The first-ever apartments at Spanish Springs Town Square are officially ready for occupancy.
This past week, the Lady Lake Building Department issued certificates of occupancy for the Lofts at Van Patten House. There are seven apartment units and one office unit.
In 2022, the Lady Lake Commission voted 3-2 to reject The Villages’ plan for apartments at the Van Patten House. However, within days of that meeting, Commissioner Ed Freeman contacted the town’s attorney and admitted he had misgivings about his vote, due to the likelihood of a lawsuit by The Villages. Ultimately, Freeman changed his vote, providing a margin of victory for The Villages.
Last week, the commission on a 3-2 vote opted to change its site plan approval process declaring it was “inefficient.” That means that site plans which meet the town’s requirements, will no longer go before the commissioners for their review, which means there will be no public airing of the plans for the project. Officials acknowledged the change was proposed because public outcry to issues like the Spanish Springs apartments had made commissioners uncomfortable.
