Winter Haven ok's construction of 222 new single-family homes

WINTER HAVEN — Winter Haven City Commissioners unanimously approved plans for two new neighborhoods Monday night, totaling 222 new residential units.

The first subdivision is Eagle Landing Phase 2, which is a 16.74-acre development "generally located south of Eagle Lake Loop Road and west of the CSX Railroad Tracks." The final plat was submitted by Eloise Loop Development, LLC.

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Final plans for the subdivision include 82 building lots and two common lots, according to the city's summary of the final plat. The two common lots are a landscaper buffer adjacent to the CSX railroad tracks and one area of open space. The subdivision will have a density of five units per acre.

The subdivision has an estimated taxable value of $14.35 million, according to city staff.

Commissioners also approved final plans for the Villamar Phase 4 Subdivision, which consists of 46.13 acres "located north of Cunningham Road, approximately 4,300 feet west of County Road 653." The final plat was submitted by VMAR DEV, LLC.

This neighborhood has 140 building lots and seven common lots dedicated to stormwater management, according to the city. The neighborhood will have a density of three units per acre and has an estimated taxable value of $24.5 million.

Both neighborhoods are single-family subdivisions.

Eagle Landing is being developed by Simply Ryan Homes. According to the developer's website, the homes will hit the market in early spring and will be priced starting in the mid $200,000 range.

The Villamar neighborhood is being developed by Highland Homes. According to the Highland Homes website, the fourth phase of the development is currently being built out to join the "lakefront neighborhood" with "resort-style amenities" that is "situated on the shores of Crystal Lake." Villamar offers one and two-story single-family homes with up to six bedrooms.

Homes listed on the website start at $250,900 for a 1,301 square feet, three-bedroom, two-bath household and go up to $375,900 for a 3,141 square feet, five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home.

New Carlton Arms development will see vote next meeting

On Monday, city commissioners also had a first reading of an ordinance that will clear the way for the new Carlton Arms development on Cypress Gardens Boulevard, The Carlton at Lake Dexter.

The proposed development, which faced challenges from nearby residents at the Planning Commission stage, would be located east of Lake Dexter and approximately 1,000 feet north of Cypress Gardens Boulevard.

Previously: A 300-unit Carlton Arms apartment complex planned near Cypress Gardens Boulevard

The total development is situated on 38.63 acres but the developer, The Mahaffey Company, proposed to build 300 apartment units on 22.36 acres, yielding a density of 13.41 units per acre.

The Mahaffey Company bought the property for this upcoming development with an existing planned unit development condition that sets aside 5% of all built units for "affordable housing."

According to a city presentation on the matter at a Jan. 19 agenda review, to meet that requirement The Mahaffey Company must have 15 units that fall under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's standard of "moderate housing," which is 120% or less of area median income.

The following rates would have to be met under those rules, according to city staff: $794 a month for a studio apartment, $799 a month for a one-bedroom, $1,023 a month for a two-bedroom and $1,375 a month for a three-bedroom.

The Mahaffey Company said that it has units available for rent in all of those categories that will meet those income requirements.

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Commissioner Brian Yates expressed concern, saying that the 5% requirement is supposed to be for the length of the project and that rents will inevitably rise faster than income. He is also concerned affordable housing will get reduced to just studio or one-bedroom apartments, limiting options for larger families.

Commissioners also expressed concern about traffic spilling out from the development onto Cypress Gardens Boulevard without a traffic light.

Commissioners will vote on The Carlton at Lake Dexter development Feb. 14, following a public hearing.

Maya Lora can be reached with tips or questions at mlora@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @mayaklora.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Winter Haven issues final approval for 222 new single-family homes