Planning board approves 55‑lot Greenway Reserve subdivision amid neighborhood traffic concerns

The City of Ocala Planning & Zoning Commission voted to approve the conceptual plan for Greenway Reserve (case SUV 25‑0003), a planned‑development single‑family subdivision of 55 lots on 12.67 acres, after a staff presentation and public comment.

Karen Cupp, with the city’s Growth Management Department, told the board the subdivision would include 0.54 miles of roadway, minimum lots of 4,400 square feet (40 feet wide by about 110 feet deep) and setbacks of 15 feet front, 5 feet side, and 10 feet rear or corner. She said the roads labeled A, C and D would have a 50‑foot right‑of‑way, Street B a 45‑foot right‑of‑way, and five‑foot utility easements on each side. Cupp said potable water and sanitary sewer would be proposed for public maintenance, and drainage areas outside the right‑of‑way would be dedicated to a homeowners association. Staff recommended approval “subject to a developer’s agreement being submitted with the improvement plans and approved and recorded prior to acceptance of the final plat application.”

Neighbors said the nearby street network could not absorb the added traffic. Mary Ann Mylan, who lives on 20 Fifth Court, criticized the amount of development nearby and said 20 Fifth Avenue and surrounding two‑lane roads could not handle additional vehicles. “If you look at a 323 homes provides … 650 cars plus … 100 cars from this. That’s an extra 750 cars,” Mylan said, adding she feared backups when the railroad crossing is down.

Anthony Burke, a nearby resident, said existing congestion at 20 Fifth and 30 Fifth already makes egress “dangerous” and urged commissioners to closely review traffic impacts. John Harvey of Tillman Associates Engineering LLC, the petitioner’s agent, said a traffic study would be performed and “if there’s any infrastructure … that needs to be done we will be reviewed by staff and our organization and come to an agreement to understand what needs to be done.”

Staff clarified that the conceptual plan’s traffic statement estimated 58 peak‑hour trips for the development and that the city’s threshold for a full traffic impact analysis is 100 peak‑hour trips; staff said a traffic impact statement will be required and the transportation engineer could still recommend turn lanes or other mitigations during improvement plan review.

After brief board discussion noting the parcel and previous approvals, a motion to approve the conceptual plan passed. The motion record indicates the board approved the item; the motion was carried during roll call.

The approval is conditioned on filing a developer’s agreement and completing required improvement plans before a final plat application will be accepted. Implementation details, including any traffic mitigation, will be addressed during the improvement plan and permitting stages.