Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A population boom is expected in Lake Wales in coming months and years as design work or construction is advancing for at least 40 projects within the city limits, in addition to others outside the city. A LakeWalesNews.net calculation shows a total of more than 15,660 new residential units have already met some level of approval by the city commission, with many having already received final plat approval for construction, even as other projects are nearing completion. If the...
Construction is moving at a rapid pace at a new subdivision being built north of Chalet Suzanne Road. Leoma's Landing will feature 336 single-family homes in a mix of one and two-story designs. Paved streets are already in place, along with underground utilities, but without sidewalks. The surge in construction has come after years of pause on the part of the developers, who began to advance the project only last year after gaining preliminary approval several years ago....
A pair of proposed apartment developments near Eagle Ridge Mall may add 824 new dwelling units to the city, but in each case developer proposals to reduce required parking created some heartburn for city commissioners. The first and most prominent of the pair is proposed for a site directly behind Shoppes on the Ridge, on the north side of Chalet Suzanne Road and across from Wawa. It would consist of six four-story buildings containing 272 units on a 12.1 acre site. Tentative...
Two new apartment complexes totaling 824 units may bring a burst of new economic activity to the city's booming north side. The Lake Wales City Commission will consider action on the two projects Tuesday after discussing the proposals at their agenda workshop. Hillpointe, the larger of the two projects, is proposed to include 552 units 137 acres lying north of Chalet Suzanne Road and the existing Serenity Luxury Apartments. The construction would take place on the...
The parade of development proposals that have stirred citizen concerns of runaway changes to Lake Wales continued to be evident at the most recent city commission meeting as details emerged for several more projects. A calculation by LakeWalesNews.Net staff has indicated that more than 12,000 new single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and mobile homes are included in developments already on the drawing table. At least three other projects have been proposed but remain to...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include clarifying comments from City Manager James Slaton. Lake Wales City Commissioners will consider the possible development of new apartments on a sprawling tract of land north of Chalet Suzanne Road Tuesday at Tuesday's meeting, beginning at 6:00 PM.. Hillpointe LLC, acting as the agent for owner Star Lake Inc. is requesting a zoning change on approximately 195.23 acres of land to allow HDR-High Density Residential...
A portrait of a city undergoing numerous changes was delivered to about 100 community and business leaders Friday at the annual "State of the City" report delivered by outgoing Mayor Gene Fultz in a darkened auditorium at the Vanguard School. It was the first opportunity for him to deliver the speech since 2019 due to the impacts of Covid-19. He will be leaving office this year after nine years as the city's first elected mayor. Citing an aggressive pursuit of improvements...
A plan to rezone and redevelop the existing Green Gables Inn site to create as many as 225 apartments on the 8.84 acres was reviewed at the City Commission workshop Wednesday. No objections were raised during discussion, and the proposal is expected to be approved at a formal meeting on Tuesday. The proposal changes the current zoning of Limited Commercial-Industrial to high-density residential, allowing up to 25 units per acre. "They're gonna have to go up," said Deputy Mayor...
The year just completed saw a number of big stories that impacted the Lake Wales community, and we've taken a look back at them through the perspective of the new year. Here's how our staff ranked the biggest stories of 2021. 1) A development surge saw multiple projects brought forward for consideration by the Lake Wales Development Services and the City Commission, including the long-dormant Winter Haven Corporation project which is expected to include more than 6,000 new...
A large tract of vacant land fronting upon Twin Lakes is now primed for development, thanks to a street redesign as part of the SR 60 bridge project. Lake Wales City Commissioners are expected to take final action this Tuesday to close the right-of-way of a portion of Gibson Avenue that has long divided two small parcels belonging to Hunt Brothers' citrus operations. The former course of the avenue slashed through the two parcels as a 45-degree angle. That street has already b...
Only months after a May 4 grand opening, the 335-unit Serenity Apartments near Eagle Ridge Mall have hit more than 96% occupancy, and expect to be filled "in a week or two" according to leasing staff on site. "People are coming from all over," said Leslie Adams, leasing consultant for the owners, NM Residential. "We have several new residents who work at the hospital in Sebring. We have people from New York, South Florida, the islands..." People are cominig to Lake Wales for...
Nvision Development and Winter Park Construction (WPC) recently completed the $55 million Serenity at Lake Wales, a 335-unit community just north of Eagle Ridge Mall. The project is the first new luxury Class A multifamily community to be built in the municipality since 2005. The development team at Nvision were early to relate the changing demographics in Polk County to the need for luxury multifamily options. Residents began moving in last fall, when WPC delivered initial...
