Sumter County commissioners took the first steps Tuesday night in paving the way for The Villages to build a large industrial complex.
The application from The Villages Land Company seeks to build the complex on 430.8 acres south of Coleman. The proposed agreement would allow up to 1.75 million square feet of industrial use and 18,000 square feet of commercial/office space on the property. The maximum height on buildings in the complex would be 100 feet.
Tuesday night’s meeting served as the first public hearing on the request for a Chapter 163 development agreement between the county and The Villages Land Company on the project. A second and final public hearing will be held at the commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 28.
A Chapter 163 agreement basically establishes the legal boundaries for the project, makes sure permitted uses allowed are shown to be consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan and development regulations, includes a transportation analysis showing that no impacts are anticipated, provides requirements for review of the project and design criteria, establishes the county’s land development regulations and sets up a 30-year term for the agreement.
Commissioners also unanimously approved a request from The Villages Land Company to rezone the land for the proposed complex to Planned Industrial from its current designations of residential and industrial on the contingency that the development agreement is approved in two weeks. The rezoning is necessary for The Villages to move forward with the project, which is located on the east side of County Road 476B about 200 feet south of County Road 476, between Interstate 75 and the CSX railroad tracks. The location is south of Coleman on a piece of land formerly known as the Wade property.
The complex would support a mixture of industrial, commercial and office uses, according to a memo from Marty Dzuro of The Villages. A traffic impact analysis also is under review and the main entry into the complex would be from County Road 525E, which provides access to U.S. 301 and a proposed I-75 interchange at County Road 514. And all roads into and in the complex would be paved and meet county standards, Dzuro’s memo states.
South Sumter Utility Company has committed to serve the complex for sanitary and waste water services during and after completion of the development, a letter from Trey Arnett, an authorized agent of the utility, states.
Four property owners within 500 feet of the outside perimeter of the proposed industrial complex weighed in on the project after the county’s Development Services Department sent out notices.
One wrote back complaining that it will decrease the value of homes in the adjoining community and he’d rather see houses built on the property. Another said it would have a negative impact on the neighborhood. A third property owner was in favor of the industrial complex and a fourth asked to be kept informed of future changes regarding the project and how it will impact the community and environment.
At Tuesday’s commission meeting, Sumterville residents Gene and Sandra Higginbotham expressed concerns about several topics – the height of the buildings, possible noise issues, lighting at night, tree removal, how wetlands will be affected and possible weekend work taking place in the proposed center.
“We just don’t know what the intent is for all of it,” Sandra Higginbotham said.
Karl Holley, Sumter County’s director of development services, said that while there’s nothing in the documents submitted on the project that address work hours, the vast majority of work at the industrial center would take place inside buildings.
“I would not anticipate the hours of operation would have a significant impact on the adjacent or nearby properties,” Holley said.
He also said the county’s noise ordinance would apply to the complex, there are standards in place to protect wetlands and the maximum building height will be 100 feet.
“In conversations with the developer, there may be some manufacturing processes that potentially could require a greater ceiling height,” Holley said. “I do not believe it’s the intention of the developer to build skyscrapers on the site.”
As for possible tree removal, Holley said he will be working with The Villages developer to encourage tree preservation, partially through the way buildings and parking lots are positioned on the site. And he added that anyone who has worked with The Villages in the development process knows that tree preservation is a priority.
Commissioner Doug Gilpin agreed, adding that The Villages is known as a very successful and responsible organization.
“I’m very comfortable that every rule and regulation – state, federal and local – will be followed,” he said. “We’ve waited many, many years to have industrial/commercial development and this is our time.”
