West Oak redevelopment project

[Image courtesy city of Ocala]

Ocala City Council members this week got their first look at a proposed agreement with developers of the West Oak mixed-use project that would ensure they are prepared to mitigate the impact on local roads and other infrastructure.

The Jan. 20 initial public hearing was for a concurrency development agreement between Ocala and West Oak Developers LLC that addresses transportation concurrency for redevelopment of the former Pine Oaks Golf Course on a 198.80-acre site south of Northwest 35th Street, east of Northwest 27th Avenue, north of Northwest 21st Street, and west of the Florida Northern Railroad right-of-way. The council took no action at the hearing. A second public hearing is scheduled for Feb. .

Concurrency is a Florida planning rule that requires new developments to make sure public infrastructure — such as roads, water and sewer systems — has enough capacity to handle the extra demand the new homes and businesses will create when the project is built. This aims to ensure that growth is managed responsibly so new construction doesn’t overwhelm the community’s infrastructure.

At full buildout, projected to be around 2030-31, the project is predicted to add more than 1,000 vehicle trips to the surrounding roads during the morning and afternoon commute hours.

Ocala Public Information Officer Greg Davis provided an overview of the project.

“The project is comprised of 170 single-family homes, 138 attached single-family homes, 150 multifamily (low-rise) units, 1,752 multifamily (mid-rise) units, 90 senior adult housing units and 25,000 square feet of retail space. This project is part of the city’s efforts to redevelop the previous Pine Oaks Golf Course, that includes affordable housing,” Davis said.

The concurrency agreement is necessary, Davis said, to provide for proportionate share contributions to identified traffic deficiencies.

“The agreement ensures the development has mitigated its projected impacts to the overall transportation system as identified in the approved traffic study,” he explained.

Davis said the agreement binds the property owner to the terms of the agreement.

“Currently, two multifamily projects have been completed (Aurora St. Leon, 272 units; and Madison Oaks West Phase I, 96 units). The remainder of the project is in various phases of construction and platting,” he said.

Concerning the transportation improvements and proportionate share costs, Davis shared that the cost was determined by the project engineers with review and approval by the city’s engineering department.

“The improvements will ensure mitigation of the project traffic impact on the surrounding facilities, including Northwest 21st Street and Northwest 35th Street,” he said. “Proportionate share affords the owner satisfaction of their transportation improvement obligations under state law.”

The project is projected to generate 1,072 external trips during the morning peak hours and 1,135 during the afternoon peak hours at full buildout. The developer’s proportionate share contribution is $430,671 toward total transportation improvements costing $711,591, with the city covering the remaining $280,919.

Davis said the project is continuing with infrastructure improvements and platting of the project, with some of the single-family and multifamily development completed and in various phases of development.

Addressing potential environmental and community impacts, he said, “Other environmental, wildlife and resource impacts are or will be addressed through required state and local permitting for each phase of development.”