A property owner is asking county officials to rezone a 39-acre site in southeast Ocala that was previously approved for multi-family development to instead build 158 single-family, detached homes.
The rezoning request will be presented by Tillman & Associates Engineering, LLC, on behalf of landowner GPK Ocala One, LLC, to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners during its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 17.
The property is situated just northwest of Baseline Golf Course, less than a mile north of the intersection of U.S. Hwy 441 and SE 92nd Place Road. According to a county staff report, the property’s location is within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), the Silver Springs Shores urban area, and the Silver Springs Primary Springs Protection Overlay Zone.
According to county records, the 39.36-acre property in question was previously rezoned and approved for the development of 123 multifamily units in 2016. That approval expired and the land has since reverted back to general agriculture (A-1).
Now, the property owner is hoping to rezone the property to PUD to use the site for the construction of Juniper Loop, a new planned community that would feature 158 homes with lot sizes that are at least 40 feet wide.
In addition to the single family homes, the community would also feature a playground, a dog park, two pavilions, and walking trails.
The conceptual plan includes several renderings of potential homes at the site, which would be built by D.R. Horton.
Last month, the Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission asked the applicant to address multiple concerns that were presented with the property, including a condition that requires no “two-story homes be placed along the boundaries of the PUD.”
Another condition implemented by the PZC is that all of the amenities would have to be installed by the halfway point of the project (i.e., the “79th residential Certificate of Occupancy.” According to a county staff report, the property owner has asked that the condition be “pushed out until one year after the first” certificate of occupancy.
The Marion County Development Review Committee first heard the plans for Juniper Loop in October.
In November, the PZC unanimously recommended approval of the request, with conditions.
Corporate records show that GPK Ocala One, LLC, is registered to Sen Zhang of GPK Holdings, an Orlando-based real estate company that acquires real estate equity and debt investments.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners next meets on Tuesday, December 17, at 9 a.m. at the McPherson Governmental Complex (625 SE 25th Avenue, Ocala). The board regularly meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
