In a highly anticipated move, Leesburg commissioners gave their blessings Tuesday night to six ordinances that pave the way for growth on the 1,127-acre parcel of land The Villages recently purchased from the city.
The parcel, known as the Villages of West Lake, is located north of County Road 470 near the Florida Turnpike and eventually will contain up to 2,800 homes. It sits next to the Villages of Southern Oaks in Wildwood, where The Villages Land Company has been cleared to build up to 26,950 homes on 13,637 acres.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, commissioners were still excited about the $7.54 million purchase, which was finalized last week. Leesburg originally had obtained the land from the federal government for wastewater disposal, so the city had to pay back about $3.3 million to the Environmental Protection Agency. But that means Leesburg nets $4.1 million on the deal that City Manager Al Minner said called a “game changer” and an “economic engine” for Leesburg for years to come.
“It is the biggest economic development project completed and will provide the community with over $500 million in new investment,” Minner said.
On Tuesday night, commissioners did their part to help that growth begin by approving the second and final readings of six ordinances dealing with the Villages of West Lake.
Two of the ordinances center on an 11-acre parcel of land within the Villages of West Lake. One is a comprehensive plan amendment changing the future land use on the small parcel to age restricted development from industrial and technology commerce park. And the other rezones those acres to age restricted development from city planned unit development.
One ordinance brings the possibility of controversy down the roads because it clears the way for cell phone towers to be constructed in the Villages of West Lake. The ordinance, which also contains a revised legal description of the new Villages land, amends the West Lake Chapter 163 agreement that was approved in February to also allow antennas and other communication towers. It deems the parcel as “suitable for cell tower uses because the location, design and construction of cell towers would be compatible with surrounding uses and would require similar buffering requirements from neighboring uses.”
At least one similar tower has caused consternation with Villagers in recent months. In August, a three-story monopole off Bonita Boulevard raised the ire of several residents who expressed fears of falling home prices.
Another ordinance that was approved contains provisions to amend existing Age Restricted Development requirements in the city to:
- Establish a 1,000-acre minimum threshold;
- Clarify the process for amending an existing Age Restricted Development project;
- Add a list of existing Age Restricted Development projects approved by the city, which currently only includes the Villages of West Lake; and
- Allow communications towers and antennas as permitted within the Villages of West Lake area.
The final two ordinances approved centered around roughly 400 acres south of County Road 470 that The Villages initially wanted to purchase but couldn’t because it has to remain as a spray field owned by the city.
The first one changes the comprehensive plan amendment on the spray field/general municipal use property to institutional and conservation from age restricted development – a designation no longer needed since the land won’t contain homes. And the second one contains the accompanying rezoning request to designate the land to city public from age restricted and planned unit development.
