The controversial Ashmont planned development — previously known as Lakeland Park — is finally moving forward to the city’s Board of Commissioners for consideration.
After months of discussions, the project proposed for the corner of Canada and Davies Plantation roads was endorsed by the Municipal Planning & Design Review Commission at a Thursday night meeting. The approved outline for the almost 100-acre proposal included one major condition — the removal of a gas station and convenience store anchoring the project.
The newest Ashmont plans include 129 single-family detached residential lots; 18 single-family attached residential lots; a senior care facility; and 15 commercial or office lots that would include restaurants, two hotels and a convenience store and gas station. Walking trails, ponds, and tree preservation areas also are shown on the layout.
Developer Keith Grant went through a list of eight items that the MP/DRC had issues with last month.
One item was the inclusion of the city’s first-ever school impact study that determined the community would add approximately 56 students to the Lakeland School System.
A major sticking point for some officials had been the inclusion of a gas station and convenience store anchoring the corner of Canada and Davies Plantation.
“We revised the convenience store layout so that it wraps around,” Grant said initially.
Last year Lakeland passed an ordinance restricting where vehicular service businesses could operate, but that does apply to planned developments.
“I think you nailed everything that we were looking for from last month,” MP/DRC member and Commissioner Jim Atkinson said. He thought the revised concept plan for the gas station and convenience store looked much better with building frontage on both streets and fuel pumps behind. “I’m still overall against a gas station in general. From a design perspective, I just don’t like it in that location. I think it’s a bad look for the corner.”
“I know that the applicant has spent a lot of money and gotten to this point, and I’d like to see this move obviously to the BOC with a favorable recommendation,” the mayor said.
“We could make it work without it. But I think this needs to be a win for Lakeland and a win for the landowners at the same time,” Grant countered. “I’ve heard from the board that there’s plusses to having another gas station here, but I’ve also heard opposition to it. That’s just a part of this project, and I wouldn’t want it to destroy the whole project.”
After consulting with landowner John Hyneman, they agreed to remove the gas station and convenience store if it meant they would have full support from the commission. Grant pondered whether a charging station could potentially replace the gas pumps.
The commission voted 5-1 to move it forward to the BOC, with Todd Laessig casting the dissenting vote.
In the past week, the Ashmont project was the focus of an ethics complaint filed by Cunningham against Commissioner Wesley Wright. Cunningham alleged a possible violation of the Open Meetings Act by Wright after he posted a comment on Facebook about a potential 3-2 vote against the project at the BOC level. Wright was cleared of any wrongdoing by Lakeland City Attorney and ethics officer Will Patterson.
With former Lakeland Mayor Scott Carmichael announcing his retirement from city service last week, on Thursday Cunningham appointed a new MP/DRC member, Michael Green. Carmichael stepped down from his current MP/DRC position and retired after 20 years serving on various boards and commissions for the city following his recent promotion to second in command with the Mississippi State Guard. Green was a Lakeland Board of Commissioners candidate in 2018.