OKEECHOBEE -- At their Thursday, May 13 meeting, the Okeechobee County Board of Commissioners will consider the request from JW Turf Farms Inc. to change the zoning from Agriculture to Single …
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OKEECHOBEE -- At their Thursday, May 13 meeting, the Okeechobee County Board of Commissioners will consider the request from JW Turf Farms Inc. to change the zoning from Agriculture to Single Family Residential (RSF) for a property on Southwest 48th Avenue to allow a golf course development.
The plan calls for:
• Up to 400 single family residential lots on 135 acres;
• Up to 80 golf villas on 10 acres;
• A golf course on 72 acres;
• Commercial use on 8 acres; and,
• 113 acres of preserves, wetlands and open space.
Possible uses for the commercial area include: Gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, retail shops, recreational facilities, business offices, beauty shops, child care centers, banks, hotels, pharmacies, storage units, private clubs and communications facilities.
The 72 acres designated for a golf course may include a public or private golf course, clubhouse with restaurant, golf cart storage, pro shop, snack bar, bathrooms, storage rooms and community center.
The preserves, wetlands and open space may include lakes and canals which can also be used for recreational purposes.
Maximum height for any building shall be 45 feet.
A 50 foot landscape buffer will be provided adjacent to State Road 70. A 30 foot landscape buffer will be provided along the golf course adjacent to Southwest 48th Avenue.
According to the county staff report, the property under consideration is on the south side of State Road 70 West at the southwest corner of SR 70 and SW 48th Avenue. In the late 70s the property was rezoned to RSF, except for the southern most 200 feet and a 7 acre piece in the northwest corner that are zoned Agriculture (A). The applicant is requesting that the property be zoned for a Planned Development (PD).
The proposed use is a mix of villas and single-family homes, along with commercial node, a golf course and recreational amenities. The applicants are proposing up to 400 single family homes, 50 to 80 villas, 8 acres of commercial development, and recreational and open space areas. The overall project density will be about 1.5 units per acre.
The property stretches for about a mile and a quarter on State Road 70 West, from SW 48th Avenue to the Lazy Seven Ranch Acres Subdivision. The property also has about a half mile of road frontage on SW 48th Avenue, a major collector roadway.
The property is surrounded primarily by agricultural and residential properties. The L-62 canal runs along the south boundary of the property. To the south of the canal are multiple agricultural tracts, ranging from about 12 acres to about 180 acres and zoned Agriculture (A) or Residential Rural (RR). To the north across State Road 70 West is a large ranch zoned Agriculture. To the west is the Lazy Seven Rural Activity Center which includes multiple residential subdivisions with lot sizes ranging from about half an acre to over 10 acres and zoned Residential Single Family (RSF), Residential Single Family-Estate (RSF-E), and Residential Rural (RR). To the east are a couple of large agricultural tracts, then the beginning of the residential subdivisions that surround the City of Okeechobee.
The applicant is requesting a change in zoning to Planned Development (PD) to accommodate a multi use development with various residential, recreational and commercial uses, varying lot sizes and varying setbacks. The property is located in the Urban Residential Mixed Use classification which encourages a variety of uses.
The proposed Okeechobee Trace Planned Development district does include several adaptations of the Okeechobee County Land Development Regulations to better reflect the concept and consistency that the applicant wishes to create. For single family lots, there are some modifications to minimum yard setbacks. The applicant is proposing a master plan for signs and is proposing a cross-section for internal streets to accommodate multi-modal traffic. These adaptations are specified in the Okeechobee Trace Planned Development District Zoning Ordinance, along with the list of commercial uses that are permissible in the commercial area of the project
At a public hearing on April 27, the Okeechobee County Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of the zoning change.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the Historic Okeechobee County Courthouse, 304 N.W. Second Street. It can also be viewed live online at https://www.co.okeechobee.fl.us/
