The City of Belleview has secured $1 million from the State of Florida’s 2025– 2026 budget to help fund its ongoing wastewater treatment plant expansion — a project no longer seen as a luxury but a necessity in the face of growth all across southern Marion County.
Construction on the facility broke ground in early 2025 and aims to increase the plant’s permitted capacity from 1.0 to 1.2 million gallons per day. While the 20% bump may sound modest, the extra volume could be critical as thousands of new homes come online across Belleview and its outskirts.
Over a dozen large residential and commercial developments are either approved, under construction, or nearing completion. Inside Belleview city limits alone, projects like Bellehaven (1,003 homes), Autumn Glen Phases 1 and 2 (309 homes), Bennah Oaks Phases 1 and 2 (239 homes), and Kreb’s Corner (20 homes) are reshaping the local map.
Outside city limits, even more growth looms — including the controversial Sandy Clay project (442 homes), the sprawling Sunset Hills development in Summerfield (324 homes across multiple phases), and Heritage Oaks (158 homes).
Altogether, more than 3,500 homes are planned or in progress across South Marion County. And despite some of these being outside Belleview’s city limits, the city will supply water and sewer services to many of them under interlocal agreements — a move that brings welcome revenue but compounds the pressure on aging infrastructure.
Among the most ambitious projects is the newly approved Bellehaven Community Development District (CDD), a 1,003- home neighborhood slated for 219 acres near SE 58th Avenue and Baseline Road. Approved by the Belleview City Commission in September 2024, Bellehaven represents the first-ever CDD within city limits, using a self-taxing model to fund $44 million in roads and infrastructure.
It’s not just homes. Belleview is also welcoming new business parks, including the Landcorp Business Park (13 commercial lots) and 484 Business Park Phase 1 (7 commercial lots). And that means more restrooms, more water taps, and more sewer lines.
To keep pace, Belleview adopted Ordinance 2024-15 last year, modestly increasing water and sewer user rates by $3 per 4,000 gallons — its first water rate hike in about four years. The city also shifted billing to a per-gallon format to improve transparency.
City officials were quick to point out that Belleview still charges over $5 less than neighboring Ocala for comparable usage. They also emphasized that millage rates have remained flat for seven years. An independent 2023 audit by The Voice found Belleview had some of the lowest municipal water rates in Florida — a title it still holds even after the rate change.
But low rates can’t carry a city through rapid expansion without investments. The project was identified as a top priority in Belleview’s state-mandated 20-Year Water Needs Analysis, which calls for long-range planning to meet future demand..
Construction on the wastewater treatment plant expansion is expected to wrap up by June 2026.
