Setback variance appeal for Dollar Tree site

The owner of Heredo Realty Advisors, which owns four of the lots, described his long history developing the Gatlin Boulevard corridor and argued the site's curvature created a hardship, noting no neighborhood opposition and unanimous Site Plan Review Committee support.

The project's civil engineer presented the technical case, arguing the variance was minimal because the canal triggers the 25-foot setback, that comparable stores like Aldi and Goodwill sit closer to homes, and that the building corner encroaching was just 2.3 percent of the building.

A Dollar Tree representative explained the 10,000-square-foot footprint is the chain's smallest prototype and that the layout protects customer safety with two rows of front parking and two-way traffic.