The property owners of two different planned developments are seeking approval from Ocala officials to move forward with their projects, which call for the construction of 96 multi-family apartment units and 88 single-family homes.
The ordinances and resolutions will come before the Ocala City Council during its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 7, at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue) at 4 p.m.
Although both ordinances and resolutions had their first readings in early April, their second and final readings were postponed from the April 16 meeting of the council.
The ordinances call for rezoning of the properties in question, while the resolutions call for the adaptation of standards for the two separate planned developments: Pine Oaks Preserve and Fox View Apartments.
Plans for Pine Oaks Preserve call for the development of 88 single-family dwelling units in a community that features Florida-Friendly plantings in the buffers and open space, pedestrian walking trails, and enhanced landscaped entrances. Proposed amenities at the community include a neighborhood playground, pedestrian pathway connecting to the William James Walking Trail, and a sidewalk connection along the length of NW 14th Street.
The site of the planned Pine Oaks Preserve property was purchased by Smart Fill Investments, LLC, in 2022. That group has been working with city staff on development plans and standards for the site, which have gone through multiple rounds of review to date. Originally part of a plat recorded in 1982, the property has remained vacant and undeveloped while only changing ownership twice over the past 50 years.
Fox View Apartments would be situated at the northeast and southeast corners of SW 60th Avenue and SW 43rd Street Road.
The apartments are the second phase of the Hunt Club at Fox Point, which was developed over twenty years ago. Originally slated to include more apartments, additional limitations were placed on the planned apartment complex over the years.
Those limitations reduced the maximum number of units to 96 and the overall density. According to city records, the developer would also have to perform a traffic study before commencing development to ensure compliance with city code.
If the developers receive approval, the new developments will join the ever-growing list of residential real estate offerings across every part of Ocala.
Downtown Ocala has seen the addition of Watula South townhomes and Lamplighter Legacy Apartments this year, and Brick City Lofts recently broke ground on its new development in the area.
CampAlto, a 4-home community in Ocala’s Historic District, was approved by city council members in April, just weeks before Marion County officials approved a rezoning request that will allow hundreds of new apartments to be built in southwest Ocala, near On Top of the World.
That region has seen several developments sprout up over the past year, including The Towns at Laurel Commons, West Shire Village, and Winding Oaks Community Development District, which was recently approved for a new community with over 1,500 homes.
In northeast Ocala, multiple residential developments are under construction, including Millwood Estates and Emerson Pointe, which recently broke ground.