Walmart wants to cut down 11 historic trees to make way for a new store.
The 60,718-square-foot Walmart building will be located on 20.43 acres at the northwest corner of the Hammock Oaks community, near the intersection of County Road 466 and Cherry Lake Road. The property was previously pasture land.
The question of the removal of the trees will be put to the Lady Lake Planning & Zoning Board when its members meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11 at Lady Lake Town Hall.
James Harvey of Kolter Land Partners LLC on Nov. 13 filed the request for the tree removal on behalf of the property owner, SK Hammock Oaks.
There are a total of 21 historic trees on the property where the new Walmart is to be built. Of the 11 Live Oak trees to be removed, two were determined to be in poor health. The developer of the Walmart would pay $68,100 into the town’s tree bank as a mitigation fee.
Tree removal is always a sensitive subject in Lady Lake, which takes great pride in its Tree City status.
The Walmart, which will include a gas station and liquor store, will be part of the Hammock Oaks development, which ultimately will be home to nearly 2,000 new Lady Lake residents. Work on the massive new development, which will include housing, an age-restricted community development district-governed gated section, town homes and retail, continues in earnest across from the Village of Spring Harbor and along Cherry Lake Road.
Do you think the trees should be saved? Share your thoughts at letters@villages-news.com
