Article from the Herald-Tribune about area growth and annexation of acreage...
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150511/article/305109993?p=1&tc=pg
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150511/article/305109993?p=1&tc=pg
North Port annexes 141 acres
Published: Monday, May 11, 2015 at 11:18 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 11, 2015 at 11:18 p.m.
NORTH PORT - Sarasota County's largest and fastest growing city will get even bigger.
On Monday, the City Commission voted to annex 141 acres into the Thomas Ranch development.
About 20 years ago, a sliver of land on what was formerly known as Taylor Ranch was meant to be an extension of River Road, but was abandoned when current River Road improvements were made.
Now it will be absorbed into the West Villages development, which is already 9,600 acres. The move allows the developer better freedom to plan neighborhoods instead of plotting around the county-zoned sliver, which was to be known as Pine Street, bisecting the property.
With the Islandwalk and Gran Paradiso developments already in progress, the addition of the West Villages neighborhoods will eventually mean about 20,000 new homes in the area.
North Port already is Florida's eighth largest city, in land mass, at 104 square miles. It is the county's most populous, at more than 60,000 residents. Its population grew 160 percent from 2000 to 2013, according to census data.
Mattamy Homes, Canada's largest homebuilder, purchased the Thomas Ranch property last year for $86.25 million from Thomas Enterprises. The development is divided into four villages: Main Street Ranchlands, Myakka River Club, Timber Forest Ranch or Manasota Beach Ranchlands.
The project's general manager, Marty Black, said the development will take 30 to 40 years to build out.
With rezoning changes, the density will increase from 1.7 dwelling units per acre to 2.7, city planner Jennifer Malone said.
For now, that is enough, development attorney Jeff Boone told commissioners, but the developer likely will come back to ask for 3 to 4 units per acre, a figure supported by the city's own comprehensive plan to be more sustainable as the city provides services, such as water and sewer.
Commissioner Linda Yates asked planners if the intensity of development would have any negative impact on the city.
Malone replied that the planning staff saw none.
"The West Villages Improvement District is to be obligated to build a water plant and a sewer plant and give it to the city for free," Boone said.
Black told commissioners that the villages will reflect an active lifestyle, lifetime learning, health and wellness opportunities, water features and outdoor recreation.
Developers spent the past nine months meeting with officials from North Port, Sarasota County, State College of Florida, the Sarasota County School Board, chambers of commerce and surrounding land owners, Black said.
They are working with school officials to identify a site for a school serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
[End of Article]
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Please, check out my website, and contact me for more information.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Ali
Aileen “Ali” Johnston, MHA
(currently working on an MBA in Real Estate)
Realtor®, Hoover Realty LLC
Mobile: 941-539-5771
No comments:
Post a Comment