LAKELAND, Fla. — One of Lakeland’s oldest golf courses will soon be home to new development.
What You Need To Know
Lakeland commissioners approved more housing units on the former Wedgewood Golf Course
Neighbors say the development could worsen traffic and flooding, blaming poor maintenance of the property
SJD Development says its latest plan will add a second access point, realign a street and upgrade the site’s outdated drainage system
City commissioners recently approved 973 housing units to be built on the former Wedgewood Golf Course. That’s an increase from the 954 homes included in the developer’s previous plan — a proposal that faced pushback from the start.
Like many first-time homebuyers, Joshuah and Garion Wolverton put in hours to make their house a home. But since moving to Rockingham Road in October, the two say they’ve learned their efforts could soon be in vain. The planned development would sit close to their property, with the former golf course connecting directly to their backyard.
“Which is a shame, because if you look at it, we have kind of a nice, expansive hill back there,” Joshuah said.
Besides changing their view, the couple worries the planned multifamily, single-family and townhouse developments will bring more traffic to an already busy neighborhood.
“Especially with my commute, I work at Tampa Bay International Airport and it takes about 45 minutes, but if we have more people here, that commute is going to be longer because a lot of people are going to be leaving in and out of the place,” Garion said.
During Monday’s commission meeting, residents also shared concerns about flooding, pointing to the property owner’s failure to maintain the course.
However, SJD Development’s new plan will add a second access point and realign a street to improve traffic flow. Founder and President Scott House said he also plans to work with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, known as SWFWMD, to fix the land’s outdated drainage system once building permits are approved.
“It’s not a lack of wanting to do it. It’s a lack of not being able to do it,” House said. “Just can’t get a permit. So as soon as we can get approval and get into January and I can get my development agreement approved, I’m ready to go.”
As for Joshuah and Garion, they question whether the project is still the right decision for the community.
“I mean, we have our main road here, which is nice, but there’s no telling what is going to go behind us. I don’t exactly know what’s going to go behind us,” Joshuah said.
Commissioners must approve a development agreement before construction can begin. The first hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5, with a vote expected Jan. 20.
