City officials approved a new planned community in southwest Ocala that will feature over 1,500 new, single-family homes built by D.R. Horton.
On Tuesday, Ocala City Council unanimously approved the Winding Oaks Community Development District, which is situated at the location of the old Winding Oaks Farm.
According to city records, the project covers 460 acres and is located south of Southwest 66th Street, east of Southwest 54th Court Road, and north of Southwest 80th Street. The land is situated near a car dealership and a 7-Eleven that opened in recent years.
On Thursday morning, city and county officials gathered near the Winding Oaks site to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new elementary school, which will be situated next to the new residential development.
Although the exact number of homes at Winding Oaks has not been publicly released, city records show there will be at least 1,698 single-family homes at the development.
According to city records, the estimated cost of the proposed facilities and infrastructure at Winding Oaks is over $80.1 million, which includes over $21 million on water and wastewater systems and just under $24 million on roadways.
With the establishment of the Community Development District (CDD), which is an independent unit of special-purpose local government authorized by state law, the developer may plan, finance, construct, operate, and maintain the infrastructure at the development.Â
Records show that construction of stormwater management systems, roadways, water and wastewater systems, and other infrastructure at the property will take several years.
The development joins several others across Ocala and Marion County that are in various stages of planning and construction.
That includes the Towns at Laurel Commons, a townhome community just south of Winding Oaks that recently celebrated its grand opening. That community is also being built by D.R. Horton.
Right in between those developments is West Shire Village, which recently opened the first phase of its community and is in the midst of constructing the second.