The Wildwood City Commission on Monday night formally approved the massive Villages of Southern Oaks, the latest Villages residential development project.
Expected to include 11,000 homes on 4,518 acres on both sides of the Florida Turnpike, the project also will feature 328,000 square feet of commercial, recreational and other non-residential uses. It also may include a $36-million extension of Buena Vista Boulevard between State Road 44 and County Road 468.
Melanie Peavy, the city’s development services director, said the ordinances approving the project will be reviewed by the state and take effect 30 days after state officials deem it complete.
The property is on both sides of CR 468 and will be connected to the Village of Fenney, about four miles south of SR 44. The first two phases will be adjacent to Fenney extending past County Road 505 to the turnpike.
Five ordinances related to the development were approved by the commission.
Commissioners approved an ordinance amending Wildwood’s land-use plan to include the Villages of Southern Oaks.
They also passed a text amendment that clarifies city requirements regarding wildlife habitat, wetlands and endangered species. The amendment also sets standards for the development. The text amendment also requires state review.
A zoning amendment rezones the entire property to a relatively new classification of age-restricted development, which means most homeowners will be age 55 or older as in The Villages.
Utility franchise agreements were approved, granting franchises to South Sumter Utility Co., Southeast Wildwood Water Conservation Authority, South Sumter Electric Co. and South Sumter Gas Co. to provide services in The Villages areas zoned for age-restricted development.
The commission also rescinded a 2012 development order and agreement for the Villages of Southern Oaks, a smaller area which then was proposed by a different developer.
The ordinances were approved with debate, although an area resident expressed concern about the future of his property.
Last week, the Wildwood Planning and Zoning Committee reviewed master plans for the first two phases of the Villages of Southern Oaks, which included designations of roundabouts and golf-cart tunnels on county roads 468 and 501.
Another ordinance approved Monday night allows the redesign of County Road 505, which runs through the Village of Fenney.
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