture of our area, something along the lines of large suburban malls. Instead, we were able to influence the builder to adopt an architectural style more compatible with that which was already in place, namely the US Post Office building. The builder agreed to modify his proposal to build an “old Florida” style mall and even allowed CHPOA approval rights for colors and materials.
Trees
The original plan for the shopping center provided for the removal of all the trees which had been on the undeveloped parcel of land. Instead, CHPOA was able to prevail upon the builder to spare many of the mature, graceful Cuban laurels, and to actually wrap the parking areas around some of these old giants. The resulting commitment to save these beautiful old trees greatly softens the overall impact of the shopping plaza.
Signage
The builder had planned to erect a massive lighted sign typical of large shopping malls. Instead, CHPOA was able to convince the builder to install a small, unobtrusive monument sign, thereby mitigating the impact of a commercial area so close to our quiet residential neighborhood.