A massive multi-story apartment complex will have a view of homes in The Villages – and many Villagers will be able to look back at the large new buildings.
Construction of the large apartment buildings is progressing swiftly at the location at County Road 466 and Cherry Lake Road, right at the Sumter County-Lake County line.
As the apartment buildings continue to take shape, their impact on the visual landscape is coming more clearly into focus. The new buildings can be seen from the Laurel Manor Trail, the multi-modal path that runs from the Lake Sumter Bridge to Laurel Manor Recreation Center. The water tower at Laurel Manor is clearly visible from the apartment complex site.
The looming structures are already making some homeowners uncomfortable in the Haciendas of Mission Hills.
The Villagers who live in the Haciendas of Mission Hills in 2018 pleaded with the Sumter County Commission, begging commissioners to reject the zoning change which would have allowed up to 468 “multi-family units” to be constructed at the site. One resident, in a written comment to the commissioners, said the development would be a “a severe detriment to the adjacent single family Hacienda of Mission Hills.”
The Villagers’ pleas fell on deaf ears. In fact, the Sumter commissioners praised the proposed development.
Meanwhile, the Lady Lake Commission will have a discussion Monday about the future of apartments in their community.
In 2016, Lady Lake approved a large development of single-family homes on pastureland across from Spring Arbor to be called Hammock Oaks. However, when a revised plan was brought back earlier this year before the Lady Lake Commission, commissioners’ eyebrows were raised when the single-family housing was partially replaced with “multi-family housing.”
A Villager who has long railed against speeding vehicles spilling over from County Road 466 onto Chula Vista Avenue, has spoken out against the traffic the new apartment complex will bring to the already busy thoroughfare.
Last week, the Lady Lake Planning & Zoning Board heard a plan for another massive apartment complex development at U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Lake Ella Road.
Lady Lake commissioners will tackle the topic of the future proliferation of apartment complexes in the town, which has long been proud of its Tree City U.S.A. designation. Commissioners will meet at 5 p.m. Monday, June 15 at Lady Lake Town Hall. That meeting will be followed by the commission’s regular session at 6 p.m.
How do you feel about the growth in the number of apartment buildings in the area? Share your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at this link: https://www.villages-news.com/submit-letters-editor/
