HAINES CITY — It took less than 30 minutes for a shorthanded City Commission to approve two items pertaining to a new development and a resolution necessary for a grant application.
Vice Mayor Morris West and Commissioner Anne Huffman were attending events in South Florida, but there was no dissent among the three remaining commissioners.
DEVELOPMENT
The commission voted 3-0 to approve both the final plat and developer's agreement for the Hidden Lake Preserve subdivision at Johnson Avenue and Powerline Road. The development will consist of 113 single-family lots with lot sizes of 8,000 square feet.
The minimum home size will be 1,500 square feet with each having a minimum of 400 square feet for the garage. As part of the developer’s agreement, Starlight Homes will make stormwater improvements, connect to city utilities and construct a turning lane. The development had been in the works since before the recession of 2008.
“I’m glad to see this finally coming back,” Commissioner Don Mason said. “This was dead for a long time.”
Resident Sharon Garrett said the new development could interfere with the planned Central Polk Parkway. Garrett said the commission previously pledged to preserve infrastructure.
“If you build over the toll road, you’re not doing what you stated here,” Garrett said.
ADA RESOLUTION
The City Commission also voted 3-0 for a resolution that affirmed all city facilities were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The approval was part of the criteria to move forward with the application for a Community Development Block Grant for sewer line and roadway improvements on the city’s east side.
The plan is to install 6,400 linear feet of sewer. The total cost of the project is about $1 million, but about 70 percent of that will be covered by grants. The city plans to solicit bids for the project this summer.
Mike Ferguson can be reached at Mike.Ferguson@theledger.com or 863-401-6981. Follow Mike on Twitter@ MikeWFerguson.