A sketch plan for a new neighborhood development called Taylor Farms was presented to the Municipal Planning Commission last night, however, the developers seem unlikely to continue based on feedback from the board. The planning meeting was held at city hall on November 18, 2021. The location of the proposed neighborhood is to the east and south of the Grove and west of Oakwood Grove. The sketch plan presented was for 147 single-family residential lots.
The site location has a long history of possible neighborhoods. It originally was conceived as Equestria, a planned development. That plan was approved in October 2007. While the plan for Equestria was considered an acceptable plan, the economic downturn of 2008 stalled any momentum it once had. The latest proposal for Taylor Farms has been discussed since February of 2020.
The Taylor Farms neighborhood has had a variety of problems since day one according to Commissioner Jim Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson serves on the MPC as the Board of Commissioners liaison. He also previously served as the city manager and city planner for Lakeland. “It simply didn’t meet our (MPC) expectations for what a development should be in Lakeland,” Mr. Atkinson told Lakeland Currents. According to Commissioner Atkinson among the many issues of the neighborhood are small lot sizes and less open space than desired. Another glaring issue was the lack of an access street to Memphis Arlington Rd. Mr. Atkinson said, “connection to Memphis Arlington would be a must for any neighborhood in that location. Otherwise, all the traffic will run thru The Grove and Oakwood neighborhoods.”
Commissioner Atkinson pointed out the Taylor Farms neighborhood has the same issues as the Lakeland Park development recently presented by the Hyneman company. That development had backing from Commissioner Richard Gonzalas and Mayor Mike Cunnigham but lacked support from the rest of the Commissioners. More about that story can be read here. “The residential aspect was almost identical between both of those proposed developments,” said Commissioner Atkinson. Adding, “if it doesn’t comply with our basic codes and it’s deficient in 3 or 4 different areas, it’s simply not worth considering.”
