Polk approves land code change allowing 425 new homes south of Grenelefe resort

A developer's request could bring 425 homes on land south of the former Grenelefe Golf and Tennis Resort after it gained approval by the Polk County Commission on Tuesday despite an audience of more than a hundred residents – some for it, but most against it.

The decision means the proposed text changes to Polk County’s comprehensive plan will be sent to the Florida Commerce Department at the request of Smokey Groves LLC.

Commissioner Martha Santiago, who represents fast-growing northeastern Polk County, was the lone no-vote in the 4-1 decision in favor of the text amendment. Earlier in the process, the text change barely passed the Planning Commission by a 4-3 vote on June 5.

Grenelefe straddles Kokomo Road between Haines City, Lake Hamilton, Dundee and Poinciana, south of County Road 544 and west of Lake Marion Road.

Developer Scott House had requested the change through Lakeland-based land-use attorney Bart Allen. If approved, Smokey Groves would bring plans for single-family homes on the driest uplands – about 140 acres – within 267 acres of undeveloped land south of the much larger Grenelefe resort area.

The text change would only impact the smaller portion to the south of Grenelefe, not all of it.

The change effectively would allow homes on quarter acre lots, changing the current density requirements.

Pushing back on comments the utilities were not adequate for Smokey Groves, Allen assured the commissioners that the water and wastewater utilities were available for the 425 homes that House wants to develop, and the development would meet concurrency requirements.

“We are just asking for what rights and what codes and provisions and regulations that have been in effect, invested and established on this piece of property for several decades,” Allen said.

A development of regional impact was approved for what today is Grenelefe in 1973 for 1,935 units. But that volume of density is no longer valid. In 2008, a comprehensive plan amendment allowed the landowner to build 1,753 more units, or 3,000-plus homes in the area.

The now-proposed 425 homes would be subtracted from the 1,753 additional units approved for the land in 2008.

Commissioner George Lindsey said land development code and comprehensive plan changes typically and ideally are decided together. But in this case, the companion portion of the changes were not done.

“So what you are asking for is the second step of the two steps necessary in compliance with what the 2009 action authorized,” Lindsey said.

Can roads, schools and utilities handle the new homes?

Some residents opposed to the proposal said water wells, a wastewater plant and roads were not adequate for the proposal nor are they working properly now. Further, schools nearby are already overcrowded and there are endangered species on the land anticipated for development

Supporters of the project said they have been living at least two years with a dilapidated former golf and tennis resort and very few amenities that were once glorious.

Residents from the gated community of Grenelefe County Homes, built in the 1980s and offering homeowners much larger lots than the current proposal, opposed the plans. Many of their backyards abut a portion of a golf course to the west of where a new residential neighborhood could eventually come.

Marilyn Crubaugh of Canterbury Drive held up emails she sent to Grenelefe County Homes residents as the secretary of its homeowners association concerning the water utility. Those emails told residents to boil water and expect low water pressure. Or they warned them of high chlorine smelling water and to run water from household pipes to flush existing water from the home to reduce the odor, among other alerts.

In all, she had about two dozen of the email notices sent in 2023 starting on June 11 and ending on Oct. 24, including some she shared with a reporter after the meeting. As of January, she resigned as the HOA secretary citing health concerns.

“So no, the water quality at Grenelefe is not good," Crubaugh told the commissioners. "I warn people in my community not to drink the water. I would think twice before approving this."

Before the vote on the policy change, Jarice Barbee, a Tampa-based land development consultant who had been invited by residents to speak, said the proposed changes were "ambiguous" and "unclear" about what portions of the original plans for Grenelefe would be covered by the policy amendments. He called for additional text and maps to clarify future development.

"So the question here today is whether or not any new development or redevelopment should be planned in the same manner as overall intended and to be managed as overall intended as a master project with master infrastructure and things of that nature,” he said.

Barbee said the policy is unclear on the number of units possible on all of the parcels of land being discussed at the meeting, which were shown by county staff on a projector in black outline. There was an original amount of units when the DRI was first formed and the number of units could or could not go higher.

After the meeting Barbee said the policy change would expedite House's plans by three to six months.

Resident Jeremy Knowles said, “It's my understanding today's applicant-initiated text amendment would eliminate any and all decision-making by the board at a Level 4 review.”

Such reviews require public hearings versus county staff approvals with lower level reviews.

“If voted in favor of today, it would also silence us, the citizens of Polk County, the local residents of the Grenelefe area,” Knowles said. “This is a scary thought to me that a 425 single-family home development could skip past the proper permitting system with a mere text amendment in 2008 and now with just another text amendment 16 years later.”

He said under those circumstances, the hearing on Tuesday was the “last chance to bring realistic issues to the board such as the dilapidated wastewater treatment facility.”

A chance to revitalize the area?

But many Grenelefe residents dressed in green T-shirts spoke in support of House's plans and his promises to bring back amenities and improve streets and fix streetlights now in disrepair.

Robert Grable said he lives in a condominium in the middle of the Grenelefe resort area next to the dilapidated conference center and on his morning commute, he can barely see other residents walking their dogs because of the dimly lit neighborhood.

“We want a vote yes," he told the commissioners. "It provides long-term benefits to our community. It's gonna be a safer environment and with new amenities.”

“Bringing Grenlefe back is the vision; they used careful consideration. The plans were made to make the vision become a reality," Grable said.

'We have no issues with the water'

House also had the current leadership of his water and wastewater utilities at the meeting for a rebuttal.

Keith Burge of Ben Tech in Lake Wales said, "I would just like to dispel the rumor that the wastewater treatment plant is a package plant. It is permitted for 340,000 gallons per day and currently the flows are at 125,000 gallons.

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"It is permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and we currently meet all rules and regulations and operating within parameters set by the FDEP."

He added that the wastewater facility "was not built in 1973. It was built in the early 2000s." He has first-hand knowledge that the plant was improved at that time.

"Flows are at 125,000 (gallons per day) currently and with the projections for Smokey Groves that would add 119,000 more and we do have plenty of capacity to serve the Smokey Groves development."

Burge said he has been in charge of the water system since November, and it "is operating currently within the parameters.... I can't speak to anything before November 1st, but currently now the chlorine is at acceptable levels because if it was not we would be under consent order" with the Polk County Health Department.

"And currently we have no issues with the water."

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Grenelefe developer gets Polk County's OK to change development code