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After four years and multiple rewrites, the latest proposal for Lakeland’s former Wedgewood golf course would, if approved, cut the number of homes and provide land for new road connections.
The City Commission is expected to vote on it May 18.
The 117-acre former golf course closed in May 2021. SJD Development bought it that December for $4.5 million. The first redevelopment plans surfaced in April 2022.
What began as roughly 1,400 homes became 1,000. Then 954. Then 973. Now, 825.
Under the latest proposal, the number of townhomes increases from 212 to 394, and apartments drop from 700 to 370.
The most significant change might not be inside the neighborhood, but around it.
The plan also reserves land for long-desired road connections around Carpenter’s Way, which city staff say is one of the most congested corridors in north Lakeland during peak hours.
Longtime residents say fewer homes, less traffic, and a better street network sound good on paper. But for them, the question isn’t whether this version is better than the last one; it’s whether the developer can be trusted to follow through.
The bigger story: traffic
Chuck Barmby, Lakeland’s transportation and development review manager, said the reduced plan would generate about 1,000 fewer daily trips and about 80 fewer evening peak-hour trips than the version commissioners approved in December.
Danny Kovacs of Tract Engineering, representing SJD Development, said the goal is to “reduce the density” by “spreading some units out a little bit more — so less intense for what our market is today.”
The city is using this deal to secure pieces of a larger road network it has wanted to relieve pressure on Carpenter’s Way in north Lakeland for years, including:
- 11 acres of land for a future Lakeland Park Center Drive extension just north of Interstate 4
- A realigned Wedgewood Estates Boulevard connection at Heatherpoint Drive
- A future eastern stub-out for another connection
- $423,413 toward the city’s multimodal transportation system
Barmby said the city’s push for better east-west connectivity in north Lakeland dates back to a study in 2008. This project gives Lakeland a chance to finally secure part of it.
As part of the agreement, the developer would dedicate additional land for intersection work and wetlands. Altogether, the transportation-related land dedications total about 15 acres.
Neighbors say the real issue is trust
Six residents from the surrounding Wedgewood community spoke at the City Commission meeting on Monday, May 4, with concerns about drainage, landscaping, traffic, enforcement of commitments, and access to nearby neighborhoods.
“We have a life. We have a community… We don’t have a lot of confidence,” Wedgewood resident Patty Larrinaga told commissioners, citing past issues with wastewater, property upkeep, and “promises that have been made and broken with us.”
Derby Drive resident Don Hamilton said the developer drained a pond behind his home about four years ago.
“When they drained the pond, it took away the back pressure from the retaining wall,” Hamilton said. “That retaining wall has since collapsed.” He worries about the land behind his home sliding into the boggy lake bed, possibly taking his pool and lanai with it.
Kovacs said the developer is aware of the issue, but some fixes depend on getting civil permits.
“As soon as we can get equipment on site, we can address some of these drainage issues that were brought up at the last couple of hearings,” Kovacs said.
He said the retaining wall behind Hamilton’s property is also under review.
“We will certainly look at that and have our structural engineer analyze it and see what improvements we’ll have to make,” Kovacs said.
Dennis Grice, president of the Fairfield community’s homeowners association, is concerned about landscaping.
“We were promised in one of the previous meetings that we would have at least a 20-foot buffer of trees and bushes between the property lines. I want to make sure that’s still part of the changes that are being made,” he said.
Kovacs said the latest changes don’t remove any requirements for tree canopies or landscaping.
Roundabout question comes later
Whether there should be a roundabout or traffic signal at the intersection of Carpenters Way, Wedgewood Estates Boulevard, and Heatherpoint Drive was a major discussion point.
Several residents advocated for a roundabout, but Barmby said that question is separate from the upcoming vote.
Roundabouts move traffic efficiently and have safety advantages, but city staff said it could be difficult to build one at that location. A roundabout would likely require a larger footprint, more right-of-way, and a long construction window that could severely disrupt access for Audubon Oaks and Heatherpoint — neighborhoods with limited ways in and out.
A roundabout decision by the city will come later through the project’s engineering and permitting process.
If the latest proposal is approved on May 18, the next step will be a May 19 Planning and Zoning Board hearing to change the planned unit development to match the development agreement. That will be followed by utility, site plan, subdivision, building permit, and construction approvals.
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