PepperTree Apartments along U.S. 301 could nearly double in size after Wildwood commissioners Monday voted to send a land-use amendment to the state for review.
The 300-unit apartment complex would add 244 units on about 12 acres under the plan.
Apartments would be built west of U.S. 301 and north of PepperTree Lane next to the current complex on property previously designated for commercial development.
After state review, the commission will take up the amendment for final approval. Special Magistrate Grant Watson recommended approval of the amendment earlier this month at a meeting of the Wildwood Planning and Zoning Committee.
Built in 2011, PepperTree has been one of few area affordable apartment developments. It offers one to three bedroom apartments with amenities including a clubhouse, fitness center, basketball courts, business center and swimming pool.
A study earlier this year found that PepperTree, where some apartments rent for $900 to $1,200 a month, was the only market-rate apartment complex in Wildwood. The study found that 72 percent of people who work in Sumter County live outside the county due to a shortage of workforce housing.
More area affordable housing projects now are in the planning stages. They include Triumph South, located south of County Road 462 along County Road 127, and Wildwood Preserve, where 126 apartments are planned along Powell Road.
Subsidized apartments, where government grants lower the cost, are available at Wildwood Commons, which has a waiting list, and Club Wildwood.
PepperTree is a source of mostly minor police calls. In 2019, two cars were stolen and 23 burglarized at the apartment complex. Last week, a teen was arrested after pulling a fire alarm there.