Developer David Waronker will find out whether the Bartow Commission will approve his requests for five separate land-use changes needed for development of more than 2,000 single-family homes in the city’s northeast.
The March 2 agenda for the Bartow Commission shows all five decisions could be made to either approve or deny all or some of the requests.
By unanimous vote, the commission decided at its Nov. 17 meeting to transmit his proposed development of Emilie at Bartow to the Florida Commerce Department for review.
Opponents to Emilie East and West have shown up in droves
According to a post on Facebook by Tom Palmer, the state’s planners had no objections to the developer’s plans. Palmer, a retired Ledger reporter, characterized the plans as a “controversial city-sized development along the Peace Creek floodplain.”
When reached by phone Feb. 27 for comment, Commissioner Trish Pfeiffer would not say how she will vote, adding she must wait until the developer makes his presentation at the meeting the night of March 2.
“It’s been a long time coming, and at the end of the day we try to make decisions based on everything we’re allowed to and the greater good and the future of the city,” she said.
The Emilie at Bartow development could bring 2,245 new housing units on hundreds of acres in the city’s northeast and an unincorporated area that the developer wants to annex into Bartow.
The applications had been made by CBD Real Estate Investment, run by Waronker, for housing developments in Emilie East and West. A Bartow board and two Polk County boards have previously rejected development of the land for Emilie at Bartow.
What will the Bartow Commission vote on?
The Nov. 17 initial votes on the five items include a proposed annexation, changes to the land’s current use, and the creation of a planned development.
Emilie East is in unincorporated Polk County and contiguous to Emilie West.
The five changes, as described in city planning reports, include the following:
Emilie East
Proposed access to the Emilie project includes two connections to SR 60, utilizing two bridge crossings over the Peace Creek and a connection to Gaskin Road. The eastern connection to SR 60 will be located about 3,700 feet west of Rifle Range Road and the western connection will be from an extension of Enterprise Boulevard located in the Clear Springs Corporate Park.
Although the land borders Gerber Dairy Road and Logan Lane, the development has no current plans for entrances along these roads. Only 8.6 acres of the project’s total of 369.3 acres is currently in the city’s water and wastewater service area.
By changing to RL-1, the developer could place up to five homes per acre on the land. The classification permits densities of up to six units per acre, depending on the zoning category of the particular site, the development’s suitability for the site and the availability of public facilities and services. The developer intends to construct approximately 1,094 residential dwelling units.
With the Peace Creek running through the land and the land’s history of flooding, the proposed residential density of Emilie East is three units per gross acre with multiple retention ponds. Six wetland and surface water classifications occur on the subject property from marsh scrub to flood plain.
Emilie West
The proposed Emilie West housing development consists of 1,151 single family homes on 556 acres south of Gerber Dairy Road and the Bartow Executive Airport, north of Peace Creek and 1,333 feet east of the terminus of Gaskin Road.
The proposed residential density of Emilie West is 2.1 units per gross acre. Currently the acreage allows light and heavy industrial uses such as the processing, manufacturing, recycling and storage of materials and support offices, warehousing and small scale retail uses. Agricultural uses are also permitted. No residential is allowed with few exceptions.
The primary function of the proposed Clear Springs Residential land use plan classification would allow development up to 20 dwelling units per gross acre and commercial mixed-use developments. Assisted living facilities and RV Parks may also be considered. Strip malls shall be prohibited. Public and private schools are allowed.
Development proposals in the past have been rejected
If approved by Bartow, construction could start in 2027 on Emilie West and 2030 in Emilie East, the staff report shows.
Bartow’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 27 voted against recommending approval of the projects. The planning board’s vote is not binding on the City Commission, which will make the final decision.
Further, two Polk County boards voted against the housing developments in the past.
The Polk County Planning Commission voted against a recommendation of the Emilie at Bartow (formerly known as Peace Creek Ranch). And the County Commission voted against the land use changes, among other related requests.
The meeting
The Bartow City Commission meeting is March 2 at 6 p.m. in the Bartow City Hall City Commission Chambers, 450 N. Wilson Ave.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Bartow Commission to vote on proposed 2,245-home Emilie development
Reporting by Paul Nutcher, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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