A site plan for a Lowe’s home improvement store in the Trailwinds development was approved Monday night by the Wildwood City Commission.
The action clears the way for the first Trailwinds store, expected to open by the end of next year. An Aldi store also is planned as well as a liquor store and gas station for the development north of County Road 466A and west of the Sandhill golf course.
The 105,259-square-foot Lowe’s store will feature a smaller, higher efficiency design than older stores like the one along U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in Lady Lake. It will cater to customers who buy online and come to the store for pick-up.
You can check out the site plan here: lowes-site-plan
Mayor Ed Wolf said he was pleased to see the Trailwinds development progressing.
“It’s something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” he said. “I’m so happy to see it come to fruition.”
When completed, Trailwinds will include 296 homes, 462 assisted living beds, 572,750 square feet of retail space and 151,500 square feet of office space. The developer, Barclay Group of Palm Harbor, paid for a $1.8-million sewer line to the site from Wildwood’s sewage treatment plan west of U.S. 301.
At Monday’s meeting, commissioners also voted to apply for a $4.5-million loan from USDA Rural Development to build a new police station west of U.S. 301 at County Road 462. Bonds will be sold finance the loan.
City Manager Bill Ed Cannon also reported that the purchase price of the site has been reduced by $50,000 to $525,000 because a possible sinkhole means part of the site cannot be used.
In other business, the commission:
· Heard that Waste Management will increase garbage collection rates by about 1.2 percent due to higher fuel costs. Monthly bills will rise 32 cents for Wildwood residents.
· Approved site plans for an environmental education trail, the Hammock Golf Maintenance Facility and the Hummingbird Postal Park in the Village of Fenney along County Road 468 several miles south of State Road 44. The commission also approved a plat for the 56-unit Honeysuckle Villas.
