The newest Lowe’s in Pasco County is set to open its doors in March. But how traffic will be handled in and out of the new store on State Road 54 is still being worked out.
The project’s engineer, David Desilet of Lincks & Associates Inc., has requested another meeting with county officials, trying to work out some last-minute details of what will be a new intersection just east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.
For now, the Florida Department of Transportation has permitted a traffic signal in front of Lowe’s that would help customers visiting not only the new hardware and building supply store, but also the Village Lakes Shopping Center across the street. That would provide a right turn lane into Lowe’s for traffic heading east on State Road 54, county traffic operations manager Robert Reck said, while extending left turn lanes heading westbound that right now lead to U.S. 41.
Lowe’s is building a road on the east side of its store, located at 21500 State Road 54 in Lutz, that would connect with Village Lakes’ west side entrance, according to development plans filed with the county.
To do that, however, Village Lakes would have to remove 27 parking spots between the outparceled restaurants Pizza Villa and Benedetto’s, to create a new through path for customers trying to make their way across the shopping center’s parking lot. That would shift such traffic to the north side of Benedetto’s, giving shoppers a straight line to drive through, and removing a partial travel lane on the south side of the restaurant.
The shopping center would replace some of those lost parking spaces on the southern-most portion of the Village Lakes property along State Road 54 by removing an existing through road, and constructing 14 new spaces.
In return, Village Lakes will get a new entrance and exit that will allow customers to turn left or right in separate lanes, or travel straight across State Road 54 to Lowe’s. Customers also can choose to walk between the centers with the construction of crosswalks as part of the new intersection.
When the traffic light goes into operation, it could potentially add some commute time for drivers making their way down State Road 54. Right now, there are no traffic lights along the nearly two-mile stretch between U.S. 41 and Collier Parkway, allowing vehicles to flow through unimpeded.
It also would put two traffic lights within a half-mile of each other, the busy U.S. 41 intersection just blocks away. It’s not clear if the traffic lights for Lowe’s would be synched with the operation of the U.S. 41 signals to help keep traffic flowing through both intersections. A request to FDOT officials for details on the new traffic signal was not returned by presstime.
Lowe’s told The Laker/Lutz News last week it plans to open the 152,000-square-foot store during the last week in March. It’s being built on a 42-acre tract of land that is expected to bring 125 jobs to the area.
The new store will have a 103,000-square-foot sales floor, and a 31,300-square-foot garden center, according to site plans submitted to Pasco County officials, along with enough parking for nearly 525 cars.
The North Carolina-based Lowe’s company purchased the land between Winter Quarters Pasco RV Park and a Pasco County fire station there in 2005 for $2.7 million, and originally had hoped to open the store by 2009. However, Lowe’s abandoned those plans in 2011, with reports at the time the company would try to sell the land.
Instead, Lowe’s kept the property and broke ground on construction earlier this year.
The Land O’ Lakes location is the third Lowe’s in Pasco, joining a store at 7921 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills, and 8312 Little Road in Port Richey.
Published December 3, 2014
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