A sprawling 105-acre development planned for northwest Ocala could bring up to 535 homes, a 500-room hotel and 450,000 square feet of retail, office and restaurant space to a stretch of land just across Interstate 75 from a future Buc-ee’s. The Marion County Growth Services Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the land-use change, sending it on to county commissioners for a final decision.
According to WKMG, the mixed-use project sits directly across the interstate from where the travel-center giant plans to build, and the land-use change would allow the site to support everything from housing and hotel rooms to commercial space. The Marion County Commission is scheduled to take up the measure on Oct. 20 at 2 p.m., the station reports, in what would be the project’s final local approval hurdle.
Details on the development’s scope come from 352Today, which reports the plan includes a land-use change on 31.44 acres from Low Residential to Employment Center as part of the broader planned unit development. That shift in designation is significant because, per WKMG, the underlying land-use change would let the site accommodate a wide range of uses — everything from a truck stop to an amusement park — depending on how the property is ultimately developed.
Residents Push Back Over Community Character
The proposal has not gone over quietly with nearby residents. Neighbors pushed back against the development, telling the planning board the project would permanently alter the character of their community, according to WKMG’s reporting…