The latest chapter in the four-year saga to redevelop the former Wedgewood Golf Course in north Lakeland.
While the developer’s latest rewrite aims to appease critics by lowering housing density and addressing the notorious traffic bottlenecks around Carpenter’s Way, residents remain highly skeptical.
Here is a breakdown of what is in the new proposal, what is changing on the roads, and why neighbors are still holding their breath.
The Housing Cut: Less Density, Different Mix
The newest plan represents a significant scaling back of the project’s overall size. SJD Development has reduced the total unit count and dramatically shifted the ratio of apartments to townhomes.
Proposal Comparison
| Housing Type | Previous Plan (Dec 2025) | New May 2026 Proposal | Net Change |
| Apartments | 700 | 370 | -330 |
| Townhomes | 212 | 394 | +182 |
| Single-Family Homes | 61 | 61 | 0 |
| Total Units | 973 | 825 | -148 |
The Traffic Impact: According to Lakeland’s transportation team, this drop in density is projected to eliminate roughly 1,000 daily trips and 80 evening peak-hour trips compared to the version approved late last year.
The Road Additions: Unclogging Carpenter’s Way
Traffic has always been the primary battleground for this development. To get the city on its side, the developer’s new layout makes several major infrastructure concessions:
- The Lakeland Park Center Drive Extension: The developer is setting aside 11 acres of land just north of I-4. This will eventually allow the city to extend Lakeland Park Center Drive, connecting Carpenter’s Way directly to the retail plaza housing Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
- Wedgewood Estates Boulevard Realignment: The road will be realigned to meet Heatherpoint Drive directly, paving the way for either a traffic signal or a future roundabout.
- Financial Contribution: The developer is committing $423,413 toward Lakeland’s multimodal transportation system.
Why “Rekindled Doubts” Remain the Real Story
Despite the objective improvements on paper, the public comment portion of the May 4 City Commission meeting proved that local trust is at an all-time low.
- The Trust Deficit: Residents expressed frustration over a history of unfulfilled promises regarding property maintenance, wastewater issues, and general upkeep of the old golf course land.
- The Drained Pond: A key symbol of neighbor frustration is a retention pond that was drained by the developer four years ago and remains dry and unresolved. While the developer’s engineering representative, Danny Kovacs, stated they are waiting on civil permits to get equipment on-site and fix it, residents feel the delay is indicative of how future commitments might be handled.
- The Roundabout Dilemma: While a roundabout at Carpenters Way and Heatherpoint Drive could improve long-term traffic flow, neighbors in Audubon Oaks and Heatherpoint worry that its massive construction footprint would temporarily choke off the very few access points they have to get in and out of their neighborhoods.
What’s Next?
This long-running debate is rapidly reaching a turning point:
- May 18, 2026: The Lakeland City Commission is scheduled to vote on this revised development agreement.
- May 19, 2026: If commission approval is granted, the Planning and Zoning Board will meet the very next day to officially align the property’s land-use designation with the new plan.