A group is organizing online to save Spanish Springs Town Square in The Villages.
The group explains its mission as follows:
“The Villages is creating vacant space on the second floor of Main Street by moving The Villages Media (offices for the Daily Sun, the 3 TV stations, and WVLG radio) to a location in Wildwood. The second floor Katie Belle’s is also vacant as The Villages will not open our prized restaurant. The Villages wants to put apartments in these vacant areas overlooking Spanish Springs Town Square.
The Town of Lady Lake Commission turned down their first request to make changes. Now, The Villages is suing the Town of Lady Lake in an attempt to get their way. The Villages is trying to take the lifestyle we have grown to accustom away from us!
Who is paying for these changes? You are! The Villages did not win the lottery! They are using money they received from you over the years from multiple sources.
Spanish Springs Town Square is within the Town of Lady Lake boundaries and The Villages must go through the Town of Lady Lake Commission to make some changes to your town square.”
A survey is being taken through the group’s website at https://savespanishsprings.com/
Last week, the Lady Lake Commission huddled in closed session to determine what steps should taken next in the legal action taken against the town by The Villages. Commissioners agreed to send a proposal to The Villages through their attorney. The details of that proposal have not been made public.
The Villages of Lake-Sumter Inc. and The Villages Operating Company filed the case against the town in the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Lake County as a result of a Feb. 17 meeting in which commissioners voted 3-2 to turn down the plan for up to 45 apartments to be located on the second floor of buildings at Spanish Springs. The Villages has indicated it would like to start with seven apartments at the former home of Katie Belle’s, the Villagers-only club famous for dining, drinking and dancing.
