Marion County officials approved layout modifications and a firm cap of 261 homes for a new subdivision coming to northeast Ocala.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted four to one to approve the Planned Unit Development amendment request for Woodridge Place during its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 16. Commissioner Kathy Bryant cast the lone dissenting vote against the measure.
Located at 5823 NE Jacksonville Road, the roughly 79.21-acre property was originally approved in 2022 for 240 single-family residential lots.
While the developer’s amendment request initially sought the flexibility to potentially expand up to 321 units on the site, David Tillman of Tillman and Associates Engineering established during the hour-long discussion that 261 would be the absolute maximum number of units for the project.
A significant portion of the commission’s debate centered on the developer’s request to reduce the minimum front setback requirement from 25 feet down to 20 feet, which shortens the front driveways.
Tillman indicated that his client needed the lot guidelines decided immediately to move forward with the project.
Commissioner Bryant expressed concern that shrinking the lot sizes would create severe vehicle congestion within the neighborhood.
“You are compacting it even more, so parking will be more of an issue,” said Bryant.
“I disagree with that opinion entirely,” countered Tillman, arguing that more street parking would be available. “You may have more lots in there, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to have a parking congestion problem inside your subdivision at all.”
“You’re going to have more cars,” replied Bryant incredulously.
“It doesn’t mean you’ll have a parking congestion problem,” Tillman answered.
“Numbers don’t lie, Mr. Tillman. Math doesn’t lie,” said Bryant.
“Alright, I’m sorry, but I disagree with you entirely, with my professional opinion,” answered Tillman.
Chairman Carl Zalak III also expressed concern regarding the shortened front yards, noting he had not initially realized the layout impact.
Zalak asked the engineering team to explore adding parallel parking spaces at the corner lots of the development.
Tillman explained that the front setback changes simply alter the allowable building footprint, and that the development team works to fit all of their available home designs within the individual lot sizes available.
The approved amendment also modifies the subdivision’s 1.53-acre amenity area, which sparked questions from Commissioner Craig Curry regarding the inclusion of a clubhouse. Tillman clarified that the developer will still construct the core amenities.
“We’re still going to build the playground and the swingset. We’re still going to build the 2,000 square foot cabana-style clubhouse with the restrooms,” Tillman explained, noting that the developer simply requested the option to install either a community pool or pickleball courts.
Tillman noted that while they see much higher actual usage for pickleball courts over pools in modern developments, they did not want to limit options at the time of construction.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, adjacent resident Dean Russ, who lives at along NE 51st Place, raised concerns about how the local infrastructure would handle the added population. Russ noted that he had previously addressed the board about a year ago regarding a property just south of this site before that specific project was withdrawn.
“One of the questions and concerns was…where are all the kids going to go to school? Schools are at capacity,” said Russ, before questioning where firetrucks, law enforcement, and other services would come from.
Russ stated that he took no issue with providing people with adequate or affordable housing, but “not at the cost of everyone suffering just because there’s houses there.” He pointed out that three subdivisions are currently being developed in the area.
When Zalak reminded Russ that the Woodridge Place subdivision itself had already received its baseline approval years prior, Russ acknowledged he was a bit behind on the project’s timeline.
“I understand how the dominoes line up. The next time I’m here, it will be for the property that has been withdrawn,” said Russ.
Under the final conditions, the approved landscape plan requires the development to preserve as much of the site’s natural vegetation as possible, showing the back of the fence on the design plans.
What are your thoughts on the final layout and housing cap approved for the Woodridge Place subdivision? Share your perspective in a comment below or write a letter to the editor.