BARTOW, Fla. – The city of Bartow will be reviewing a proposed large-scale community that has received some push back from concerned homeowners.
What we know:
If approved, more than 2,000 homes would be built in the over 900-acre community of Emilie Springs, which would be located north of State Road 60 and Peace Creek.
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Dave Waronker, owner of CBD Land Investors LLC and the community’s developer, says the single-family homes would not be built all at once.
“This is going to be an eight-to-ten-year buildout, so every year you’ll see more homes,” he said. “Two hundred to three hundred homes, so it’s not all coming at once.”
The other side:
Homeowners in the area have expressed concerns about traffic, roads and infrastructure.
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“They have estimated, I don’t know the number, but thousands of cars coming in and out,” said Susan Prevatt, a homeowner previously told FOX 13.
“My key concerns are to improve our roads, utilities, and public services before population growth,” said Marie Carvajal, another homeowner who created an online petition against the project earlier this year.
Waronker says that the community’s impact on residents will be minimal, as it’s situated between non-residential areas.
Additionally, his company will be in charge of building the roads.
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“Out on Highway 60, there will be two bridges actually over the Peace River or Peace Creek, which will be constructed by us at our expense, so we’ll handle the traffic infrastructure ourselves, so that shouldn’t be an issue,” said Waronker. “No homes get built until the infrastructure is in place.”
Regarding school overcrowding concerns, Waronker says the impact fees generated over the life of the project will be $65 million, with the majority going towards school impact fees.
Additionally, the property is part of a large comprehensive plan that has two school sites planned directly across the street.
“There will be a fire station built right on our property in phase one,” he said. “In addition, we’re leaving two locations at the end of our phase four that we can donate to the city for an EMT or police substation, if needed.”
He adds that they’re doing their part to make this project work.
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“We’re not going to jam a project down anyone’s throat,” said Waronker. “It’s being carefully planned and built, and we’ll find out it’s going to be a major plus to the city and county.”
What’s next:
During the planning and zoning meeting, a recommendation will be made to the city commissioners, who will then host a first and second hearing on the project.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Carla Bayron through an interview with the developer David Waronker.Â