A developer is returning to Marion County officials next week to seek final approval to expand the number of homes and modify the layout of a previously approved subdivision in northeast Ocala.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners will vote on a Planned Unit Development amendment request for the Woodridge Place community during its upcoming regular meeting on Tuesday, June 16.
Located at 5823 NE Jacksonville Road, the roughly 79.21-acre property sits inside the Urban Growth Boundary and the county’s Primary Springs Protection Overlay Zone. The application was filed by Tillman and Associates Engineering, LLC on behalf of the property owner, Jax Road, LLC.
The developer is asking to amend a previously approved 2022 conceptual plan that allowed for 240 single-family residential lots.
The new proposal seeks to increase the baseline number of proposed lots to 261, with a request that the total not exceed 321 units.
However, county staff notes in their report that the property’s medium residential land use only allows up to four dwelling units per acre, capping the maximum allowable density for the 79.21-acre tract at 316 units.
As a result, staff recommends that the request be amended to reflect a maximum of 316 lots rather than 321 to remain within the allowable density range.
In addition to the density increase, the developer is proposing several other changes to the subdivision, including adjusting the number of units assigned to three specific lot dimension options across the property, reducing the minimum front setback requirement from 25 feet down to 20 feet, and modifying the subdivision’s 1.53-acre amenity area.
Under the 2022 approval, the developer was required to construct a 2,000-square-foot clubhouse, a pool, a playground, and an activity field. The amended proposal seeks to instead offer four pickleball courts, a walking trail, a shaded playground area with a swing set, and an activity field.
According to the staff report, the applicant wishes to reserve the option to install either the pool or the pickleball courts, noting that their previous experience shows activity courts are often utilized more frequently than community pools.
County staff continues to recommend approval of the amendment with several conditions, including the requirement of a new traffic impact study prior to the final master plan hearing.
The original traffic study, which evaluated the impacts for 254 units with a buildout year of 2025, has expired and was based on outdated Level of Service standards.
The Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission previously reviewed the application during its meeting on May 27, where members voted four to zero to recommend approval with conditions.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners next meets on Tuesday, June 16, at the McPherson Governmental Complex (601 SE 25th Avenue, Ocala).