OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club and the World Equestrian Center (WEC) have proposed a new sports and entertainment complex with a wide range of amenities.
The Marion County Development Committee reviewed the proposal at its Monday meeting. Golden Ocala Equestrian Land, LLC is seeking to rezone approximately 236 acres for the project. The conceptual plan includes an indoor facility designed for ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, and graduation ceremonies.
Golden Ocala and WEC also requested a modification to the existing Developer’s Agreement that would lift the current prohibition on concerts within the Golden Ocala/WEC Planned Unit Development (PUD), allowing the venue to host concerts.
Additional proposed amenities include a soccer stadium, multi-purpose fields, natural grass fields for soccer and football, a hotel, a restaurant, and food truck space.
The new complex would be located within the 4,276-acre Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Project Area. As part of the proposal, the developers are requesting to amend the existing PUD to include the complex, replace the 13,500-seat cap on equestrian facilities with a 210-acre limit, and increase the current hotel room cap from 1,350 to 1,650 rooms.
However, the proposal faces opposition from the county’s Traffic Engineering Division.
According to the April 14 agenda, the proposed development could increase external daily traffic by 2,926 trips (a 131% rise) and afternoon peak-hour traffic by 494 trips (a 223% increase) compared to the current land use. The county notes this would worsen congestion on seven road segments along State Road 40 that are already over capacity or close to it.
The county also objected to changing the seat limit to an acreage-based cap, arguing that such a shift creates uncertainty in traffic projections and potential roadway impacts. Officials also opposed the increase in hotel capacity, citing that Golden Ocala’s two existing hotels—currently with 642 rooms—have not reached the 1,350-room entitlement.
The county is also opposed to lifting the concert ban within the area, citing a potential increase in traffic issues on the “surrounding intersections and roadway segments.”
According to the agenda, the current Development Agreement allows up to four concerts in a calendar year, with additional concerts needing a special event permit from the County. The county mentions that while it is against lifting the concert ban, it is not opposed to increasing the number of concerts annually.
The proposal will next go before the Marion County Zoning Commission before heading to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners for final consideration.