Wildwood’s pace of rapid growth is escalating with a record 1,325 building projects processed by the city’s development services department during the second quarter.
Those projects included 1,043 home permits with 919 in the Villages of Southern Oaks, 20 in Triumph South, 19 in the Village of Fenney and 14 in Oxford Oaks, according to the department’s quarterly report.
Site plan reviews averaged 442 per month. Commercial permits included a 7-Eleven convenience store, three medical offices and 17 signs for new projects.
During the first half of 2021, the department handled nearly 2,500 permits after processing 4,207 in 2020.
Growth is expected to boost total property values in Wildwood to $3 billion next year.
Commissioners tentatively agreed Monday night to set the fiscal 2021-22 tax rate at about $3.25, a 4.4 percent decrease from the current rate of $3.40. Final budget adoption will be in late September after two public hearings.
Despite that tax rate decrease, the city is expected to collect 24 percent more in property taxes next year due to new development. Property tax collections are estimated at $9.3 million, up from $7.1 million during the current year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant more people working at home, which has increased the number of noise complaints received by the development services department, according to the quarterly report. Complaints included children playing, loud music and construction noise.
Noise that interrupts activity and exceeds prescribed decibel levels is considered to violate city ordinances. Acceptable noise between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. includes construction, lawn maintenance, railroad locomotives, religious worship activities and public fireworks displays.
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