Ellie’s Notes – Save Sun City Center, 1/16/2024
Hope that your holidays were happy and healthy and that 2024 brings all you hope for.
Things have been quiet as far as we know on the ClubLink golf course development front here in Sun City Center. Nothing has come to fruition and no application has been filed for any golf course related projects by Club Link with the county to the best of our knowledge.
I think it is an appropriate time to give thanks to those who continue to do their part as members of the Save Sun Center group to seek to influence our community and government leaders to protect our green spaces and golf courses from residential development. It is only through these efforts that we will prevail to preserve our community as we know and love it.
We have not held meetings as there is little new news to discuss but there still remains much behind the scenes work. Unfortunately, a number of our volunteers have had personal and health issues that have precluded their continued involvement. We are looking for new blood to join as members, committee workers and board members. If you are so inclined, we could really use your help. We can only pursue this work with sufficient human and financial resources. Please email us at info@SaveSCC.org to get involved or donate.
ClubLink has seen some success in their efforts in Canada to develop Kanata Golf and Country Club in Ottawa with 1,460 housing units. Legal wrangles have been ongoing since 2017 and in the last round, ClubLink has prevailed to the dismay of local residents. For more details see the article from CBC News.
Actions and developments with regard to the Live Local Act signed into law in July by Ron De Santos continue. The law was designed to increase affordable worker housing opportunities in Florida. It allows developers to bypass local government approval for multifamily development in areas zoned for commercial or mixed uses, if at least 40% of the units are for affordable housing. The Live Local Act also negates the need for a zoning or land use change, special exceptions or comprehensive plan amendments for qualified projects.
Per the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the first Hillsborough County Live Local Act project moving forward to the permitting phase is the next phase of Progress Village which includes 600 apartments in Tampa.
As a number of folks, including the county commissioners and county development services, have continued to say, the nuances and interpretation of the Live Local Act have yet to be flushed out. It appears somewhat murky and can be a point of disagreement between local officials and developers. This is also true in the case of golf course redevelopment.
A recent Plant City Observer article on November 9, 2023 regarding the owner’s (Walden Lake LLC) efforts to proceed with the Walden Lakes Golf Course redevelopment project under the Live Local Act were found by the Plant City Planning and Zoning and legal team as not applicable to the property. Plant City refused to consider the preliminary plat that was submitted.
A subsequent Plant City Observer article on November 30, 2023 indicates that the Walden Lake LLC in response filed a complaint in the Thirteenth Judicial Court of Florida to clarify the legal rights and obligations of both Plant City and the landowner – Walden Lakes LLC hoping to affirm their right to develop the project under the Live Local Act. We’ll keep watching to see how things develop and will keep you posted.
In Tamarac in Broward County, Florida at the Woodlands Golf Club owned by ClubLink and under contract to 13th Floor for redevelopment, the Woodlands Country Club Clubhouse is scheduled for demolition with the permit issued and completion expected by February 2024. This is the first step in preparation for the construction of the new Recreation Pod included in the Development Agreement with the City of Tamarac and the Woodlands Holding Company (13th Floor) for their golf course redevelopment residential project.
May 2024 let us see no progress toward residential development here in Sun City Center by ClubLink! Let them focus elsewhere!
Best Regards,
Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337