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The Villages
Friday, March 29, 2024

Local pastor raises concerns about proposed housing development in Oxford

Comprehensive plan amendments and rezoning for two large developments west of U.S. 301 in Wildwood were recommended for approval Tuesday at a meeting of the Wildwood Planning and Zoning Board.

Special Magistrate Lindsay C.T. Holt recommended a rental home project near Oxford and the massive Twisted Oaks Pointe mixed-use development south of County Road 462 near the city police headquarters. Final action by the city commission could come by the end of the month.

The Oxford project, adjacent to Oxford Oaks and about a half mile south of County Road 466, would include 154 single-family attached and detached rental homes designed to provide work force housing.

The 18-acre development would add 54 students to the Sumter County School District.

Terwilliger Brothers Residential, the developer, is a Florida apartment development company that also is building Travesta in Palmetto.

The Rev. James Rockey, pastor of Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, raised concerns about the project at Tuesday’s meeting.

Rockey questioned whether live oak trees would be preserved and landscaping used to border the property. He also said the development could contribute to traffic on U.S. 301, where half-mile backups are common in the afternoon.

“Let’s keep it a safe place that is a loving and healthy community for all,” he said.

Holt also recommended approval of a plan amendment and rezoning for Twisted Oaks Pointe, a mixed-use project on 387 acres south of CR 462 near the Wildwood police station.

Rezoning the property to neighborhood mixed use from planned unit development will allow residential and commercial uses.

The project is expected to include 900 single-family homes, 675 apartments, 22,000 square feet of commercial space and 40,000 square feet of office space and medical facilities.

Casey Welker, who lives next to the site, criticized a proposal to allow access from County Road 209.

“I don’t think that benefits the neighborhood,” she said. “We don’t have adequate policing and we don’t have adequate traffic control.”

 

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