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Two proposed projects to receive county scrutiny

One site would include 450 homes. The other would have homes, an industrial area, a marina and waterfront retail.

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published February 4, 2006

LECANTO - County staffers began reviewing proposals Friday for two new projects in the wave of large developments coming to Citrus.

Lecanto Residential Properties submitted plans for a 450-home project on 75 acres off County Road 491 and south of County Road 486. The project is just south of the 810-home Allen Plantation project.

And after months of meetings with county staffers and appearances at planning board and County Commission meetings, Dixie Hollins submitted a proposal for Citrus Mining and Timber's 1,500-acre property north of the Cross Florida Barge Canal.

Under the plan, the property, known as the Hollinswood Ranch, would eventually include homes, an industrial area, a public marina and a waterfront retail area.

Both projects require large-scale amendments to the county's comprehensive plan.

Inverness attorney Clark Stillwell, who represents Citrus Mining and Timber and Lecanto Residential Properties, could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. But the applications both developers submitted offered some details about their plans.

The 450-unit project, known as Oak Hills, would include 110 townhomes, 124 villas, 160 coach and 56 single-family homes, according to the plan.

There would be two access points for the project off CR 491 through 20 acres of commercial property also owned by the developer.

But in order to break ground, the developer would need to rezone the property from low-density residential to medium-density residential.

The Hollinswood Ranch also requires a zoning change, because most of the more than 2.4-square-mile property's zoning currently allows for only industrial and extractive use.

Mining on the property will continue for at least 30 years. But according to the application submitted Friday, at the same time the company would like to develop a public marina with wet slips, a dry storage facility, restaurants, a resort hotel, recreational and commercial fishing opportunities and retail shopping on 330 acres of the property.

"We see it as a vibrant economic base appealing to tourists, but providing a unique local place to access the gulf, relieving pressure on nearby rivers and supporting boating, fishing and ecotourism," the application said.

About 29 acres of the property would be dedicated to commercial and light industrial activity.

"We can't yet say what kind of industry, but we want to ensure that our children and their children have the opportunity to stay and work in Citrus County," the application said.

Friday's comprehensive plan amendment applications were the latest in a string of large-scale developments that have come through the county's planning office in the past six months.

Projects currently in the works that have yet to receive county approval include:

A 999-home subdivision on U.S. 41 S between Inverness and Floral City.

A 400-home age-restricted community on 100 acres off of State Road 200 in Hernando.

The 950-unit Felicia Station project proposed for 283 acres off U.S. 41 in Hernando.

The 980-unit Oak Lakes Project proposed for 315 acres off U.S. 41 in Hernando for $4.06-million in July.

Expansion of Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, which will likely involve the construction of several hundred homes.

A 4,000- to 5,000-unit expansion of Beverly Hills, also known as the Tuscany Project.

In December, the County Commission approved the 810-home Allen Plantation project, planned for 213 acres stretching from the southwest corner of CR 491 and W Horace Allen Street to N Maylen Avenue in Lecanto. The commission is slated to vote on a 499-pad luxury RV park east of Inverness on Feb. 28.

Both projects submitted Friday are slated to go before the Planning and Development Review Board on April 6. The County Commission will hear the proposals in May.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.

[Last modified February 4, 2006, 00:32:20]