Wildwood City commissioners unanimously gave the nod of approval Monday morning to an addition to the Village of Southern Oaks that nearly doubles the number of homes and increases the land area of the development by a third.
Commissioners also voted to transmit to the state level the large-scale comprehensive plan amendment that changes the designation of the Southern Oaks property to age restricted development from agriculture and low-density residential.
Once it’s been approved at the state level – the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Transportation also will look at the plan in the next 30 days – Wildwood commissioners will hold another hearing for a final vote on the ordinance, said Melanie Peavy, development services director for the city.
Under the amendment, The Villages can build up to 49,339 new homes – up from 26,500 – on the 13,637 acres that comprise Southern Oaks. Non-residential uses rise to 11.2 million square feet, up from 8.5 million square feet. And government/office use increases to 1.4 million square feet, up from 750,000 square feet.
Higher density, including condominiums and apartments, also is allowed in the Village of Southern Oaks under changes made recently by Wildwood commissioners. And in addition to residential uses, the amendment allows for office, commercial/retail, hotel, medical, light industrial, institutional, recreation, urban agriculture and community farming, recreational vehicle development and other similar uses, as well as supporting infrastructure such as roads, water, sewer, etc.
The addition to the Village of Southern Oaks is in two sections. One parcel is at the southeast corner of U.S. 301 and the Florida Turnpike, extending east along the turnpike and south about a mile along U.S. 301, nearly to Northeast 41st Lane. The other is closer to the Village of Fenney, between the Florida Turnpike and County Road 501 and extending south to both sides of County Road 470. The second parcel is south and east of the current Villages of Southern Oaks development.
The property includes 873 acres of wetlands and 6.5 acres of surface water. It also is a likely home for protected wildlife such as the gopher tortoise, burrowing owl, southeastern American kestrel, Florida sandhill crane and Sherman’s fox squirrel.
Villages developers have pledged to work with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect the wetlands and wildlife or mitigate the impact.
The Southern Oaks amendment is consistent with the goals, objectives and policies of the city’s comprehensive plan, according to a report prepared by Peavy. She added that the addition doesn’t meet the criteria of urban sprawl or “exemplify an energy-inefficient land use pattern.”
Peavy’s report also said the addition shouldn’t have a harmful effect on environmentally sensitive systems and shouldn’t adversely affect transportation, potable water, sewer, schools or other public facilities.
Mayor Ed Wolf said the growth of Southern Oaks and the entire Villages development in Wildwood is really helping to solidify the financial future of the city.
“Anything they do is a real enhancement to us in terms of things they provide, like employment, shopping opportunities and medical improvements,” he said. “And it gives us an opportunity to make a lot of positive improvements that we couldn’t have done before. We are in an enviable position right now as far as small cities in Central Florida go.”
The plan to significantly expand the Village of Southern Oaks first gained approval July 3 during a meeting of the Wildwood Planning and Zoning Board. After hearing the particulars about the project, Special Magistrate Grant Watson recommended that the city commission approve the addition.
