OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the recommendation for Home Depot’s request for a special use permit with conditions regarding storage at their Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, meeting at the McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium.
The consideration was for a special use permit in B-2 zoning that would allow for outdoor storage. This is for a planned Home Depot that will be situated on 13.25 acres of an existing 22.62-acre parcel. The owner is On Top of the World Communities, LLC.
This parcel had come before the Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission within the last 18 months and had originally been the site of a proposed apartment complex, which was approved by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners on April 22, 2024, said Kenneth Odom, Marion County growth services planner.
Depot discussion
This was a special use permit application for a Home Depot project. The applicant, Home Depot USA, Inc., wasn’t present for the rezoning request, said Gene Losito, Kimley-Horn project manager, who was representing the applicant. The purpose of the request was to allow for the outdoor storage staging and sales and display. Under the current code, there are limitations on the store hours for when those activities occur. The applicant’s request was to allow those to be conducted at all times.
Since the inception of On Top of the World, the parcel in question has always been zoned B-2, for commercial business. What the board was considering at the Oct. 27 meeting was storage under the special use permit that had been requested by the applicant, said Odom. Normally, community business zoning doesn’t allow for unscreened outdoor storage or outdoor sales.
There were seven letters of opposition filed with the county regarding the special use permit. Staff had discussions with a number of those individuals, said Odom. The concerns from those in opposition to the permit request are not about the outdoor sales, but rather about borders, lighting and noise.
Currently, it’s within the Circle Square Woods Development of Regional Impact and always has been since the inception of the area, said Odom. The applicant is currently in the process of trying to have the PUD zoning designation rescinded in order to revert back to the community business zoning. If they don’t have a mechanism to legally rescind it, it is being reviewed by Marion County’s attorneys, they will actually have to apply to have this reverted back to commercial zoning.
There’s heavy residential to the north of the site because it’s on the On Top of the World DRI, that has been under construction since the 1980s. Everything else that’s on this particular corridor is a commercial designation, and on the west side, there are multiple businesses across 99th St. Rd.
Defining barriers
When the parcel was approved as the planned unit development for multi-family there was a specific buffer requirement that was assigned by the board of county commissioners. The outdoor storage areas will typically have storage in the front of these locations and sales areas, potentially in the front of these locations, for sheds and items of that nature, and then some storage in the back. The garden center is allowed in commercial business zoning.
Previously, the buffer was to have a two-foot berm, with a six-foot opaque fence on top of it. There’s currently a chain link fence on top of it along the northern border of the property. There’s also a mature tree line with a six-foot opaque fence. The application states that all of the gaps will be filled with new foliage but needs modification because a type-b buffer typically requires a wall.
Staff agrees with the applicant that a wall may not be the most suitable facility at this particular location, said Odom. When a wall is installed, a continuous stable base is necessary. There’s mature vegetation that’s on the back of the property in the form of large trees that are going to continue to grow as well as their root bases, which could potentially compromise the wall at that location. Buffers on the east and west side wouldn’t be required because of the existing commercial. The applicant has volunteered to put in a hedge row that will block headlights as well as two shade trees for every 25 feet of that border.
The site was zoned for business before the 2024 planned unit development rezoning. This has always been the commercial component designated for On Top of the World. On Top of the World has expanded in that time and has actually allocated other commercial areas. This was the commercial component for this DRI, said Odom.
There were concerns from residents that the roads aren’t wide enough to handle commercial traffic, compromising safety. There will be three ingress/egress locations to the property.
The conditions to the permit are regarding buffers, noise and lighting. There can’t be any amplified noise that extends to the end of the property. All lighting has to be pointed downward and inward. Staff had recommended approval with a series of five conditions at this particular location, most entailing the buffers and how they will be set up, a lighting condition is included and as to who owns the special use permit.