By Bryce Abshier – Contact Bryce@voiceofsouthmarion.com
A public hearing of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners took place on Tuesday to discuss two large developments in the unincorporated Belleview area. The hearing, scheduled to start at 2:00 pm according to signage at the development property, stretched into the late evening due to earlier hearings running long. Finally, around 7:10 pm, the remaining residents, who had waited over five hours to speak, had their chance. Their cause? Opposing a pair of planned massive developments at the convergence of Baseline Road and SE 92nd Loop. In particular contention with residents of neighboring communities was the proposal of a series of 2-story apartment buildings, featuring 2 and 3-bedroom apartments.
To begin the hearing, Marion County staff outlined the layout and plans for the proposed development projects. The unintended comedy of the presentation came at the end. With a straight face, a Marion County Growth Services staff member looked at the Marion County Commissioner board and recommended approval of the massive development projects – meanwhile, in the background, his own PowerPoint slide displayed on a projector, showing local Belleview schools operating at over 100% capacity. But this was not sketch comedy, nor was it an episode of the Twilight Zone. It was simply an average Tuesday for the Marion County Board of County Commissioners.
The two proposed developments, planned to be adjacent on SE 92nd Loop, have the following specifics:
• The application and conceptual plan for one such development propose 337 lots which is the maximum permitted given the acreage and land use of the property.
• The other PUD proposes 362 residential units, including 58 single-family (south of SE 92nd Loop) and 304 multifamily units (north of SE 92nd Loop). The multifamily units would be the 2-story apartment buildings, including 2-3 bedroom apartments. The developer, throughout a presentation, repeatedly referred to referred to this project as a “coordinated effort with Marion County”, saying that the county had asked for what he kept calling “workforce housing”. His claim was met with opposition by Commissioner Kathy Bryant, who stated she did not believe someone at the county would tell the developer what to build.
While this project falls in unincorporated Marion County, it is worth noting that the City of Belleview will be providing water utilities to these upcoming developments.
For many in the neighboring communities, the added insult of this hearing was that properties in question already have R-1 zoning. This means the developer could place around four homes per acre as things stand currently, without going before the Board of County Commissioners. Instead, they went before the commission to ask for PUD zoning, to build as many homes on the property as possible and maximize profits.
When the public finally had their chance to speak, those who remained in attendance seized the moment with articulate, vehement opposition. After all, with five hours of waiting, they had enough time to draft their speeches, memoirs, and grocery lists.
“I don’t believe the staff told the man from Orlando to come save us with apartments,” quipped Kat Tuck, the President of Golf Park Property Owners Association, a community nearby the proposed apartments. She was referring to the repeated claims made by a developer that Marion County asked him to build “workforce housing”.
Another resident, who works as a general contractor and earns a living from the construction of new homes, also spoke in opposition. He told commissioners that the proposed density “just did not fit” in the area of designated properties.
The hearing was ultimately tabled until June 18, when it will be revisited by the Board of County Commissioners. The developer was urged by the commission to reconsider plans for the 2-story apartment buildings.
