In the past month, Walden Lake residents have united in a stance against any potential redevelopment of their community’s golf courses and country club. They fear changing the amenities to town homes will affect their property values, and some say the current conditions of the courses already have done so.
However, although General Manager Steve Mercer has indicated a desire to redevelop, so far, Visions Golf LLC, the owner of the country club, has yet to file any formal rezone requests.
“No plans have been submitted, nor any applications filed, by the owners of the Walden Lake Golf & Country Club to change the zoning or amend the city’s Comprehensive Plan,” City Manager Greg Horwedel said last week.
When and if a plan is filed, it will be evaluated by city staff and, later, city commissioners, regarding its compatibility with existing land uses and Walden Lake’s Community Unit zoning designation. Depending on the type of proposal and what kind of changes it would require to the land use and zoning, the approval process could take as long as three years, Horwedel said.
WHAT IS COMMUNITY UNIT ZONING?
Development in Walden Lake is governed by the general site development plan of the Walden Lake Community Unit District, which was approved by the Plant City Commission. The general site development plan specifically indicates an area for the golf course, country club and driving range.
Any uses other than those as shown on the general site development plan will require the owner to petition the city for a rezoning to modify the Walden Lake Community Unit District. Community Unit Districts now are referred to as Planned Development Districts.
“There is not an overall cap for the number of homes listed in the Walden Lake Community Unit District,” said Mark Hudson, principal planner at the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission. “However, the Walden Lake Community Unit District does limit the overall density to five dwellings per gross acre.
“The general site-development plan specifically indicates an area for the golf course, country club and driving range,” he said. “Any uses other than those will require the owner to petition the city for a rezoning to modify the Walden Lake Community Unit District.”
CHANGING A PROPERTY’S ZONING DESIGNATION
City staff processes such requests (assuming the proposed rezoning or change to a Community Unit is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s future land-use designation for the property).
Generally, the rezoning process takes about four to six months, depending on the complexity of the proposed zoning change. At least two public hearings are required for approval: Plant City Planning Board (one hearing) and the City Commission (one hearing). Public input can be given at each hearing. Property owners within 150 feet of the property proposed to be rezoned will be notified of the hearing dates. Signs notifying the public of hearing dates also will be placed on the property proposed for rezoning.
Finally, based upon staff’s initial assessment of the traffic that could be generated by a proposed rezoning, applicants seeking the zoning change may also be required to pay for a formal transportation analysis. This likely would add additional time to review and evaluate the rezoning.
WALDEN LAKE’S CURRENT LAND-USE DESIGNATION
The city’s Comprehensive Plan indicates the current future land-use designation for the vast majority of the Walden Lake Community Unit District is Residential-6. This land use designation covers all areas of Walden Lake Golf & Country Club.
A partial description of uses that may be allowed in Residential-6 is as follows:
“Single-family homes on individual lots are the predominant use in these areas, although other housing and development approaches can also be integrated at lower densities. Residential development within Residential-6 will be no more than six units per gross acre. Neighborhood parks, scenic open space, institutional uses (e.g. churches) and public facilities serving neighborhood residents are often integral parts of these residential areas.”
CHANGING LAND-USE DESIGNATION
Property owners who want to change the land-use designation on their property are required to submit an application to the city. Planning staff will review any proposal to modify the land use designation under the Comprehensive Plan. If staff determines the proposed modified use(s) are not allowed under the current land-use designation, then the owner would be advised he or she must apply for an amendment to the future land-use map.
City staff then would coordinate with staff at the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission and the property owner to process the proposed future land-use map amendment.
In general, map amendments encompassing 10 acres or more require eight to 10 months to process. Adoption of any plan amendment would require a number of public hearings: Plant City Planning Board (one hearing), Hillsborough County Planning Commission (one hearing), and the Plant City Commission (two hearings). The two hearings by the City Commission would be several months apart. Public input can be given at each hearing. Property owners within 250 feet of the property proposed for the future land use change will be notified of these hearing dates.
DOES A TOWNHOME SCENARIO FIT WITHIN THE RESIDENTIAL-6 LAND-USE DESIGNATION?
“It is impossible to give a definitive response without an actual proposal to properly evaluate,” said Mark Hudson, principal planner at the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission. “In general, townhomes may be considered within a future land use designation of Residential-6. However, homes developed within this land use category are limited to a density of six dwellings per gross acre.”
