Communication Builds Our Community

(29) stories found containing 'grove manor'


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  • More Than 15,660 New Homes Approved By Lake Wales City Commissioners, Expected to Host 42,000 New Residents

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Mar 22, 2024
    2

    A population boom is expected in Lake Wales in coming months and years as design work or construction is advancing for at least 40 projects within the city limits, in addition to others outside the city. A LakeWalesNews.net calculation shows a total of more than 15,660 new residential units have already met some level of approval by the city commission, with many having already received final plat approval for construction, even as other projects are nearing completion. If the...

  • Steeple Chase, Iron Mountain Residential Developments Advance With Approvals

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Jan 3, 2024

    Two new large residential developments moved closer to reality this month as the Lake Wales City Commission voted to advance their plans. Steeple Chase, a Planned Development Project (PDP) received a Special Exception Use Permit and a preliminary subdivision Plat. The project encompasses 250 single-family detached lots and 68 townhome units on about 98 acres of former citrus land along the north and east sides of Ridge Manor. Lying adjacent to Scenic Highway on the west, the p...

  • Days Are Numbered for Grove Manor Public Housing Project as Federal Tax Credits Granted

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Jan 3, 2024

    Hopes for the compete removal and replacement of the aging Grove Manor public housing complex in Lake Wales took a major step toward reality with the recent awarding of federal income tax credits worth over $21 million that will fund the project. The announcement from City manager James Slaton brought joy to city commissioners and residents attending the weekly city commission meeting. Commissioners had agreed more than a year ago to contribute a million dollars from the...

  • New Community Garden Almost Ready to Launch

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Sep 16, 2023

    An opportunity to produce fresh fruits and vegetables in the heart of a "food desert" has motivated a team of volunteers to plan the city's second community garden on a plot of land next to the James P. Austin Center. Funded primarily through a grant arranged by Congressman Darren Soto, the garden will be managed by a non-profit corporation, Lake Wales Grove Garden LLC, guided by a local board of directors. The need for the garden was established through a walking survey of...

  • Gun Violence Leaves Two Local Men Dead at Grove Manor

    News Staff Reports|Updated Aug 7, 2023

    Two Lake Wales men were killed Sunday evening in a pair of shootings, and investigators are seeking reasons. According to reports, the first victim was found in an apartment in the Grove Manor public housing complex around 8:00 pm Sunday suffering from a gunshot wound. Marquese Johnson, 23, was found by witnesses and transported to a local hospital where he died. Witnesses reported that they had seen a man identified as Kendrick Akins leaving the apartment as they arrived,...

  • City Expands Utility System to Address Growth, Improve Service

    Eric Marshall|Updated Jul 30, 2023

    City staff in the Lake Wales Public Works department are working on three projects that include replacing antiquated water lines, increasing water flow, and adding select neighborhoods to the city’s central sewer system, eliminating septic systems in those areas. The enhancements are part of the Public Works Department’s master plans for water, stormwater and wastewater. The multi-year plans are designed to target expansion, stormwater quality and increase water reusability. ...

  • Large Lake Wales Development Rejected for Failure to Meet City Aspirations

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Jun 29, 2023
    1

    Two large residential developments proposed by the same developer recently met with very different responses from the Lake Wales city commission. After unanimously approving a 930-lot single-family subdivision known as the Grove at Orchard Hills, the commission's 3-2 vote rejected a neighboring 300-unit project brought by the same developer. David Waronker of Celebration has been the developer of record for several large subdivision projects in Lake Wales, including the expans...

  • State Attorney Rules August 2022 Police Shooting Was Justified

    News Staff Reports|Updated Jun 7, 2023

    In a long-delayed ruling, the State Attorney's office has announced that their investigation into a exchange of gunfire between police and a suspect last August determined that police use of deadly force was justified. Earnest Borders, 57, of Lake Wales, was killed. A police department K-9, Max, also died in the gunfire. A letter signed by Assistant State Attorney Mark Thomas Levine states that "it is my opinion that Officer Jared Joyner and Officer Esaul Hernandez were justif...

  • Steeple Chase Proposal Delayed in Face of Commission Resistance

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated May 25, 2023

    A 300-unit subdivision that would wrap around the northern and eastern sides of Ridge Manor has been delayed after the withdrawal of an application for a permit from the city. The project, dubbed Steeple Chase, would occupy almost 98 acres on three parcels stretching east from Scenic Highway to beyond 9th Street. Developers had requested a Preliminary Subdivision Plat and a Special Exception Use Permit. After their application was subject to a 35-minute discussion at a...

  • City, CRA Give Go-Ahead to $18.5 Million Bond Issue

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 27, 2022

    An $18.5 million bond issuance received final approval from the Lake Wales City Commission on Tuesday, completing the funding of the award-winning Lake Wales Connected project. The approval in back-to-back meetings of the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City Commission was the final step necessary for the city's bond counsel firm of Ford and Associates. It is expected that the bonds will be offered on the market almost immediately. Ford and Associates has guaranteed...

  • City Pledges $1 Million to Grove Manor Replacement, Approves Phasing Change

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 10, 2022

    A long-desired re-do of the aging Grove Manor housing complex north of downtown may be closer to reality if the recent actions of the city commission bear fruit. Commissioners, on a 4-0 vote, approved allotting all of the original funding, once spread over several phases of a reconstruction project, to be assigned to phase two of the 300-unit project. Commissioner Daniel Williams was absent. Housing Authority Executive Director Albert Kirkland Jr. and construction management...

  • Musical "Advertising" Leads to Wrong Customers

    News Staff Reports|Updated Nov 25, 2022

    An apparent attempt to draw customers led to the wrong kind of attention for an area man as he found himself following complaints about his loud music. According to Lake Wales Police, officers responded to the area of Seminole Ave. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. around 10:20 pm Wednesday after a resident called complaining about loud music in the Grove Manor housing complex. Arriving officers observed a minivan occupied by a man playing loud music. As they approached...

  • Lake Wales Police K-9, Violent Felon Killed in Exchange of Gunfire

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Aug 20, 2022

    A convicted felon and a Lake Wales Police Department canine were killed in a shooting in Lake Wales Wednesday morning. Ernest Borders, 57, was killed in the exchange of gunfire after opening fire after ordered to show his hands by two Lake Wales officers. Police K-9 Max was killed, but both officers escaped without injury. Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez said that the K-9 died so that the officers could survive. According to a statement issued by the Lake Wales Police...

  • Soto Seeks Grant to Support First Street Reconstruction

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Jul 15, 2022
    1

    Efforts to re-imagine the urban core of Lake Wales as an attractive and shady pedestrian oasis filled with new businesses and restaurants continues to draw the support of both the public and private sectors. Congressman Darren Soto has announced that he is requesting a $1 million Federal grant to support street restoration in downtown Lake Wales. This project, one element of a multi-faceted effort, would revitalize 1st Street, which is a critical connector, unifying the...

  • Lake Wales Proposed Development Total Passes 12,000 Unit Mark

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Jun 16, 2022
    4

    The parade of development proposals that have stirred citizen concerns of runaway changes to Lake Wales continued to be evident at the most recent city commission meeting as details emerged for several more projects. A calculation by LakeWalesNews.Net staff has indicated that more than 12,000 new single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and mobile homes are included in developments already on the drawing table. At least three other projects have been proposed but remain to...

  • Lake Wales Housing Authority, CRA Agree to Continue Cooperative Approach

    Kyra Love Harriage, News Staff Reporter|Updated Mar 6, 2022

    After expressing concerns about the lack of success achieved by the Lake Wales Housing Authority, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) changed their tune after a joint meeting with the Smith & Henzy Advisory Group, the consultants for the Housing Authority. A December discussion had led to the CRA had issuing a letter to the Authority on December 16 threatening to withhold the million dollars they had pledged toward the project, recognized as an important part of the Lake...

  • Lake Wales Observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day With Events

    Robert Connors, Managing Editor|Updated Jan 17, 2022

    Congressman Darren Soto, Mayor Eugene Fultz, Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson and other elected officials were among speakers presenting Monday as Lake Wales marks the national holiday of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A rich program was offered by the Dr, Joseph A Wiltshire Scholarship Foundation to mark the day. The program began with the 10th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Legacy Breakfast. and included a showing of the landmark film "Selma" during the afternoon. The film is based...

  • City Hoping for CDBG Grant for Northwest Neighborhood Sidewalks

    Tom Paulson, City Editor|Updated Nov 21, 2021

    In hopes of "accelerating" the implementation of an ambitious plan for sidewalk construction and tree canopy creation in the long-neglected Northwest Neighborhood the City of Lake Wales applied November 1 for Community Development Block Grant funds. In an apparent sign of confidence, Commissioners will contemplate the hiring of the engineering firm of Chastain-Skillman, Inc. to create the construction documents. The cost of the project is estimated to total $1,193,660, with...

  • an aerial view of the development site

    More than 8,000 New Dwellings Planned in Lake Wales

    Robert Connors|Updated Oct 6, 2021

    Plans and proposals for new housing developments in Lake Wales have come in waves during 2021 and show no sign of abating. More than 8,300 new dwellings are now "visible" on the planning documents at the City of Lake Wales Development Services. Those residences are likely to house more than 23,000 new citizens, an expected population increase of some 140%. "Everybody wants to come where we are," said City Commissioner Robin Gibson, when asked about the growth spurt. "It's a...

  • CRA Contemplates $18.5 Million Bond Issue to Fund City Improvements

    Updated Sep 15, 2021

    A bond issuance exceeding $18 million dollars is contemplated under an agreement being considered by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) at their next meeting Wednesday evening. Funds from the bond sale would be utilized for a variety of community redevelopment projects within the boundaries of the CRA, including the Lake Wales Connected plan. Under the award-winning Connected concept, the CRA plans to revamp several blocks of Park Avenue between Scenic...

  • City Pledges $1 Million Toward Grove Manor Redevelopment

    Brian Ackley, City of Lake Wales|Updated Jul 23, 2021

    The Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency has given its tentative approval to contribute $1 million towards the proposed redevelopment of the Grove Manor housing complex. Officials from both the city and the Lake Wales Housing Authority have been meeting for a number of months now, largely to ensure the project fits in with the award-winning "Lake Wales Connected" redevelopment plan that includes both the historic downtown business district and northwest neighborhood. Thos...

  • City Agrees to Invest in Public Housing

    Brian Ackley, City of Lake Wales|Updated Sep 23, 2020

    EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated by Executive Editor Chevon Baccus after the Sept. 16 CRA meeting. City commissioners agreed to invest $460,000 to help finance a proposed redevelopment of the 140-unit Grove Manor public housing complex. Pantheon Development, which in 2018 formed a partnership with the Lake Wales Housing Authority to do the work, requested the money from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency as part of a plan to help finance the construction of six...

  • Charter School Buses to Deliver Meals Along Five Routes

    Updated Apr 15, 2020

    Starting Thursday April 9 the Lake Wales Charter School bus drivers will start delivering meals to 18 locations along five routes. Meals will be available to children 18 and under regardless of where the student attends school. Social distancing of at least six feet is mandatory for neighborhood pickup locations. If able, masks and gloves are highly recommended for the safety of all. Children need to be present to receive the meals. Meals will be delivered Monday through...

  • City Adopts Ambitious Community Revitalization Plan

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Oct 2, 2019

    The City of Lake Wales now has an ambitious plan for the redevelopment of its historic downtown and the Northwest business district. City commissioners, in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency, started their new fiscal year Oct. 1 with the adoption of the Community Connected plan developed by Miami urban planning consultants Dover Kohl & Partners with extensive public input over the last year. "Now the work begins," said Karen Thompson, assistant CRA and Lake...

  • Planner Shares Revised "City in a Garden" Vision for Redevelopment

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Aug 14, 2019

    Urban planner Victor Dover was man of the hour Tuesday, receiving applause and high praise after presenting a draft Lake Wales Connected plan for redevelopment of the city's downtown and northwest business district. About 75 interested persons, including numerous downtown merchants and community business leaders, listened attentively as Dover described the potential to turn Lake Wales into a popular destination, returning to city founders' concept of a city in a garden, as des...

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