Wildwood council directs staff to draft North 38 rezoning legislation after negotiating Main Street, unit and fee changes

Wildwood — The City Council authorized staff on Feb. 10 to prepare legislation for the North 38 (also referred to in materials as Latitude North 38) development and rezoning request after negotiating changes with the developer, including increasing the project to 55 housing units and having the developer construct one-half of the Main Street cross-section along its frontage.

The action directs the city attorney and departments to draft ordinance language and a revised cooperation agreement for the council’s March meeting; council members said approving the draft does not finalize zoning or site approvals, which would come later in the formal ordinance and site-plan review process.

Why this matters: North 38 sits adjacent to the planned Village Green town-center park and to existing Crestview Drive. Council and staff framed the vote as a way to start an engineered extension of Main Street and to secure developer commitments while continuing city efforts to acquire additional right-of-way on the north side of Crestview Drive. Those acquisitions would be needed to complete the full Main Street design later.

What the council approved and why: City staff described the negotiated package as a 55-unit plan with the developer constructing a 24.5-foot roadway pavement, streetscape elements and associated improvements within a 40-foot-wide land dedication along the development’s frontage. Director Vunich summarized the proposal in council discussion: "A 55 unit plan, the construction of 1 half of Main Street along the petitioners frontage, That Main Street would be constructed in land dedicated, at 40 feet of width along the frontage." City Administrator Thomas Lee told council the developer had indicated "if we don't approve as the council, the 55 units that they would not proceed." Council members used the drafting authorization to press staff to continue efforts to secure the remaining northern dedication and rights to Crestview Drive so the city can build the full-design Main Street in the future.

Public comment and neighborhood concerns: Several residents spoke during the public-participation period and raised erosion, traffic and density concerns tied to the proposal. Tim Comer, a Ward 8 resident who said he has attended every meeting on the project, told council, "The number 1 issue for me is the erosion to my property." Lynn Link, who said she has attended many council and planning meetings on Latitude and 38, summarized the opposition she has heard: "I've never heard 1 resident say that they thought that mister Bosworth's proposal was good for Wildwood." Councilmembers acknowledged those concerns in debate and asked staff for follow-up during site-plan review and inspections.

Debate points: Council discussion focused on (1) whether building only half a Main Street now would create future rework or added expense, (2) whether 55 units versus the earlier 53 requested by staff was acceptable, and (3) how to use credits against the traffic generation assessment (TGA) fee. Council member Rambo urged caution about a half-street approach, saying Main Street "has always been envisioned as being a sort of a boulevard" and warned that a piecemeal approach could leave a years-long gap in the city center. Council member Dodwell and others argued that developer-built improvements can serve as a catalyst, noting past successes where initial construction encouraged later dedications.

Financial and technical details staff reported to council: the city and developer negotiated to forego a one-time cash payment in favor of the developer constructing the roadway; staff said the city would still credit the developer for the TGA fee (staff noted an approximate TGA credit of $158,000). The cooperation agreement will describe construction responsibilities, inspection standards, and the 40-foot dedication that becomes public right-of-way after construction and acceptance. Director Brown (Public Works) confirmed the developer-built road would be constructed to city plans and be inspected and accepted by the city.

Next steps and timing: Staff said they will prepare draft ordinances and a revised cooperation agreement for the March council meeting. If council approves the ordinance in subsequent readings, the development will still need detailed site-plan and construction-plan reviews and separate permits; staff estimated a multi-month review and drafting timeline before any construction could begin.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to direct staff to prepare legislation approving the North 38 rezoning and cooperation agreement, amended to permit 55 units and accept the negotiated changes on Main Street construction and credit: motion carried (roll-call vote; amendments adopted during the meeting). The council instructed staff to present the draft ordinance in March. - Motion to change number of authorized units from 53 to 55 (proposed amendment by Council member Evans, second by Council member Dodwell): passed (tally announced in meeting as 9–7 during the amendment vote).

What council did not approve tonight: Several earlier attempts to reduce the unit count (a motion to cap the project at 43 units, made by Council member Kranz and seconded by Council member Farmer) failed in a roll-call vote.

Context and history: The property and the town-center regulating plan have been discussed intermittently since at least 2018; the project has moved through multiple design iterations after prior Planning and Zoning and council review. Staff and council repeatedly referenced Main Street Crossing and the Town Center Regulating Plan as design templates and said Village Green construction nearby strengthens the case for moving the street extension forward.

Searchable tags: North 38, Latitude, Town Center, rezoning, Main Street, Crestview Drive, traffic generation assessment, Village Green, Wildwood.