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Developers planning to build on the former Wedgewood Golf Course want the City Commission to approve a revised plan that swaps many of the apartments for townhomes and reworks the streets to ease traffic on Carpenters Way.
If the new site layout for the nearly 129-acre project is approved, it would override zoning adopted in 2022. The Commission is expected to vote on the request on Dec. 15, although work couldn’t begin until a development agreement is finalized.
What the developers are asking for
The 18-hole Wedgewood Golf Course closed in May 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mulberry-based SJD Development purchased it from Kanes Golf of Florida for $4.5 million in December 2021.
The existing zoning allows 834 apartments, 60 townhomes and 60 single-family homes, for a total of 954 units across multiple tracts on both sides of Carpenters Way.
SJD Development’s new site plan would change that mix to:
- 700 apartments
- 212 townhomes
- 61 single-family homes
- 973 total units
That’s 134 fewer apartments and 152 more townhomes than currently approved. It represents a 2% increase in overall units, but it also adds a 12th parcel to the formerly 11-parcel project.
The developers say the change responds to two forces: neighborhood concerns about height along property lines and shifting market conditions.
Townhomes are increasingly popular, planners and developers say, because they provide more privacy than apartments but cost less to buy and maintain than single-family homes.
How the layout has changed since 2022
Original plan (2022): The original layout had large apartment clusters along the former fairways, backed by smaller pockets of townhomes and single-family homes. Many of the tallest buildings were on the perimeter, sharing property lines with existing two-story homes and the Fairfield on the Tee condominiums.
Access into the project relied almost entirely on Carpenters Way, with internal streets branching through the site.
Revised proposal (2025): The new plan reverses that approach. It places townhomes and single-family lots along the edges of the property and moves taller apartment buildings toward the interior.
The biggest shift is in Tracts 10 and 11 on the south side:
- Tract 11 drops from 240 to 120 apartments, eliminating three buildings near Fairfield on the Tee.
- Tract 10, increases from 58 to 116 two-story townhomes in place of taller buildings.
To maintain the overall apartment count, the developers propose allowing four-story buildings on Tract 4, farther from existing homes. The height drew objections from some residents at the Nov. 18 Planning and Zoning meeting.
“As it stands now, we’re not planning to do four-story,” Danny Kovacs of Tract Engineering said, speaking on behalf of SJD Development.
However, he said the developer is already entitled to build four-story apartments and limiting the height to three stories would eliminate 70 units.
Planned traffic improvements
Traffic circulation through Wedgewood has been a major concern since the project was first proposed in 2021. The new plan includes several changes meant to relieve pressure on Carpenters Way.
Developers would donate Tract 9a to the city for the future extension of Lakeland Park Center Drive, creating a second access point in addition to Carpenters Way.
The plan also realigns Wedgewood Estates Boulevard to meet Heatherpoint Drive more directly, improving sight lines and setting the intersection up for a future roundabout or traffic signal.
Remaining concerns
Even with the revisions, some issues remain for nearby residents, who have shared them at recent meetings.
No new public green space: While the site looks open today, most former fairways and pond areas were designated “future development” when the project was approved in 2022. The new request does not set aside additional land for a park or nature area, though it retains the stormwater ponds and adds new retention areas.
Traffic timing and funding: The street design is clearer, but the details — when Lakeland Park Center Drive would be extended and who pays for each improvement — are still being negotiated. Those commitments will be spelled out in a separate development agreement running alongside the zoning change.
Stormwater: Residents around the golf course have long raised concerns about drainage and flooding. City staff noted that the golf course and most of the homes were built before the South Florida Water Management District was created in 1972. New construction will require extensive review by engineers and SFWMD to ensure the ponds and new retention areas are adequate.
What’s next
The City Commission will vote on the zoning change at its Dec. 15 meeting. SJD sought a continuance of a separate development agreement outlining the timing of road and utility work, which was still being negotiated Friday. But Transportation and Planning Manager Chuck Barmby said it might be ready for a first reading on Dec. 15 and final vote on Jan. 5.
If approved, the project would be built in two phases:
- Phase 1: 460 apartments on the south end of the site and a new amenity center.
- Phase 2: 212 townhomes, 61 single-family homes and 240 additional apartments.
If the change is not approved, the 2022 entitlements would remain in place.
“Something is going to be built there,” Planning and Zoning Board Member Silvana Knight said.
Area residents fought the project, which will eliminate much of the green space with trees and wildlife. But the 2022 zoning filing said the golf course was “no longer profitable” and was losing money.
“Losing a golf course, that’s a huge change, no matter how you cut it,” Barmby said. But he said he believes the new plan is an improvement over the 2022 version.
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