Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
A proposal that will permit four million square feet of industrial space and nearly 3,000 new homes will be considered by the Lake Wales City Commission at its regular meeting Tuesday night. The Stoneridge development includes 1,287 acres with frontage of SR 60 west. It will wrap around the western and southern edges of Lake Wales Airport.
The Stoneridge development includes 1,287 acres wrapping around the western and southern edges of Lake Wales Airport. It would include four million square feet of industrial space and 2,950 residential units.
The proposed housing mix includes 2.400 single-family homes and 550 multi-family units and result in a residential population of approximately 7,759. The project received a recommendation of approval from the city's Planning and Zoning Board on May 1. The Stoneridget proposal reflects the inexorable southward growth of urbanization along the Lake Wales Ridge.
According to a city planning report recommending approval, the proposal meets the standards for a "Mixed Use" development that gives developers considerable latitude in the internal designs of the project. In addition to the industrial and residential uses, office uses are proposed within the overall mixed-use plans.
If Stoneridge receives the commission's nod it will be the third such MU development on the books. A 1,943-acre tract between US 27 and Lake Ashton on the city's northwestern side, dubbed Peace Crossing, is expected to contain some 6,100 homes along with industrial and commercial uses.
The associated Lake Wales Commons was approved by the city commission in November. Lying north of SR 60 west, just across the highway from the Stoneridge project, that 558-acre site could host as many as 3,200 new dwelling units. Both projects are controlled by Lake Wales Commons, a limited partnership.
An artist's concept of a street scene in Stoneridge shows two-story homes with front driveways.
The Stoneridge proposal includes the annexation of 1,202 acres, bringing the city limits into contact with the CSV railroad mainline and the rural community of West Lake Wales. A direct road connection will utilize an existing railroad crossing at Morrel Avenue Other access points would be along Crews Road and Godwin Road, which would be widened to four lanes and extended to cross the Florida Central Railroad spur.
A 104-acre parcel north of the rail spur also fronts on SR 60, and would be designated as Mixed Use, while the 365-acre Industrial tract would lie entirely south of the rail line.
A 71-acre "public use" area would separate the industrial and mixed use areas from the residential uses, which cover 749 acres clustered around the airport to the south. The proposed density for the residential area is 3.94 dwelling units per acre.
The area to be annexed is mostly pasture with a mix of upland and wetland areas and seasonal ponds, Most drainage is to the south towards the Peace Creek Drainage Canal. Construction on the site will require a variety of permits from state and federal agencies.
A conceptual view of an industrial facility depicts buildings set slightly back from a road with parking in front.
A simultaneous agenda item before the commission Tuesday will consider a "small-scale Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment" for an adjoining that tract would become an additional 38-acre industrial park east of Godwin Road. That parcel is just west of the existing Grow Healthy Medical marijuana facility.
The development would have direct access to both the airport and rail facilities. A 10-acre parcel marked "mixed use" fronting upon the CSX line has contact with both the residential and industrial zones. It could offer the possibility of a new railroad station on the line, which serves both freight and AmTrak trains.
Taken together the residential, industrial, and mixed uses of Stoneridge are projected to demand about one million gallons of water a day.
Lake Wales Airport has been the target of significant investment by the city in recent years. That effort has included a major runway extension, new taxiways, hangars, precision approach lights, fuel tanks and other facilities. Much of the expense has been funded by multiple federal grants.
An aerial view of a residential neighborhood provided by the developer depicts a grid of streets with homes and park space.
News of the huge new development proposal follows the December purchase of 4,158 acres of land on the southwest side of Lake Wales by an active land-development company. That $50 million deal for the 5-R Ranch tract is assumed by many to mark that parcel for yet more development.
The proposal adds to the lengthy list of projects that are eventually expected to more than quadruple the population of the city. Multiple residential projects currently being developed within city limits include the Hunt Club North (334 units), Belle Lago (46 units), Steeple Chase (318 units), Robin's Run (156 units), Leighton Landing (46 units), Sunset Reserve (349 units), Harper Estates (46 units), and others. Roughly 30,000 homes are included in the total.
The site plan for the Stoneridge project shows areas demarked for mixed use, industrial, and residential uses with frontage on Lake Wales Airport and the CSX railroad line.
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