The community of Osprey, Florida has put out an SOS against Wal-Mart. The SOS in this case stands for the “Save Osprey Society”, and here’s a report from the residents who formed the new group: “We are a broad based coalition of citizens who are concerned about the proposal to build a Wal-Mart super store in the “Osprey Village Center” area of historic Osprey, Florida. We have reason to believe that the negative impacts of such development on Osprey and the surrounding area would far out-weigh any perceived good effects. Other communities similar to Osprey have experienced dramatic shut downs of local businesses and mall spaces; decreasing property values; increased traffic, crime, pollution, water problems and loss of community identity. Many of us were unaware of the many problems created when a big box enters a community. Our task is to bring information to the historic Osprey community and let the community make the decision. If opinions expressed at the Sarasota Growth Management meetings are any indication of the sentiments of Osprey, a ‘super’ box is not what Osprey wanted when it said “NO BIG BOXES”. The almost unanimous decision by the Osprey Revitalization Committee to endorse a proposal for a super big box means we must act on our own and act now if historic Osprey is to survive. We encourage you to do your own investigation and join the battle to preserve and vitalize the whole of historic Osprey. Historic Osprey holds a great diversity of people yet remains Osprey. Let’s not let it slip away to inappropriate development that strips Osprey of its human scale and historic qualities. ”
If you are interested in positive future growth and would like to know more about why local residens oppose big and super box development for the “Osprey Village Center” and for the whole of the historic Osprey area, please call James Gromko 941-966-4727 or Tad Kosanovich 941-966-2763.
