Wildwood is expected to close this week on the sale of the former helipad property along Powell Road to Citizen’s Bank for $3 million.
Commissioners voted in January to accept the bank’s offer and did not consider a counter-offer of $173,280 from Richard Michael Weese, who lives near the 18-acre triangular-shaped site and wanted to preserve it as a park.
A few years ago, the property was the site of an emergency services helipad, which was moved after The Villages built homes next to it.
Residents of the nearby Village of Collier attended the January meeting and spoke in favor of preserving the land. They said the bank development could reduce their property values, but Mayor Ed Wolf said it would enhance values in the area.
The bank plans to build a 45,000-square-foot administrative and operations center on the site, which would bring 150 jobs to Wildwood.
Mayor Ed Wolf said Monday night that two additional buildings may be constructed on the property, which would mean even more jobs.
The property, originally park land, has been a problem for Wildwood since it was separated from Millennium Park more that a decade ago by the reconfiguration of Powell Road.
City officials had a buyer for the land two years ago, but the sale fell through. The deal with Citizen’s Bank came after negotiations between bank officials and Sumter County Administrator Bradley Arnold.
Under an agreement with the city, the bank has 270 days to begin construction and the project must be completed within 2.5 years.
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