Proposed Auburndale project would create 3 research buildings near Florida Poly

For years, leaders of Florida Polytechnic University and surrounding cities have envisioned a research park emerging in the undeveloped land around the Lakeland campus.

A proposed project in northwest Auburndale could provide its first elements.

An Atlanta company has submitted construction plans along Pace Road that include three buildings devoted to research and development. The Auburndale City Commission voted unanimously in favor Monday on a first reading of Intersect Development Group’s request for a land-use modification to accommodate a revision of its initial plans.

The commission is expected to give final permission at its Oct. 16 meeting. The city’s staff and the Planning Commission have recommended approval.

Intersect Development Group owns a group of connected parcels south of Pace Road and west of Bryan Lane. The company paid $8.2 million in 2021 for one property covering about 37 acres, according to county records.

That year, Intersect received a future land use designation of Regional Activity Center and a zoning classification of Industrial Planned Unit Development on about 73 acres. The city approved a site plan allowing Intersect to build a 464,000-square-foot “E-commerce and logistics” building, two research and development buildings and 10 mixed-use commercial outparcels.

Since then, the company has acquired more land and sought to extend the IPUD classification onto the new property, said Julie Womble, Auburndale’s Community Development Director.

Peterson and Myers, the local law firm representing Intersect Development Group, requested a future land use designation of Regional Activity Center on an additional 69 acres that Auburndale annexed in 2022.

The city sent the proposed land-use map to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity. The agency responded with no objections, according to an Auburndale staff report.

Intersect now wants to modify and expand the zoning classification of Industrial Planned Unit Development to provide “subtle modifications,” as described in the staff report. The request would expand the classification onto about 45 of the additional 69 acres.

The City Commission first considered the proposed amendment on Aug. 7 but tabled the item for further discussion. Members of Intersect have since met with city staff to discuss the project, the report said.

The requested change would allow Intersect to construct three research and development buildings and four industrial mixed-use buildings on the south portion of the property. That would yield about 270,000 square feet reserved solely for research and development, advanced manufacturing, health technology, financial institutions and/or information sciences, the report said.

Outdoor storage would be prohibited at the mixed-use buildings.

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Intersect requests a classification of Planned Development-H2 for multi-family residences on the northeast part of the development “to allow for apartments and possible student housing for the nearby university,” the report said. That classification allows for up to 15 units per acre, or about 360 total units.

The logistics building has already been built on the northwest corner of the property, and the 10 outparcel buildings are already allowed, Womble said. Intersect’s request for modification entails constructing three research and development buildings rather than two, as originally approved.

A diagram included in the agenda for the City Commission meeting shows three research buildings placed just south of Pace Road, between the logistics center and the planned apartments. A buffer along Pace Road is reserved for outparcels.

Both Florida Polytechnic President Randy K. Avent and Sean Malott, president and CEO of the Central Florida Development Council, attended Monday’s meeting and spoke in favor of Intersect’s request.

“The proposal that Intersect Development Group has submitted is of great interest to us at Florida Poly,” school spokesperson Lydia Guzman said in an emailed statement. “We have been working in partnership with the CFDC, the cities of Auburndale and Lakeland, and Polk County to solidify the Innovation District for over five years.”

The Central Florida Innovation District is the name for the research center envisioned as surrounding the Florida Poly campus.

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“The Intersect project will provide a diverse mix of uses including project-ready research and development space for companies to locate, multi-family housing units, and several retail out-parcels fronting Pace Road,” Guzman wrote. “All of this is positive development for the area around our campus and we look forward to it coming to fruition.”

The proposal offered no details on what type of research might be done in the planned buildings.

Malott spoke favorably of the project.

“The Intersect plan offers a mix of uses that will be beneficial to the surrounding area including commercial, multi-family housing, industrial and research and development space,” he said by email. “This may be the very first place for companies to locate who want to be near the university. The developer spent significant time working with the city, the university and other stakeholders to identify a good fit for the Central Florida Innovation District. We look forward to seeing their development be a success.”

Womble said the company’s plans for multifamily housing will benefit Florida Poly. The university, which opened in 2014, has approximately 1,540 students and has been expanding its graduate programs. The school is constructing its third student residence hall, scheduled to open next fall.

The land around the campus is divided among Lakeland, Auburndale and unincorporated Polk County.

Auburndale and Lakeland approved a memorandum of understanding with the CFDC in 2019 to promote the creation of the Central Florida Innovation District. The agreement said the two cities and Polk County would coordinate to identify transition areas, subdistricts, gateways, greenways and natural areas and set consistent standards for zoning, land use and development.

That same year, officials from Auburndale and Florida Poly raised concerns over a proposed 1.4 million-square-foot logistics facility near campus that they said could interfere with the concept of an innovation district. The Polk County Commission voted 4-1 to reject the proposal.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Auburndale project promises 3 research buildings near Florida Poly