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VOLUME 6, NO. 183
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022
PROPOSED WALDEN LAKE DEVELOPMENT RECEIVES DOUBT FROM PLANNING BOARD A NEAR FOUR-HOUR MEETING REGARDING THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT FOR THE LARGEST COMMUNITY IN PLANT CITY OPENED THE DOOR TO FAR TOO MANY QUESTIONS, LEADING TO A DELAYED VOTE ON APPROVING THE PLANS. BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER
The Plant City Planning Board postponed its vote of a developer’s proposal to add new residential communities within Walden Lake during a presentation on Feb. 9. The highly contentious development plan has been years in the making and tensions rose as the developer, Walden Lake LLC, and current Walden Lake residents both spoke before the board. The meeting was held in the Trinkle Center at the Hillsborough Community College and residents took to the mic to express what they believe are serious concerns for Walden Lake. The developer shared plans to revitalize the long-defunct property with the planning board. Despite nearly three years of strategizing and planning for the development — as well as countless hours of community outreach — the planning board was left with doubts on the proposal and hesitancy on the impact it would have on current residents. Walden Lake LLC and its team said they are here for a “long-term commitment to write a new chapter for Walden Lake.” They said the community’s future has been uncertain for years and has gone through a series of unreliable ownership. The goal with the new proposed development is to “return it to its original vision” of a mixeduse community for everyone. THE VISION
The 319-acre development would be comprised of 200 acres set aside for open green space, as well as a Village Center and 10 new neighborhoods. The Village Center would be both commercial developments and residences sitting on 58 acres of land. The commercial and retail area will span 20,000 square feet. As to provide neighborhood services as opposed to city-round services, the developer would only incorporate small offices, low-intensity retail and limited-seating restaurants.
The residential area of the Village Center would consist of 157 villas, 70 townhomes, and 260 luxury apartments. On Jan. 4, 2021, the planning board determined that the proposed residential development density and commercial retail in the Village Center met the city’s Future Land Use standards. RESIDENT’S WOES
Walden Lake residents, such as Larry Eben, only see a disadvantage with the Village Center. “The commercial space, as tight as they’re going to make it, will become not safe as far as access for the fire department,” he claimed. Eben shared his belief that when delivery trucks distribute food to the restaurants in an area with limited space they will have to
unload from the side of the street, resulting in a narrower road. “You’re going to tie up traffic and emergency vehicles if there’s a car parked in that narrow of a street,” he said. And while he admitted that he’s not necessarily opposed to new development, he believes that the number of proposed residences will leave the Village Center too clustered. Frances Chandler Marino, the president of the land-planning firm Femme by Design, LLC., shared her view on the project through an analysis report she conducted. Her analysis shows that neighborhood commercial uses should not be located within residential neighborhoods or encourage the use of local streets for nonresidential traffic. Marino also speculates that construction of commercial or industrial parking lots with an entrance or exit
from a residential neighborhood “isn’t a proper design.” “I find that the location of the proposed commercial use is not consistent with the comprehensive plan and is not compatible with the adjacent development,” she stated. Nicholas Brown, representative of the Save Walden Lake organization, echoed Marino’s conclusions. “Plans call for a new town center core to be added…one which would be incompatible with our homes, and unfairly compete with long-established businesses and apartments in the existing ring,” Brown said. “Retrofitting a new core to an existing ring just doesn’t make sense. Calling it a town center doesn’t change the fact that it’s still commercial in apartment units.”
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