Residents fear a new grocery store will add to already-heavy traffic at the site of a fatal crash this week in The Villages.
A 27-year-old Wildwood man suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash which occurred at 9:53 p.m. Monday at County Road 466 and Buena Vista Boulevard. The crash involved three vehicles and inflicted serious injuries on three other people.
Ken Weber, who lives in the nearby Village of Tall Trees, fears that the soon-to-be-completed Sprouts Farmers Market will bring even more traffic to the notorious intersection.
Weber said the accident this week was “horrible.”
He said he wonders why The Villages would encourage such heavy development at the intersection.
“Living in the Village of Tall Trees, we’ve experienced the growth for the past 17 years. We were never given the opportunity to vote ‘no’ against this massive addition of traffic to The Villages. I guess money trumps safety,” he said.
Weber appears to be speaking for many of his fellow residents who have warily watched the rapid construction of the new grocery store and additional retail going up at the intersection.
A few years ago, the addition of the multi-story Elan Buena Vista senior living center (now Watercrest) necessitated an overhaul of The Villages Public Safety Department fire station on Parr Drive. The fire station had to be reconfigured to accommodate a special 95-foot tower truck required for the tall building, which overshadows Villagers who bought their homes years earlier.
Meanwhile, Villager Richard Ingram offers a bit of defensive driving advice to motorists who find themselves at the busiest intersections in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
The Florida Highway Patrol accident report from Monday night’s crash indicated the fatal accident was caused by an 18-year-old driver who ran a red light.
Ingram encourages motorists to pay attention to the white stop bars painted at the intersections.
“The safest procedure is stay behind the white stop bar until you have a green light. The green light then authorizes you to proceed only when the intersection is clear,” he said.