A developer’s plan to build 480 apartment units and 48 townhomes at a 53-acre site in southwest Ocala is coming up for a final vote next week.
The development plan and an associated rezoning request will be voted on during the upcoming meeting of the Ocala City Council on Tuesday, August 20, at Ocala City Hall.
The ordinance and rezoning request were introduced during the council’s first meeting this month. Last month, the Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the items.
The applicant, Ocala 42nd Street Residential, LLC, is seeking to rezone a 52.82-acre property located approximately 850 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the intersection of SW 27th Avenue and SW 42nd Street in Ocala in order to build the Residences at Grand Oaks.
The rezoning request calls for a change from a planned unit development (PUD-07) to planned development (PD) for the property. The updated plan represents Phases 2 and 3 of the development. The Grand Oaks Town Center, which was built a decade ago, was the first phase of the development.
Although the shopping center has been developed for over a decade and several businesses have been added over the years, including 7-Eleven last November, the subsequent phases of the project have remained undeveloped.
Originally, the second and third phases called for the development of 474 multi-family residences, as well as 30,000 square feet of office space. If approved, the resolution would allow for the addition of approximately 48 more townhomes and 6 more apartment units, bringing the community’s total to 528 residences.
The properties that comprise the phases in question were annexed into the city in 1989. At the time, the applicant requested a residential office zoning for the portion fronting SW 27th Avenue and a single family residential zoning for the remainder of the property.
Since then, the site has undergone several zoning and comprehensive plan amendments. In 2014, the council approved an amended agreement that provided for the construction of 474 multi-family residences at a density of “7 units per acre.”
In March 2019, an ordinance approved by the city of Ocala effectively replaced the PUD zoning classification with PD. A rezoning is now required to “come into compliance with the current standards of the city’s code of ordinances,” according to a report produced by city staff.
According to city records, in October 2023, the property owner presented site plans to neighbors showing the next phases of the development. Those plans have gone through multiple rounds of review by city staff.
Renderings show that the new community will feature townhomes and apartment units, as well as passive recreation areas, a community center, a pool, and extended buffers along the northern boundaries of the site.
The property has “vested transportation concurrency from an approved Chapter 163 Development Agreement” that allows for the shopping center, the residential units, and the commercial office space to be built, regardless of the council’s recommendation.
According to city staff, mitigation for stormwater impacts will have to be addressed by the developer.
Staff says that the subdivision directly north of the property, El Dorado, has “historically experienced flooding by runoff originating from the higher surrounding areas,” including the subject property.
During the planning and zoning meeting at the beginning of July, the president of the homeowner’s association of El Dorado spoke in support of the proposed development, emphasizing the property owner’s “willingness to work” with the HOA.
Ocala City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).