Homes Rising on Expansive Hunt Club North Project

Construction of the first homes on the expansive Hunt Club North development is under way. Teams of masons are laying concrete blocks to raise the walls of the first homes along newly-constructed McKinley Drive in the subdivision on the near south side of Lake Wales.

Robert Connors

Teams of masons are raising the first homes on the huge Hunt Club Development on the southeast side of Lake Wales. The first phase of the project will eventually include 600 dwelling units.

Hunt Club North will include a mixture of 600 townhomes and single family homes east of 11th Street and south of East Lake Plaza. The townhomes are planned for the northern part of the site closest to SR 60, wrapping around the Winn-Dixie grocery store.

Hunt Club South will continue the development south to the Florida Midland Railroad line and include an additional 351 single-family homes and 191 more townhomes.

Crewe have spent several months installing underground utilities and new streets for the project, complete with signage.

As part of the subdivision project, Grove Avenue has been extended farther east to connect with Hunt Brothers Road North. Several other new streets are also included in the construction plans, including an extension of the north-south Hamlin Street, to provide an entrance to the new neighborhood.

The extension of Hamlin Street was constructed under an agreement that will see up to $1,597,793.45 credited against the "Multi-Modal Transportation Impact Fees" assessed by the city.

Robert Connors

This view of the construction project is looking north along McKinley Drive toward SR 60. The new street lies parallel to the extension of Hamlin Street. Whispering Ridge is visible in the background at left.

Under an agreement approved recently by the Lake Wales City Commission, the street will include underground storm drains, curbs, sidewalks, and street lighting. The city's development codes also call for the planting of street trees in addition to those required on individual homesites.

Hunt Club will also be required to improve Post Salter Road, a county road, to the same urban standards. County standards would otherwise allow for the creation of open swales and would not require the other improvements specified by the city. Because it is a county road, that project will be constructed solely at the expense of the developer.

City ordinances require new developments to pay significant impact fees to avoid passing costs back to existing taxpayers. The city's newest fee is a "mobility fee," which allows for much greater flexibility in its use than traditional transportation impact fees.

Based on current figures, the project should generate a total of $2,172,628.62 in impact fees, according to city staff. After subtracting the credit for the Hamlin Street project, the City of Lake Wales will receive $574,635.17 in fees from the project.