As Plant City remains focused on growth, new residential areas are starting to develop and older communities are continuing to expand.
The City Commission approved a replat to create a 116-lot subdivision within the Walden Woods Industrial Planned Development District at the City Commission meeting Monday, March 28. The original plan was for 397 townhomes, 165 of which have already been developed. Now, the lots will be single-family units.
The Walden Woods subdivision is located on the eastern side of Walden Woods Drive and is south of East Park Road and north of East Alexander Street. The subdivision is built with close proximity to major businesses in Plant City, including Publix at Walden Woods plaza.
The single-family units within the community will be located on Ashentree Drive and Wiltonway Drive.
The new homes in the subdivision will be divided into two sections. One section will require a minimum lot width of 45 feet, and the other section will require a minimum lot width of 50 feet.
Though there will be fewer units in the proposed area, some residents expressed concern over traffic coming through the subdivision, especially in areas that already face street parking. Commissioner Billy Keel, who made the first motion to approve the replat, informed citizens that even if the Commission voted against the single-family lots, the townhouses would still be developed.
“I worry too about traffic in those areas, but it’s already been approved,” Keel said. “If we say no to this, the townhouses will still go up.”
In March 2015, the City Commission approved the conversion of the lots from townhouses to single-family homes. The 4-1 vote at the March 28 meeting allows the individual lots to be sold by developer D.R. Horton.
Vice-Mayor Bill Dodson was the only City Commissioner to vote against the replat.
“It seems a bit small,” Dodson said, specifically noting the minimum widths for each lot. “We could stand to have a higher level of quality. One of the responsibilities we have in our position is to maintain the quality of life.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.