Residents already fed up with traffic delays along Thornhill Road say a change in housing density proposed for the east side of Stuart family-owned property in unincorporated Winter Haven will change the rural character of the area, which is prone to flooding, and add more traffic to a treacherous stretch of road.
Still, the County Commission narrowly passed the request by the Stuart family on Aug. 19 to allow four homes per acre instead of one per acre.
Casting dissenting votes in the 3-2 decision were Commissioners Michael Scott and Martha Santiago. They sided with residents and cited concerns that yet another request for apartments or townhouses would be next to add even more density.
Zoning changed twice
Conversly to the west, the report said “There are wetlands, floodplains, and two eagles’ nests on the site. The Marshall Hampton Reserve, an 1,100-acre reserve owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is south and west of the site.”…