A massive new development on County Road 466 could include a 378-acre community development district.
A developer is scheduled to close in December on the Meucci property, which is currently tranquil pastureland where cows graze and hay is grown and sold. The property is located across from Spring Arbor Village in Lady Lake. A development called Hammock Oaks has been in discussion for many years for the sizable piece of land. Last week, the Lady Lake Planning & Zoning Board heard an updated plan for the land, surrounded by three heavily traveled roads – Cherry Lake Road, Lake Ella Road and Rolling Acres Road.
Representatives of the developer of the project appeared Monday night before the Lady Lake Commission seeking its blessing for a CDD, which is the form of government used in The Villages.
The size of the CDD would be 378 acres, which would be considerably smaller than CDDs in The Villages. Community Development District 11, which governs the Fruitland Park section of The Villages and includes the villages of Pine Ridge and Pine Hills, is 692 acres and includes 2,055 home sites. CDD 11 is one of the smaller CDDs in The Villages.
The CDD at Hammock Oaks would be a gated community with private roads.
Members of the Lady Lake Commission – three of whom reside in The Villages – said they wanted to make sure residents of the CDD will know what they are buying into when they purchase.
Mayor James Rietz, who is from Illinois where there is no CDD form of government, said people who buy homes in The Villages are saddled with a large bond when they buy their homes.
“The house are being sold at a ‘reduced price.’ But by the way, you have this big bond to pay,” Rietz said.
Commissioner Ruth Kussard, who lives in the Village of La Reynalda, said homes in CDDs come with extra costs – maintenance assessments, special assessments and amenity fees.
“This is all told to the prospective buyer upfront?” Kussard asked. “As long as this is upfront, I don’t have a problem with it.”
She noted that the development will be located in Ward 1.
“It’s in my ward. I want those residents to be extremely happy. And I don’t want to hear any complaints,” she said.