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Polk County Developments

Taylor Morrison continuing Solivita in Polk, Osceola counties, seeks Polk DRI change

By J. Kyle Foster
Growthspotter
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Taylor Morrison Homes is considering up to 600 apartments and retail on the 130 acres outlined in yellow, just outside of the Solivita retirement community.

Taylor Morrison Homes is considering up to 600 apartments and retail on the 130 acres outlined in yellow, just outside of the Solivita retirement community. (Rj Whidden & Associates)

Taylor Morrison’s precise plan for 131 acres in Polk County is still a work in progress, but the useable 91 acres will be some kind of residential community that connects to a larger development in Osceola County.

“The exact land use is a little bit of a moving target,” Bryan Gaines of Waldrop Engineering told Polk County’s Development Review Committee (DRC) in late May. “I think the thought process at this point in time – 500-600 of multifamily and a small commercial” piece.

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Taylor Morrison also is considering single-family homes for the land in Polk County, Gaines said. The commercial piece likely would be a convenience store at the Poinciana Parkway interchange. The property is in Poinciana abutting Osceola County to the north and Cypress Parkway to the south. It’s directly across from Phase 7 of Solivita, at the San Clemente Avenue intersection. The unusable acreage is part of wetlands that won’t be touched or affected by construction, Gaines said.

Taylor Morrison will need to define exactly what it wants to build before it can apply for the land-use changes and code text amendment it will need, long-range Polk County planner Michelle Orton said. The developer will need a land-use change to Residential Medium to build apartments.

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Gaines said the company is shooting for a September application. Taylor Morrison will have to file two applications to cover the commercial portion as well, Orton said.

Taylor Morrison recently filed construction plans for the final pods (Phase 5C and 5D) of the Solivita retirement community.

Taylor Morrison recently filed construction plans for the final pods (Phase 5C and 5D) of the Solivita retirement community. (Kimley Horn)

Solivita is a 4,300-acre retirement community with its own town center, country club, two golf courses and 14 pools. The community is approved for 5,600 homes, and the builder has sold more than 4,500 homes so far, making it Florida’s fourth-largest retirement community.

In Polk County, Taylor Morrison needs to update the Poinciana DRI (development of regional impact), which includes 40 acres south of Cypress in Solivita that’s already under development. Phases 5C and 5D of Solivita will be developed together, Gaines said.

Construction documents by engineer Kimley-Horn show 215 lots. Interior lots will be 40 feet wide. The corner lots will be 50 feet wide.

The Arizona-based homebuilder last year filed a Preliminary Subdivision Plan with Osceola County for a 224-lot expansion on 93 acres of its Stepping Stone community in the Solivita Marketplace planned development. The community is aimed at first-time home buyers. The PD across from the Solivita retirement community encompasses more than 200 acres surrounding the Poinciana Medical Center.

Also at Solivita Marketplace, affordable housing specialist Dominium is planning to build an apartment complex with 500 units of affordable senior housing.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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