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City approves annexation and PDP first readings for 164-acre Hunt Brothers Road property
Summary
The City Commission approved first-reading annexation and related land-use and zoning first readings for roughly 164± acres east of Hunt Brothers Road, advancing a planned development that the city says will include single-family, townhomes and multifamily units while commissioners debated traffic and growth impacts.
The City of Lake Wales Commission voted on April 21 to approve first-reading actions that annex approximately 164± acres east of Hunt Brothers Road and to advance related land‑use and zoning changes and a residential planned development (PDP).
Planning staff told commissioners the proposal includes a mix of housing types and non-residential outparcels. "366 single family detached, 80 townhomes, 276 multifamily," the planning director said when asked for unit counts. Staff also highlighted standard and project‑specific conditions of approval — including enhanced landscaping, stormwater pond conditions and coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation on the Hunt Brothers Road/State Road 60 intersection — and cautioned that PDP approval "does not secure utility capacity or guarantee concurrency," saying the developer must still enter into developer and utility agreements.
The commission’s debate focused on growth, traffic and the city’s role in shaping development. One commissioner warned the proposal was "contributing to the overdevelopment of Lake Wales" and said the city must "draw the line somewhere" as approved but unbuilt development permits already represented thousands of units. Planning staff responded that, across the city over the past five to six years, about 21,883 dwelling units have been approved and only roughly 6.5% (about 1,419 units) have been built in that period.
Defenders of the annexation argued the city gains regulatory control and negotiating power by annexing the property. "If we want to draw any lines, it is not around stopping development. It is around guiding it, forming it, mitigating its impacts, and benefiting to its full potential," a commissioner said, urging the use of the PDP process to secure higher design standards.
The body approved Ordinance 2026‑12 (annexation) on a roll call after a motion and second; subsequent first readings to change the future land use to Medium‑Density Residential (Ordinance 2026‑13) and to assign R‑3 zoning (Ordinance 2026‑14) were also approved after public hearing and debate. Commissioners recorded their votes on the record.
The planning director and staff emphasized that annexation and PDP approval do not guarantee utilities, concurrency or school capacity; those matters must be resolved through later agreements and permitting steps. The commission’s actions advance the project to the next stage of review and give the city jurisdiction to apply its development standards rather than leaving the parcel to county rules.
Next steps: the annexation, land‑use and zoning approvals will be processed as required for first‑reading adoptions and the developer will need to secure concurrency, utility capacity and any developer agreements before construction may proceed.
