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Seminole council approves citrus retailer’s proposal
By BOB McCLURE
| Article published on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/100207_smb-05.jpg) |
| Photo by BOB McCLURE |
| This sign in front of Citrus Country Groves at 5800 Seminole Blvd., will be removed or moved back 10 feet to conform with city setback requirements. |
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SEMINOLE – If all goes as expected, a citrus products retailer will soon be open for business on Seminole Boulevard.
City councilors voted unanimously Sept. 25 to give preliminary approval to a proposed development agreement that will allow Dade City-based Citrus Country Groves to operate at 5800 Seminole Blvd., the former site of Orange Blossom Groves.
A second public hearing and a final vote on the agreement is set for Oct. 9.
Under terms of the agreement, Allison Repetto will lease 2 acres of the 8-acre tract to Citrus Country Groves over a three-year term for retail sales of citrus products and citrus wines.
As part of the development agreement, the city is issuing a variance to the distance requirements of the city’s alcoholic beverage code, which will allow Citrus Country Groves to offer free wine tastings to the public.
City Manager Frank Edmunds said business owners and homeowners within 300 feet have been notified of the plans.
Under terms of the development agreement, Repetto is required to paint the exterior of the building, block the middle driveway cut to Seminole Boulevard, update landscaping on the property in accordance with previously approved plans with the city in 1983 and 1993, remove the pole sign on the east side of the property fronting Seminole Boulevard or relocate the sign 10 feet back from the street, reseal and restripe the parking lot, and obtain a fitness inspection for compliance with building and fire codes.
At the end of the initial three-year lease, the Repetto family can apply for an extension, if desired.
The property has been used as a citrus grove, packing facility and retail sales for 60 years.
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Article published on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007
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