Ocala City Council members approved a new residential development this week that will add 88 single-family homes to the city’s northwest region.
During its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 7, the council unanimously approved a rezoning ordinance and a planned development standards resolution for Pine Oaks Preserve.
The new community will be constructed on a 16.58-acre site located in the 1100 block of NW 14th Street.
Owned by Smart Fill Investment, LLC, who purchased it in 2022, the property was originally part of the Munden’s Subdivision Plat recorded in 1982. Over the past 50 years, the property has remained vacant and undeveloped, only changing ownership twice.
Over the past two years, Smart Fill Investments, LLC has worked with city staff on development plans and standards for the site. Those plans went through multiple rounds of review and in March, they were recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The ordinance and resolution were introduced during the council’s April 2 meeting and were tabled during the council’s April 16 meeting.
The new development plans call for the construction of 88 single-family dwelling units with a density of “5.3 units per acre.”
Plans provided by the developer also show renderings of the homes and their layout within the community.
The community will feature a pedestrian pathway connecting to the William James Walking Trail, a neighborhood playground, and a sidewalk connection along the length of NW 14th Street, according to development plans.
The new development is situated near the recently constructed Mary Sue Rich Community Center, Lillian Bryant Park, and the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park. It’s a block away from Howard Middle School and a couple minutes from the E.D. Croskey Recreation Center.