The first Village of Fenney homes could be available as early as next January or February.
The Wildwood City Commission Monday night approved plats for three Fenney neighborhoods and site plans for two recreation centers. The latest addition to The Villages is about four miles down County Road 468 from State Road 44, the current Villages southern boundary.
Earth-moving equipment has been working on the site for the past few weeks and Wildwood City Manager Bill Ed Cannon said the developer is pursuing an aggressive construction pace, possibly building about 1,000 homes a year.
Fenney eventually will have 3,000 homes and 160,000 square feet of retail space on 1,047 acres. The land is owned by the Wildwood Springs company, which will develop the infrastructure, while The Villages will build and market the homes.
The commission approved plats for a 129-home subdivision designated as Wildwood Springs Unit 1, a 49-unit subdivision known as Bougainvillea Villas and a 66-unit subdivision known as Sand Pine Villas.
Commissioners also approved site plans for the 1,320-square-foot Spanish Moss Recreation and Postal Center, the 14,775-square-foot Fenney Village Recreation and Postal Center and Fenney Way, the main roadway into the development.
Also approved was a 30-year franchise agreement that allows the Fenney Water Conservation Authority to provide reclaimed water for irrigation in the village.
Assistant City Manager Jason McHugh said the water authority will pay a 5 percent franchise fee to Wildwood that will be passed through to users. He said it would not be economically feasible for Wildwood to provide the reclaimed water.
Cannon cited Fenney’s aggressive building timetable to justify adding two police officers, but Mayor Ed Wolf wasn’t convinced. He said the officers could be hired in the fall as part of next year’s budget process.
“I’m not saying we’re not going to have to add more officers as we’ll grow,” he said.
Commissioner Robby Strickland said he’s never seen the city add officers in the middle of a budget year.
But commissioners ultimately approved the officers along with other budget amendments on a 3-2 vote.
The Wildwood Springs development first was proposed in 2008, but was delayed by the recession. Last fall, the concept was changed to an age-restricted community. The partnership with The Villages was announced in March, immediately after the project was approved by the city commission.
