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A small, oak-filled lot just north of Southgate Shopping Plaza is being transformed into a compact community of duplex-style townhomes designed to blend in with the landscape.
The 0.63-acre property at 211 W. Oak Drive will become The Modern, a cluster of 12 market-rate units in six small buildings. Developers say the plan is gentler on the land than what could have been built there.
The first two buildings could be completed as soon as April or May, depending on permitting and weather, according to Shawn McDonough, owner of McDonough Construction.
Tree removal draws early concern
Residents raised concerns in November when crews removed several mature oaks, including a large one near the center of the lot that some estimated to be about 150 years old.
The project also drew scrutiny because tree removal began before the site work permit had been issued. City planners opened a code enforcement case after work was observed on Veterans Day.
McDonough said an unexpected glitch delayed the permit, and he had already rented heavy equipment and secured an out-of-town operator. He moved ahead to avoid costly delays.
The case was resolved once the site work permit was approved several days later. Additional permits will still be required before vertical construction can begin.
“They have butchered the whole piece of property,” resident Susan Day Richards said. “It’s horrible. You can’t get these trees back.”
However, city horticulturist Stacy Smith said the owners were allowed to remove any trees that were within the footprint of a future building. He added that this project preserves more of the site’s canopy than most typical infill developments.
“They’ve moved buildings and adjusted layouts to preserve trees where they could,” Smith said.
The plan preserves about half of the existing trees, weaving buildings between them. During design, the team shifted one planned building eight feet north to avoid disturbing the roots of a large oak.
A small community of 12 townhomes is being built just north of the Southgate Shopping Plaza. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
Orange netting surrounds oak trees that will be preserved in the development of The Modern. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
Orange netting surrounds oak trees that will be preserved in the development of The Modern. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
Orange netting surrounds oak trees that will be preserved in the development of The Modern. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
West Oak Drive, with the future site of The Modern on the left. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
A large oak was cut down to make room for compact townhomes on a lot just north of the Southgate Shopping Plaza. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
A large oak was cut down to make room for compact townhomes on a lot just north of the Southgate Shopping Center. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow
Not a ‘big box’ complex
McDonough, a co-owner of the project, and his partners purchased the land for $350,000 in December 2023.
McDonough said the development is a deliberate effort to avoid a traditional, box-style apartment complex with a retention pond — a configuration that would have required clearing the entire site.
“This was about finding a way to build what’s allowed here without wiping the land clean,” McDonough said.
The remaining trees are now ringed with orange safety netting and will receive ongoing care from professional arborists to extend their lifespans. Reducing competition from overcrowded or unhealthy trees should help the remaining canopy thrive, he said.
“These trees have a better chance now than they did before,” McDonough said. “They’re finally being cared for.”
The plan also includes lush, Florida-friendly landscaping, with new plantings chosen for longevity and lower water use.
Other design choices — including grass-like, permeable parking areas — helped the project qualify for a water management exemption, eliminating the need for a retention pond.
A rendering of one of the buildings planned for The Modern. It will have two townhomes back-to-back. | The Modern Lakeland LLC 
A floorplan shows the first and second stories of a building. | The Modern Lakeland LLC 
The original site plan showed seven buildings, but developer Shawn McDonough said one has been eliminated. | The Modern Lakeland LLC
Small footprint, high efficiency
The two-story townhomes are intentionally compact but they’re not “tiny,” according to McDonough. One-bedroom units will be about 800 square feet, with a large 250-square-foot upstairs bedroom that has a loft-like feel. Two-bedroom units will exceed 1,100 square feet.
What sets them apart, the developers say, is their energy efficiency.
Architect Marlon Lynn, another co-owner, designed the homes to meet ENERGY STAR standards, with wall and ceiling insulation levels far beyond what’s typical. Floors — which are rarely insulated in Florida — will also be insulated, helping to control heat, humidity and air movement.
The buildings will be engineered to withstand hurricane winds well above current code requirements, and will be built using a proprietary construction system developed by Lynn that produces far less waste than conventional framing.
McDonough said the combination of heavy insulation, efficient design and shade from existing trees could keep electric bills at $50 a month or less, depending on usage.
Neighbors voice opposition
Some nearby residents said the premature site work — and the loss of several large oaks — left them feeling blindsided.
Richards, who lives on Oak Drive, said neighbors were upset that work continued after crews were told to stop and before required approvals were in place.
“It wasn’t just what was being built — it was how it was done,” she said.
Neighbors also raised concerns about density, traffic and how the project fits the street, Richards said, adding that residents would have appreciated more communication before work began.
Because the project complies with existing zoning and land-use rules, it did not require hearings before the City Commission or Planning & Zoning Board.
Community focus
McDonough and Lynn say their collaboration grew out of decades of involvement in the Rotary Club of Lakeland, where McDonough has been a member for 26 years and Lynn for about 20.
Both say that long-standing community connections helped shape their approach to the project.
“This isn’t something we dropped in from out of town,” McDonough said. “We live here. We care about how it turns out.”
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This was petitioned around the neighborhood as common housing for a few aging parents and their adult disabled children. Not for rental units. As a private project not a development!
Electric bills around $50 a month is fantasy.