SUNDAY
MORNING, NOVEMBER 14, 2004
Belz plans
second project for Lakeland
By Shirley
Downing
As
Lakeland ponders a new urban village on its forested northern edge, another
multi-use planned development will be unveiled Monday for the south side of
town.
The 126-acre Lakeland
Village will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. Monday before a joint session of the
town's planning and economic development commissions.
The project site is south of
the Factory Outlet Mall at Canada Road and Interstate 40. The land is
bordered by the mall, Canada, Monroe and Canada Trace roads.
Lakeland Village is the
newest planned development proposed in one of the fastest growing
municipalities in Shelby County. Last week, officials heard details of a
1,200-acre Lakeland Green, proposed for the U.S. 70 and Canada Road area
several miles north of the interstate.
"These are exciting
times," Lakeland Commissioner Gerrit Verschuur, a member of the
economic development commission, said Saturday.
The two proposed
"upscale" projects "will give Lakeland more of an
identity," he said.
Both developments are "walkable
communities" and both have offered to provide municipal and civic space
to the town, he said.
Lakeland Green is a new
urbanism project that seeks to preserve the forest and natural terrain,
while building small "hamlets" in the fashion of pre-World War II
communities. Housing, shopping, business and churches would be in close
proximity, which would mean less use of automobiles.
Lakeland Green is proposed
for the family farm of Rudolph Jones and his sister Tandy Gilliland, and
three other property owners. Some of the country's top urban planners and
designers have been hired to fashion the community, using input from area
residents.
Meanwhile, Lakeland Village
would be built partially on the site of an old drag racing strip on property
owned by Belz Enterprises.
As proposed, Lakeland
Village calls for a mixture of commercial, office, residential above
office/commercial, civic and community and open space, said planning
commission chairman Don Bennett in his City Watch publication.
He said the plan calls for
about 375 homes, and about 25 to 33 percent open space.
Lakeland Green, on the other
hand, would keep about 50 percent green space, and include about 2,000
homes.
Verschuur estimated the Belz
project would be built in the next two years, whereas Lakeland Green would
be built in 5 to 15 years.
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