Developer seeks to convert Winter Haven warehouses into apartments and commercial space

WINTER HAVEN — A Winter Haven property owner is seeking the city's approval to gradually convert three industrial warehouses into a mixed-use complex.

Haven Realty Cos. has proposed a rezoning of 22.57 acres from light industrial into a planned unit development to redevelop the site into a combination of multi-family housing and commercial uses. The property runs from Motor Pool Road south to Martin Luther King Boulevard, and from Chain of Lakes Trail east to 2nd and 3rd streets NW.

The site at 2200 Third Street NW is home to three industrial warehouses totaling 181,000 square feet. One of the businesses is Florida Caribbean Distillers.

Tim Campbell, an attorney representing Haven Realty Cos., said the project started as an initiative through the Winter Haven Community Redevelopment Agency identifying the site for redevelopment in its Florence Villa CRA plan.

"The idea was to start this transition over time on the north end by providing multifamily and workforce type housing," Campbell told the city's Planning Commission.

Under the proposed plans, city staff found that up to 903 residential apartments and 688,204 square feet of commercial use would be allowed. The apartments would be ideally workforce housing, Campbell said, not Class A luxury apartments but also not built to be classified as "affordable" apartments.

There was doubt as to whether 903 apartments could fit on the site.

"If every bit of density was used on this site, it’s not really possible," Campbell said.

The overall number of multifamily apartments permitted on the site would be impacted by requirements for open space, minimum number of parking spaces and stormwater management, he said.

The three warehouses on the property are occupied by businesses that lease the space, Campbell said, and these non-conforming uses would be allowed to continue for now.

Haven Realty's goal is to redevelop the property in stages, Campbell said, with the first phase of multi-family housing being built on the north end by Motor Pool Road. He indicated the developer would like to like to get started as soon as possible as long as multi-family housing is still warranted based on market conditions.

City staff is seeking to place some limitations on the length of time the property can be used for industrial purposes. It was originally proposed that if one of these warehouses went vacant for more than 18 months or the building was damaged beyond 50% of its fair market value, then it would have to be converted to the mixed-use apartments and commercial.

Campbell said the property owner has leases with some of the existing businesses that requires them to rebuild after a storm's damage. He argued it's to the city and property owner's benefit to keep the warehouses occupied if that is what the market demands, rather than having the structures sit empty.

The city's Planning Commission chose to modify the restrictions so if one of the industrial structures is vacant for more than 36 months it must be converted to the mixed-use apartments and commercial. If a building sustains more than 50% damage from a storm or other event, it must be converted to the new plan unless the property owner can show there's a lease predating the lease or its been renewed.

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Two residents spoke briefly at the Planning Commission's hearing with concerns about traffic from the proposed development and what it will look like.

Preliminary traffic data provided by the Polk Transportation Planning Organization show Martin Luther King Boulevard would not have sufficient capacity for all vehicles if the site were built to maximum capacity. However, city staff said the plans to create three entry points into the development should help distribute traffic, and the adjacent Chain of Lakes Trail will provide a safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists.

A traffic study would have to be conducted prior to development to identify any potential traffic mitigation measures.

The PUD request will have to go before Winter Haven City Commission at a future meeting for its approval. Once it's approved, the developer's detailed site plans would be reviewed by city staff for technical approvals but not necessarily require a public hearing.

This concerned residents who worried about possible access into side streets and traffic volume on those streets frequently walked by children. Those interested would be able to request the detailed site plans from the city under a public records request, once they're submitted.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Developer aims to turn Winter Haven warehouses into mixed-use complex