Based in Lakeland, Highland Homes has submitted plans to the Polk County Commission to construct 262 single-family homes in Winter Haven.
The planned development will cover 64.96 acres, with each homesite measuring 6,000 square feet minimum. The home lots will be 45-foot and 55-foot wide lots. The site is located north of Thornhill Road and west of Deming Drive.
The project is anticipated to be completed by 2027, and the development is expected to be named ‘Sun Haven’ according to site plans.
The Sun Haven development was originally approved for a 247-unit Mobile Home Park in 2018. Then, last year, the site was approved to change it to single-family site-built dwellings on fee simple lots, according to Erik Peterson, County Planning Administrator.
The proposed PD modification for single-family residential aligns with Oakwood Estates and Thornhill Estates nearby.
“This is only the first submittal from the developers, so there will be more adjustments to come to the plans,” Peterson said. “It is still in the early stages of this project.”
Highland Homes purchased the site in March for $3.2 million.
The proposed development will include one full-access driveway on Thornhill Road. Developers will install a 910-foot eastbound left turn deceleration lane and a 685-foot westbound right turn deceleration lane.
The area for this development hasn’t had much growth like other areas in the county, Peterson said.
“This central area has had the slowest growth out of the five major urban service areas,” he added. “This site is between Winter Haven and Lakeland. It is more rural. We have been expecting this area to grow.”
Growth factors exist on both the east and west sides of the county; however, they are lacking in the central part, which is also farther from I-4, according to Peterson.
The Polk Parkway is extending south of this area in Bartow and Peterson believes that may spur some growth in this Thornhill area.
“Population is driven by the ease of travel,” he said. “As the travel options improve, you will see more growth in those areas.”
The engineering and surveying work for the project is being conducted by Quiddity Engineering, a Lakeland-based company.
The site plans comply with the new Land Development Code standards, which include PD locational criteria, Open Space and Recreation requirements, Stormwater Design specifications, Internal Sidewalks, and 25-foot Garage Setbacks.
Site plans include less than an acre of active recreation and a total open space and retention areas of 17.72 acres.
Winter Haven is starting to see an influx of new commercial development, including the submarket’s first Target store. Apopka-based V3 Commercial plans to begin site construction this quarter on Haven Square, which will be anchored by a 147,000-square-foot SuperTarget.
Winter Haven is also getting two new Publix-anchored shopping centers on Dundee Road and Thompson Nursery Road.
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