Lakeland approves 800-home development on former Wedgewood golf course, residents raise traffic concerns

LAKELAND, Fla. - A former golf course and country club in north Lakeland will now become an 800-home development.

Lakeland city commissioners approved the deal on Monday, even though nearby residents still have major concerns about traffic and congestion.

Development plan reduced

By the numbers:

The 117-acre property at 401 Carpenters Way was formerly known as the Wedgewood Golf and Country Club.

City of Lakeland Transportation and Development Review Manager Chuck Barmby says they worked with SJD Development, LLC, to drop the number of units down to 825 — a decrease from their original 2022 request of 1,400 units.

"What we've seen is a steady reduction in apartment units and more townhouses with the single-family product really remaining about the same," Barmby said. 

Traffic and safety concerns

The other side:

During the Lakeland City Commission meeting on Monday, nearby residents voiced their concerns about how the development would affect traffic and congestion, which they say is already bad.

"With the amount of new traffic, it's just a matter of time before somebody gets seriously hurt because [people] still let their kids ride their bikes down Carpenter's Way," a resident said. "There's people walking their dogs and [an] assisted living facility who take their automated wheelchairs out. It's a scary thought."

Road improvement funding

Big picture view:

Barmby says this was the best deal because it will help the city complete two projects to alleviate traffic and improve connectivity — both of which were identified as critical needs for the neighborhood back in a 2008 study.

Those projects include the Lakeland Park Drive Extension, as well as the Carpenters Way and Wedgewood Estates Boulevard realignment, where officials are exploring options to install a roundabout.

Courtesy: City of Lakeland

"Lakeland Park Drive Extension is expected to reduce traffic along Carpenters Way by approximately 2,200 trips a day, and then being able to have another connection for this development to another road other than Carpenters Way would divert about 15% of trips, according to the developer, and we believe that's reasonable." 

Construction still years away

What's next:

Construction on the development isn't expected to start for at least five years.

As part of the deal, the developer agreed to donate land for the city's traffic projects and to pay $420,000 toward future infrastructure needs.