Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
The prospect of a transformative high-end development along SR 60 west of Lake Wales advanced with a unanimous vote in favor of the annexation of about 558 acres that will be the site of the proposed Lake Wales Commons at the most recent city commission meeting.
An artist's conception of the boulevard entrance to Lake Wales Commons looking north from SR 60 portrays commercial areas at the entrance with multi-story condominiums and apartments . Single family homesites will occupy areas to the north.
Lake Wales Commons could host as many as 3,200 new dwelling units, along with more than a million square feet of light industrial and warehouse space on about 558 acres fronting along SR 60 West, Old Bartow Road, and West Lake Wales Road North. The project is a result of the inexorable pressure of development on lands between Lake Wales and neighboring Winter Haven.
The Lake Wales commission also took action to modify the city's Comprehensive Growth Management Plan and the zoning map to accommodate the project.
Responding to comments from citizens opposed to the project who cited the lack of affordable housing in the city, Commissioner Keith Thompson said that the solution to the problem was "more economic activity, lot less."
"I understand the pressure" that residents are feeling, Thompson said, welcoming the suggestion that the area needs a "regional hospital" to serve the area. Lake Wales is "poised for that to happen," he said.
Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, who chaired the meeting in the absence of the mayor, also endorsed the project, pointing out that Lake Wales has slumbered near the bottom of per-capita income among Polk cities. "That, my friends, is a problem," he said.
Gibson said that employers are attracted to high-end housing and that having more up-scale housing was critical to changing the perception of the city.
Gibson said that the land should be within city limits to better control the development plans and benefit from the tax revenue it would generate. "They still need to sell this" to the builders, Gibson said.
Because of the annual cap on property-tax increases known as "Save Our Homes," existing owner-occupied housing contributes significantly less than newly-constructed homes, which are appraised at current market rates.
The Lake Wales Commons project is the second in the city that will fall under the category of "master-planned" and will feature a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The previously-approved Peace Crossing development on property long owned by the Winter Haven Corporation stretches across 1,943 acres on the city's northwest side and is projected to accommodate 6,100 residential dwelling units (DUs).
The site plan for Lake Wales Commons shows an area of proposed light-industrial warehouses to the northwest that would serve as an employment center. As a Master Planned Development (MDP) it is required to include at least three different types of land uses.
The Lake Wales Commons site lies west of a long-depressed stretch of highway lying outside the city limits. Development of the site could also dramatically affect that area.
The new development will add to the list of more than 40 projects on the drawing boards or already being developed within the city limits as the area experiences an unprecedented wave of growth.
A total of about 20,000 DUs have been approved for construction within the city limits during the past three years. Several other projects are being developed in the surrounding area after receiving approval from the county commission.
The rapid residential growth has also sparked a wave of new commercial development, bringing several new restaurants and at least one big-box retailer to the city during the past two years. Meanwhile, the huge Lake Wales Connected plan is transforming the city's downtown area and sparking increased investment in that area, including historic restoration projects and new business openings.
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