The city is reviewing a presentation regarding the massive Sports Village project, which may catapult Plant City into a new age.
Breanne Williams
Staff Writer
The future of Sports Village is scheduled to be presented Monday night during the city’s commission meeting at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall.
City Manager Bill McDaniel said he has been working tirelessly to get the project up and running. He said it will be between a $50 million to a $200 million deal depending on the wishes of the developer.
“This is going to bring state-of-the-art facilities as well as residential and retail areas to Plant City,” McDaniel said. “There are very complex legal documents involved. We’re going to be on the 15th version of the development agreement alone by the Oct. 8 meeting.”
A presentation on the Gary Sheffield Sports Village will inform the public of the detailed plans and timeline for the development. As long as there are no “hiccups,” McDaniel said the presentation will be this Monday. A delay would simply push it to the second commission meeting of the month.
If everything stays according to the original plan, the complex will include the Plant City Stadium parcel, the Urban Forest parcel and the land along Jim Johnson Road and East Park Road.
The agreement allots for approximately five years to complete the project, but McDaniel said the developer has expressed interest in moving the project along as quickly as possible.
The addition of such a massive complex would be a monumental addition to the city, Mayor Rick Lott told the Observer last year.
“This is our Legoland,” Lott said. “It’s our Busch Gardens. It’s that big of a deal for us.”
While presentations are presented to the public for the first time during the commission meetings, commissioners are walked through the presentations in advance on an individual basis so they have the opportunity to be fully informed and have their questions answered prior to the meeting.
The commission meeting will also feature a presentation and a scheduled vote on the media management bid for the city as well as a presentation by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council regarding its new initiative throughout Tampa Bay.
If everything is wrapped up before Monday, there may also be a meeting on extending utilities to SR 39. If not, it is expected to be presented by the last commission meeting in October.
The full agenda for each meeting can be found the Friday prior to the scheduled event at plantcitygov.com.
