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The proposed community would be within walking distance of Lakeland's medical corridor. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow
5-minute read
Lakeland commissioners have cleared the way for a community of 30 two-story townhomes north of Memorial Boulevard and east of the city’s medical corridor.
The decision at Monday’s City Commission meeting passed 5-2 after a contentious debate over traffic and parking.
Planning logic: The proposal for “affordable workforce housing” by Orlando-based Neiel Group LLC ticks many boxes in the city’s long-term land use and economic development plans.
Density: It’s infill development in an urban area with existing infrastructure.
Affordability: The two- and three-bedroom homes would be sold, not rented, and priced within reach of nurses, teachers and police officers.
Walkability: Couples might only need one car because several major employers are nearby, including Academy Prep middle school 0.1 miles away and Lakeland Regional Health 0.7 miles away.
Neighborhood revitalization: The site — north of a pawn shop, check-cashing store and low-budget motel — has many transient residents. The townhome community would bring investment to the area, including new sidewalks along Bon Air Street, Gilmore Avenue, 1st Street and North Vermont Avenue.
The proposed development, highlighted in green, would be one block north of Memorial Boulevard and one block east of Lakeland Hills Boulevard. | Google Earth
There is “planning logic behind this proposal,” Lakeland Planning & Transportation Manager Chuck Barmby said.
But not everyone on the City Commission was convinced.
Opposition: Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. said he was concerned about parking and traffic, particularly if residents use an existing alley between two homes north of the site.
Commissioner Bill Read said he thinks 30 homes is too many for the vacant 1.79-acre block. He was also concerned that roughly 40 large Southern live oak trees “are going to disappear.”
“If you look at the plan, it looks real nice. I’m just not sure it’s going to end up that way,” Read said.
“I think it’s going to turn into a slum area if we approve this.”
Public-private partnership: Lakeland’s Community Redevelopment Agency purchased the land for $140,000 in July 2009, hoping to improve quality of life in the struggling Midtown neighborhood.
“Workforce housing is an area of need for all of Lakeland, and this subject site certainly seems to lend itself to that,” CRA Manager Valerie Vaught said.
The CRA advertised the property as part of the city’s Affordable Housing Land Bank program. Under city income guidelines, workforce housing is for individuals making up to $81,760 a year or $116,620 for a family of four.
The proposal: The Neiel Group’s plan calls for six buildings with five townhomes each. Three would face Vermont Avenue, and three would face Gilmore.
A playground, small dog park for residents, bicycle parking and basketball court would occupy the common space in the middle.
Residents would access their garages via two alleys inside the community. | City of Lakeland
A rough rendering shows what the Bon Air development would look like from each of the surrounding streets. | City of Lakeland
The four buildings at the north and south ends would have 3-bedroom units. | City of Lakeland
The two buildings in the middle of the community would have 2-bedroom units.
A tentative floor plan of the 3-bedroom units. | City of Lakeland
A tentative floor plan of the 2-bedroom units. | City of Lakeland
The buildings would be set back 20 feet from the road. Behind each home, there would be a single-car garage and short driveway with room for one more vehicle.
The garages would be accessed from 10-foot alleys connecting Bon Air and First Street.
Parking concerns: LaLonde questioned whether families with two cars would actually park one in the driveway, blocking the garaged vehicle.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever pull my truck out so my wife can pull her car out, and then pull my truck back in,” LaLonde said. “That’s going to push more for parking along the side of the streets, which are already narrow.”
Barmby said the surrounding streets are all 20- to 22-feet wide and the city commonly allows on-street parking in residential areas. If any road becomes congested, he said the city could post signs restricting parking to one side.
“From a traffic standpoint, it meets all of our tests. The traffic impacts are very much distributed around the surrounding street network,” Barmby said.
Zoning changes: The commissioners cast three votes on Monday, all passing 5-2.
The first repealed a 1994 plan that included 30 townhomes on the CRA-owned block, plus 14 more on private property north of Bon Air.
Barmby said it didn’t meet current zoning requirements and the original developer never owned the northern portion with two single-family homes, each on a triple lot.
The 1994 proposal would have had a smaller recreation area, parking spaces between the buildings and no through-access from Bon Air to First Street. | City of Lakeland
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Cindy's reporting for LkldNow focuses on Lakeland city government. Previously, she was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow in 2023. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
I agree with commissioners Read and LaLonde…..this will lead to on street parking and more congestion….sounds like at least 2 uses common sense in their vote
I agree with commissioners Read and LaLonde…..this will lead to on street parking and more congestion….sounds like at least 2 uses common sense in their vote