by James Coulter
More than four million square feet of industrial development and 3,000 new homes could be developed near the Lake Wales Airport if the City Commission approves the annexation of 1,287 acres of land into the city limits.
At their workshop on Wed., Aug. 27, 2025, Lake Wales city commissioners reviewed several ordinances pertaining to the annexation, zoning designation, and future land use change of 1,240 acres of land located near the city airport.
Three ordinances would annex 38 acres of land, change their zoning designation to Industrial, and their future land use to Industrial Park. Three other ordinances would annex 1,202 acres of land, change their zoning designation to Planned Development Mixed-Use, and their future land use to Mixed-Use.
With the combined acreage of 1,240 acres, the subject parcels would make up the Master Development Plan (MDP) for Stoneridge, a proposed mixed-use development with industrial, commercial, and residential properties.
The proposed development would be located “on the western edge of the city adjacent to the City of Lake Wales jurisdiction, just west of the Lake Wales Municipal Airport,” wrote Growth Management Director Autumn Cochella.
The Stoneridge MDP is expected to provide up to 3,000 new residential units and more than four million square feet of industrial development. As such, its proposal would help facilitate industrial, commercial, and residential growth within the City of Lake Wales.
Lake Wales city commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the first reading of these ordinances during their regular meeting on Tues. May 20. Commissioner Carol Gillespie offered the only “no” vote.
However, despite the nearly overwhelming support by city commissioners, the proposed development has received pushback from the local community.
On May 23, Polk Forever, which, according to its Instagram account, is “a group of conservation-minded volunteers working to protect Polk’s remaining wildlands”, uploaded a social media post denouncing the proposed development as being potentially detrimental to the local environment.
“If approved, this will make way for continued urban sprawl, allowing development of the 4,000-acre 5R Ranch on the south boundary,” the post read. “More than 5,000 acres of wetlands and ranch lands would become pavement and rooftops.”
City commissioners will vote on the second reading of these ordinances at their next regular meeting scheduled for Tues., Sept. 2 at 6 PM at Lake Wales City Hall.
