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Publix seeks more variances for flood-prone site

Publix is seeking additional variances in order to win a no-rise permit from FEMA.

Struggling to win a federal permit for building on flood-prone property on Greenville Highway, the developer of a new Publix store is seeking two more construction variances from the city of Hendersonville.

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The Planning Board recommended the variances last month. The changes go to the City Council on Thursday night. Since the council granted approval for the project last January, Publix has bought the property and its contractor has cleared the land for the new store.

Engineers for the contractor are seeking further changes to two previously granted variances. They want to drop a vegetation requirement on the east side of Mud Creek, erect a higher retaining wall and install riprap along the bank. Halvorsen Development Corp., a Florida contractor that has built numerous stores for Publix, must get a no-rise permit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency before it can start work on the 49,000-square-foot supermarket on the site of the old Atha Plaza.
“They have to show that their development conditions do not create increased flooding,” said city planner David Hazzard.
Adjoining property owners have warned that even these new changes would be too little to prevent flooding in the area. Engineers for Halvorsen Development Corp. say their models show that the plan won’t cause more flooding. Other property owners wanted Publix to work with the city, which owns vacant property nearby, to dig retention ponds large enough to store floodwaters.
“The city has looked at that extensively,” Hazzard said. “It does not help them in their effort to get a no-rise.”
Besides the FEMA blessing, Publix also must clear regulatory hurdles for stormwater management, erosion control and traffic. The city’s traffic consultant has recommended that the developer add a right-turn entry lane on White Street, a northbound left-turn lane with a minimum of 100 feet of storage and a southbound right-turn lane with a minimum of 50 feet of stacking. Publix's building plans do not show any additional stoplights and the NCDOT has said that the traffic volume won't create the need for one.