After the Marion County Board of County Commissioners approved a request from Home Depot and cleared the way for the retailer to build a new location next to the On Top of the World retirement community in Ocala, several readers shared opinions about the measure. Here are a few of those letters:
“My personal opinion about the Home Depot near the On Top of the World retirement community is that it is a very poor choice of location, as was the apartment complex. I feel very badly for the residents who will back up to this noisy home improvement store. I feel there could be a better location that would not impose on the residents who live there. Not to mention the extreme increase in traffic for all residents who live in this community. I understand that this is prime property, but something less intrusive to our community would be a far better choice. Please look at the residential side of it as opposed to the big business side of it. How would you like to live at the back door of a Home Depot?” – Brenda Huffman, Ocala/On Top of The World
“Mrs. Stone stated that commercial development further out on State Road 200 would help with traffic. I believe she was referring to helping traffic near I-75 and east toward Ocala. She is undoubtedly correct, however, she does not address the increase in traffic to the west from there, nor the noise and light burden on retirement communities. State Road 200 traffic is already very heavy most of the time all the way to County Road 484. I live in Oak Run and can hear traffic noise on SR 200 now. I acknowledge that growth in Marion County is going to happen and is not all bad. However, please consider the effects on the very people who have supported Marion County all these years through their taxes and by volunteering for critical things like the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.” – James Waddell, Ocala…