Residents of the Gladys Leggett neighborhood in northwest Lakeland might be getting some new neighbors.
The plan: An 87-unit subdivision called Providence Townhomes is proposed for 9.8 acres of vacant land at west 5th, 6th and 7th streets and Providence Road, between Kathleen Road and the CSX railroad tracks.
Developer Vasu Persaud, CEO of EcoVision Homes, told city staff he would market the community as “environmentally sustainable ‘workforce-affordable’ housing.”
Each townhome will have a minimum of 1,280 square feet of living area and be “finished in a modern, contemporary style.”
Price point: No prices have been disclosed, but Persaud said the two-story townhomes would be geared to middle-income households, rather than low-income or luxury. City Planning and Transportation Manager Chuck Barmby said the homes would initially be rentals, but would likely be sold later.
Location pros and cons: The site is about 1.5 miles from Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and 2 miles from the hospital’s new Kathleen campus — making it convenient for healthcare workers. However, it abuts an active CSX railroad track and is close to a 135-foot cellular tower erected in 2020.
To buffer the community from train noise, the city would require an 8-foot precast concrete wall with trees and shrubs in front of it.
Under the city’s Land Development Code, cell towers must be separated from residences by at least two feet horizontally for each one foot of tower height. That means townhomes can’t be within a 270-foot radius of the tower. To satisfy that requirement, the site plan puts the required stormwater retention pond and 14,900-square-foot community green space at the southern end, closest to the tower.
Traffic implications: Residents would use Kathleen Road to access neighborhood roads leading to the development. A traffic analysis predicted the 87 units would generate 633 trips daily, with 50 during the morning rush hour and 58 during the afternoon peak. That could add some strain to an already busy roadway.
But city staff said a greater concern is traffic safety in the Kathleen Road corridor —particularly at 5th and 7th streets. Those intersections are currently wide open to turns of any kind. In a 2022 safety study, the Florida Department of Transportation recommended using medians to restrict allowed turns.
As a proposed condition for granting a zoning change for the project, the city would not issue any certificates of occupancy until medians with guided turn lanes are installed at both the 5th and 7th street intersections. Kathleen Road is officially State Road 539, so the project would be a collaborative effort. Barmby said the developer would construct the medians with permitting from FDOT.
The intersection at 5th Street would allow northbound and southbound left turns from Kathleen Road, but only right turns from the side streets.
The intersection at 7th Street would only allow northbound left turns from Kathleen Road. Drivers coming out of the neighborhood would only be able to turn right.
What’s green about it? On the EcoVision Homes website, the company says it uses materials that are 100% recyclable. The homes have hurricane-resistant 50-year polymer commercial roofs for climate and weather resiliency. The construction uses less lumber, which helps to deter termites. The homes are built to be energy efficient and each comes with a high-efficiency HVAC system. However, solar panels are not planned.
Parking challenges: Every townhome in the community would have a one-car garage and a 15-foot-wide driveway. Some homes would have parking in the rear, accessed from an alley. Others would have parking in the front.
The community will have a limited number of street parking spaces, but Barmby told city commissioners on Friday that to ensure enough spaces, “We’ve got a condition in the PUD that the garage cannot be used for anything other than parking.”
Zoning change needed: Currently, half of the site is zoned for a business park or warehouses including semi-truck parking and loading bays. The developer wants that parcel to be changed to “residential medium.”
The proposed amendment will be introduced by title only at Monday’s City Commission meeting. The discussion and vote is scheduled for June 17.
No one came forward at the planning and zoning meetings to speak against the project. The P&Z Board members voted unanimously to recommend approval after asking about traffic and neighborhood compatibility. There was discussion of installing speed humps on 8th Street.
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
