Development coming to Colonial in Oakland

Two projects totaling nearly 27 acres were presented to the Oakland Town Commission for approval at the March 12 meeting. The elected officials approved the first reading and public hearing of multiple ordinances related to the projects.

Oakland West Five Zero LLC and owner Steve Healy have submitted an application to amend the Future Lane Use from Commercial Mixed Use to Mixed Use Activity Center and to rezone 21.25 acres at the southeast corner of Tubb Street and West Colonial Drive for a project called 4th Street Village.

The proposed development originally included several buildings arranged in the form of a town center with 190 multi-family dwelling units, a maximum of 125,000 square feet of commercial, 25,000 square feet of office and a 110-room hotel (68,000 square feet). The southeast corner of the property is a wetland preserve area, and the applicant is proposing a small event center or gathering area.

The Mixed Use Activity Center designation is intended for urban-style mixed development for properties located adjacent to and in close proximity to the West Colonial Drive corridor.

The commission approved the ordinance with the stipulation the hotel is removed and more mixed-use space is added.

Donald Parsons, a resident who lives on Fourth Street, voiced his concerns about the impact this will have on his property.

“Would you want to have something like this after living (there) for 40 years?” he asked. “It’s like putting a sewage plant in front of my house. I’m going to have all the trash coming over to my side of the street.”

“You’re really lucky that you haven’t had any development here before this,” Mayor Kathy Stark responded.

Another resident who has lived near the proposed development since 1978 worried about the event center emitting music late at night.

“I feel like we’re wasting our time because you don’t care,” she told the commission.

“We hear you,” Stark said. “That’s a very good piece of land for commercial development; it’s been slated for that. We will have to work together. But it’s not going to not happen.”

Resident Donna Reed expressed concern about parking for the event center.

“When this is full, people will find any place to park, including along (Highway) 50 and in front of their homes,” she said.

Town Manager Andy Stewart assured Reed the town has parking standards that would be enforced.

The second project presented was Oakland Village at The Grove, located at 1551 W. Colonial Drive. The applicant, New Horizons Investments LLC, is asking for a small-scale Future Land-Use amendment for the 5.2 acres from Commercial to Mixed Use Activity Center with a rezoning from A-1 to Planned Development with a Development Agreement.

This proposed development, on the north side of Colonial, includes two three-story buildings with a maximum of 48,000 square feet of commercial and retail on the first floor and 72 multi-family units on the second and third floors.

The land is on the boundary of Oakland and Winter Garden. The project still is in the conceptual phase, so no tenants have been selected. Commissioner Sal Ramos recommended original mom-and-pop stores. If approved, the project should take two years to complete, the applicant said.

The second reading and public hearing was to be held at the Tuesday, March 26, Town Commission meeting, which took place after press time.

UTILITY RATES

The Oakland Town Commission passed a resolution pertaining to adjustments in utility rates. Public Works Director Mike Parker provided the background on the wastewater issue:

“Periodically, the town reviews the water and sewer utility rates being charged to see if they are providing a sufficient revenue stream. Expenditures include operational expenses (staffing, electric, chemicals, treatment charges, engineering, etc.), capital improvements (new

infrastructure), regulatory expenses (fire hydrants, exercising valves, backflow program expenses, contaminant monitoring, regulatory reporting, etc.), capital replacements, emergencies and other costs. These utility dollars are going toward a lot of different expenses that most users don't even think about.

“While some may have negative feelings about population growth, as the number of customers grows, it provides an opportunity to spread these fixed costs over a larger base,” Parker said. “That is a good thing.”

The rates are being raised from $6 per thousand gallons to $7.25 per thousand, and it will affect commercial and wastewater customers only.

IN OTHER NEWS

• The Oakland Town Commission authorized the town manager to execute a design proposal to reconstruct the intersection of Macchi Avenue and Winters Landing Drive. The neighborhood was constructed nearly 20 years ago, and the town kept the stormwater runoff at street level. The arrival of Oakland Park brings an increase in traffic to the streets, and there have been drainage and street elevation issues. The funds will come from transportation impact fees.

• Elected officials approved an amendment to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant agreement to assist Oakland with the conversion of Oakland Avenue Charter school and the Public Safety Complex from a septic system to centralized sewer. The amount of the matching grant was $150,000. The project is nearly complete.