A property owner in southwest Ocala is seeking permission to rezone an 11.62-acre parcel near the Interstate 75/State Road 200 interchange to clear the way for the possible development of up to 209 multifamily units and over 125,000 square feet of commercial space.
The rezoning request will be presented by Fred N. Roberts of Klein & Klein, LLC, on behalf of property owners Ocala 42nd Street, LTD and the Williams Family Irrevocable Trust to the Ocala City Council during its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 5.
The two parcels are situated at 3635 & 3521 SW 42nd Street, next to the Retreat at 42nd luxury apartment complex that opened in August 2023. One of the lots is currently zoned as community business (B-2), while the other parcel is unzoned.
In October, the Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the request.
According to a city staff report, the applicant currently does not have “specific intentions” for the development, but wants to secure a PD zoning prior to any “future development.”
The future development may consist of up to “126,541 square feet of commercial, retail, office, and any other uses allowed within B-2 zoning district,” or up to “209 multi-family residential units,” according to staff.
The staff report also indicates that the proposed zoning would allow for a “customization of uses and development to create a unique development that economizes the use of land and resources to advance the quality of development that may otherwise be stifled by conventional zoning.”
According to the PD standards, the final locations or orientations of the buildings at the site would have to be reheard before both the PZC and city council before the community could move forward because they constitute a “substantial change” to the development.
After the rezoning request is read into public record on Tuesday, it will have a second and final reading, as well as a vote for possible adoption, on November 19.
The Ocala City Council regularly meets on the first and third Monday of of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).
