Lake Wales Housing Authority seeks approval for Grove Manor redevelopment; planning staff recommends special-exception PDP

Autumn Paciello, growth-management planner for the City of Lake Wales, presented the Grove Manor redevelopment as a planned development (PDP) because the multifamily project exceeds 12 units and requires PDP review. Paciello said the Lake Wales Housing Authority, the property owner, requests approval of a special-exception use permit for a multiphase master plan on 24.74 acres at Sessoms Avenue.

Paciello said the existing site contains 69 single-story residential buildings and associated parking. The master phasing plan contemplates four phases. The presentation described starting construction with what the applicant labels Phase 2: four apartment buildings totaling 78 units, plus parking and a clubhouse containing a leasing office, fitness center, community room with kitchen and an outdoor plaza. Future phases may include a variety of housing types and Phase 4 is planned to be transferred to the city for a future project.

Paciello told commissioners that the site’s future land use is medium-density residential (MDR) and the zoning is R-3; the MDR policy allows up to 12 dwelling units per acre (about 296 units on 24.74 acres). With the comprehensive-plan affordable-housing density bonus of up to 33 percent, the applicant proposes 308 dwelling units and could build up to 394 under the bonus calculation, Paciello said.

Parking was a central planning-board concern. Paciello said Table "20 Three-306B" (as cited in staff materials) requires 1.5 parking spaces per multifamily dwelling unit; at the planning-and-zoning hearing the applicant’s plan provided about 1.44 spaces per unit, producing a split recommendation. After the hearing the applicant submitted a revised site plan to reflect 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit. Staff also reported a tenant transportation survey the housing authority conducted indicating about 70 percent of current tenants have cars. As a condition of approval staff included a provision allowing the housing authority to request, based on a summary of the tenant survey and projected transportation needs, an administrative waiver of up to 20 percent of standard parking should the site be demonstrably overparked.

Al Kirkland, executive director of the Lake Wales Housing Authority, told the commission the authority is governed by a board whose members are appointed by the mayor and that it receives federal funding and regulations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Kirkland said the authority expects to issue Housing Choice Vouchers to relocate residents affected by Phase 2 construction and that it is attempting to keep relocations local within Polk County where possible. He said relocation experience varies: in a previous redevelopment, Sunrise Park, a small share of former residents returned when units were rebuilt.

Rick Krogan of Smith & Henze, the development partner, said the project team plans to apply for Florida Housing funding in the next cycle (tentatively July; timing uncertain) and that because Polk County’s population increase has reclassified it as a “large county” for Florida Housing, the county will have a separate allocation of certain resources in the competitive process. Krogan noted that tariffs and rising construction costs could affect budgeting and schedule.

Planning staff noted that the project is within the city’s Community Redevelopment Area and that redevelopment and additional affordable housing are consistent with CRA goals. Staff recommended approval of the special-exception use permit with conditions addressing landscaping, compliance with the master plan and administrative review for future phases; the transcript records no final commission vote on the item.

Key planning details from the transcript: site area 24.74 acres; existing 69 single-story buildings; proposed 308 dwelling units (with a 33% affordable-housing density bonus available up to 394 units); Phase 2 proposed as 78 units with relocation of 42 residents for that phase; planning-and-zoning board recommendation was 4–3 in favor; parking standard 1.5 spaces per unit (applicant revised plan to meet 1.5); tenant survey reported about 70% car ownership; administrative waiver of up to 20% parking permitted if supported by survey data. The housing authority said it will use Housing Choice Vouchers to relocate affected residents during phased construction. Construction for the initial phase was described as likely to begin in July in the project team’s timeline, but Florida Housing funding timing remained uncertain in the transcript.