Questions

Walden Lake, LLC has submitted an updated plan to the City of Plant City for approximately 319 acres of the former Walden Lake Golf Course and Country Club property. The plan would bring golf back to Walden Lake, add new community amenities and homes, preserve substantial open space, and make significant stormwater improvements.

The current plan includes:

• 280 single-family homes
• 60 villas
• 340 total residences

The proposed residential density is well below what is permitted for a property of this size under Walden Lake’s existing planned development entitlements.

Yes. Walden Lake was originally approved as a master-planned community that included golf, residential neighborhoods, commercial uses, schools, recreation and open space. The current proposal continues that mixed-use vision while revitalizing property that has been inactive for years.

The proposal reflects more than seven years of planning and more than a dozen revisions, incorporating community input and agency review. The current plan is designed to balance recreation, open space, neighborhood compatibility, stormwater improvements and responsible residential development while preserving the character and legacy of Walden Lake.

Yes. The plan includes a new 9-hole golf course and golf clubhouse, returning golf to Walden Lake and the City of Plant City after years without an operating course.

Plant City Country Club, LLC, owned and managed by lifelong Plant City residents and business owners Luke Keene and Taylor G. Clark, plans to restore the property as a place for golf, recreation and community gathering.

That is Plant City Country Club’s decision, not Walden Lake’s. Plant City Country Club, LLC designed the course and chose the 9-hole configuration, and it will own and operate it. Questions about the course design are best put to them.

There is no commitment today that they will. Walden Lake, LLC has given no undertaking that the golf course and open-space parcels remain golf and open space in perpetuity.

What the application does is designate those parcels for golf, open space, stormwater and floodplain mitigation on the Planned Development site plan — and that designation is what the City would be approving. It is not the same thing as a permanent restriction.

Not settled, and not Walden Lake’s to settle. Membership, public access and fees are Plant City Country Club’s to determine and to announce.

A majority of the property is anticipated to remain open and green.

• Minimum 40% open space guaranteed
• Approximately 60% open space estimated
• Approximately 192 acres expected to remain as golf areas, open space, wetlands, stormwater areas, floodplain preservation, parks and pathways

The plan includes a new golf clubhouse and community amenity area, along with an interconnected system of pathways, trails, parks and open spaces for residents to enjoy.

The project will make improvements to the existing stormwater system to meet current City and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) standards.

Pond improvements

• Existing and proposed stormwater ponds will be upgraded to meet current design standards.
• Undesirable vegetation will be removed from the ponds and stormwater conveyance areas.
• Existing stormwater pipes will be cleaned, repaired or replaced as needed.
• Pond slopes will be reshaped to provide a minimum 4:1 slope, which creates a more gradual and stable slope.

Water quality and drainage

• The stormwater ponds will be upgraded to meet current state water-quality requirements.
• The stormwater management system will be enlarged so that the project does not increase peak stages and flows in any offsite waterbody for the 2.33, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100-year/24-hour storm events.
• These improvements are designed so that there are no adverse impacts on adjacent properties.

The existing Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) identifies flood elevations in this area that are higher than the elevations supported by the project’s watershed analysis. As part of the site development project:

• A detailed watershed study and updated flood calculations will be completed.
• The study and supporting calculations will be submitted to FEMA for review and approval.
• If approved by FEMA, the floodplain map can be revised to reflect the updated information.
• The proposed map revision is expected to allow many existing homes to apply for removal from the mapped floodplain.

Once the stormwater improvements are complete, the project’s engineers will also submit an “MT-2” application to FEMA. An MT-2 is the formal application package used to request large-scale, physical changes or revisions to official Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Studies. It is the step that would allow many residences to apply for removal from the floodplain.

Residences removed from the flood zone will not be required to carry flood insurance. Homeowners can, of course, still buy flood insurance for peace of mind.

FEMA redraws the maps, not the applicant, and the application is made property by property.

The number of proposed homes has been significantly reduced from earlier plans, resulting in substantially lower projected traffic. Compared with the 2023 proposal, the current plan is projected to generate 1,286 fewer daily trips, including 354 fewer a.m. peak-hour trips and 372 fewer p.m. peak-hour trips.

The plan incorporates:

• Significant buffering between existing and proposed homes
• Minimum 30-foot buffers in some areas
• Wetland and surface-water preservation
• Stormwater and floodplain improvements
• Extensive open-space corridors

The proposed development is not expected to increase existing residents’ WLCA or subdivision HOA fees. All common expenses associated with the new development — including landscaping and other community costs — will be the responsibility of the new residents and the golf facilities, as applicable.

Ideally, the new residents would become dues-paying members of the Walden Lake Community Association (WLCA), allowing the entire community to operate within a more unified structure and providing additional dues revenue to support the WLCA’s annual budget. However, the WLCA has advised Walden Lake, LLC through its counsel that admitting the new residences as members is not currently possible.

Should the WLCA choose to revisit the issue, Walden Lake, LLC remains open and willing to work collaboratively with the association to identify a path forward.

No. No Community Development District is contemplated for the new units.

• Return of golf to Walden Lake
• New clubhouse and gathering spaces
• Community parks, trails and pathways
• Preservation of substantial open space
• Stormwater and floodplain improvements
• Additional buffering and landscape preservation
• Revitalization of the long-vacant former golf course property
• New investment in community amenities