OCALA, FL (352today.com) – In a unanimous vote Oct. 15, the Ocala City Council adopted a resolution for a new apartment complex development plan.

Many residents of a nearby single-family neighborhood, the Hunt Club at Fox Point, off SW 60th Ave. and 43rd St. Rd., are not happy about this.

There had been concern over the architecture of what the apartment complex would look like when the developer went before council in May. There have been several modifications since then, with the number of units being reduced from 96 to 88 and the name of the development being changed from Apartments at Fox View to the Ocala Landings Apartments. There has also been the addition of a vegetative buffer on the entrance driveway. According to Jimmy Gooding, the attorney for developer Leah Bergman, the property has always been intended for multi-family use.

Ocala Landings Apartments will cater to people like schoolteachers and first responders, who provide critical services to the community, by offering them an affordable housing choice.

Changes since the last meeting
  • Name of the project.
  • Architecture.
  • The number of units from 96 to 88.
What has not changed
  • The property was always intended for multi-family use.
  • It shares infrastructure with single-family homes.
  • It is designed to reduce the impact on single-family areas.
  • Traffic shows no adverse impact to roads or intersection.

Gooding asked the council to base their decision on what they see about this project rather than relying on the previous feedback from Google Reviews.

The original plan approved by Marion County was meant for multi-family use. Both parcels can be accessed via the driveway on 43rd St. Rd., and there is no direct access from SW 60th Ave.

“There was an agreement entered into between the HOA, the master developer and the owner of the property that Ms. Bergman now owns,” said Gooding during the meeting. “This was an opportunity if they had intended to restrict it to owner occupied condos, and they could’ve easily done so. They didn’t.”

Residents of the Hunt Club came discuss the proposed change to the resolution.  They voiced their concerns to city council about whether or not the proposed apartment complex was compatible with their subdivision. They questioned if it met the zoning rules for multi-family residential areas, if it was similar to a luxury multi-family community, and if it could compete with other luxury apartments nearby.

The Hunt Club has 42 private properties, including homes that are as old as 20 years and others that are currently under construction.

“We don’t support the development as proposed,” said Mike McCool, Hunt Club at Fox Point resident. “We do understand the pendulum for multi-resident properties. We prefer luxury-style and owner occupied.”

There was a great deal of concern that the apartment complex would hurt the value of or the single-family homes in the adjacent subdivision and that an emergency exit hadn’t been identified. The homeowners argued that there was no clear and consistent vision for the project. They felt it did not improve their neighborhood or the nearby area and did not meet their expectations.

“We have to move forward with compatibility, comparable and consistent, and that’s not just between them and us. It’s between them and the city of Ocala,” said McCool. “Between them and the plan for 2035 for the City of Ocala and the business market they’re about to get into.”

Property owners of the Hunt Club combined the advertised features of nearby apartment complexes, Canter and Pointe Grand South, to clarify their goals in a way that can be measured.

“At our first meeting with the developer on June 13, we presented our expectations of compatible, comparable and consistent, as being a luxury-style, multi-family residential complex,” said Kevin Minor, a Hunt Club resident.

The community members also shared their evaluation of the site and offered a list of features they thought would make the project more competitive.

“In response to the initial meeting, the developer verbally agreed to six of our requests, rejecting a fence along the property line and rejected screen balconies, which we felt would add privacy for both the tenant and the community, since balconies can collect toys, bicycles, grills and other unsightly amenities,” Minor added.

It was last unknown as to when construction would start.