It’s brass tacks time for Sugarmill Woods. Months of debate comes to a head Thursday as Citrus County commissioners have a 5 p.m. public hearing on a rezoning that would bring 250 apartments to Oak Village. We’re all planning on a long night.
The last several weeks have seen county commission email inboxes stuffed with anti-apartment rants from Sugarmill Woods residents. Plus, petitions with hundreds of signatures. The developer’s side isn’t as loud or large, but it is influential with the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce’s backing. It’s all in the hands of five county commissioners who, collectively, have never presided over anything remotely close to this. Sometimes it’s possible to get a read on how commissioners are feeling about a particular zoning case. Not this one. I have three thoughts: — This is similar, but not identical, to the Meadowcrest case. That was a 3-2 vote in favor of apartments in a community of single-family homes and villas, much like in Sugarmill. Of the commissioners who were in office for Meadowcrest, Holly Davis and Jeff Kinnard were yes votes and Chairman Ruthie Davis Schlabach was a no. Some significant differences. Meadowcrest apartments were so-called affordable housing; no one is suggesting these Cherry Oaks apartments will be “affordable” but rather upscale to fit the Sugarmill persona. The arguments against are along the same line. Meadowcrest residents complained of potential crime, traffic, drop in property values and a general trashing of the community by people who don’t have a homeowner’s stake. From reading Sugarmill emails, the concerns are similar. Another comparison to Meadowcrest: While this is technically a zoning application, what the developer wants to do is change the Oak Village master plan. Without getting too much into the weeds, there is a world of difference in someone’s expectations when they move into a community regarding zoning vs. master plan. Most people understand zoning is never a given. It can change at any time with proper notice and under the right circumstances. A development’s master plan, however, that thing is set in rock. Prospective homeowners make decisions on whether to buy or not based on a community master plan. Like with Meadowcrest, the Sugarmill Woods developer wants to change the master plan to better reflect the current market. Some people fault the developer for that but I don’t. Economic conditions always drive zoning changes, not the other way around. While it’s reasonable for a developer to think that way, it’s equally reasonable for residents to hold him to the master plan. That got lost in the Meadowcrest debate. Those folks were upset because they counted on that plan as being the law of the land when they moved in. It wasn’t just the idea of apartments that had them riled. It’s that the developer reneged on promises laid out in the master plan. Sugarmill is very similar. Folks who bought homes in Oak Village believing the master plan had houses and villas on that vacant 49 acres on Village Circle have every right to howl when the developer wants it changed to apartments. — But then there’s the second point, which is we desperately need apartments in this county and anyone who thinks someone’s going to dump poorly designed rentals in the middle of Sugarmill Woods is simply not being realistic. Look, I get the opposition. I really, really do. But let’s not be hysterical, OK? Sweetwater Homes isn’t going to build Section 8 apartments. These won’t be slums. Opponents will often say they support apartments but NOT HERE. Totally understand but it’s not that simple. Citrus County doesn’t have an apartment district, so unless or until it figures that out, we’re going to see these apartment zoning cases near residential communities. Last I checked, no one’s building apartments in an industrial park. — What a challenging call for all five commissioners. On one hand is a developer with a track record of excellence in one of Citrus County’s most heralded communities. Commissioners have no reason to think these apartments will be any different. On the other are hundreds (or more) of Sugarmill Woods residents who represent how we’re all feeling these days — nervous that the county is being overrun by development. Worse, it’s changing a long-standing way of life. I’ll be watching from my perch in the last row until the final vote. This is a toughie. Someone’s leaving unhappy and that’s never good. Join the discussion on our Facebook page. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. Archives
November 2024
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