LAKELAND, FLORIDA — Lakeland city commissioners have unanimously approved a new 64-unit townhouse development to be built on a wooded 7.5-acre site at the northeast corner of Kathleen Road and Sleepy Hill Road, an area immediately neighboring Sleepy Hill Elementary and Middle Schools.

The development, named “The Enclave at Kathleen,” is being led by Air-Sun Florida, LLC, under the management of Ted Doukas of Naples. The project is designed to bring individually owned, market-rate townhomes to this growing residential corridor while preserving some of the site’s natural features.

According to attorney Tim Campbell, who represents the developer, each townhome will be limited to two stories in height and set back at least 20 feet from the road. Homes will feature a one-car garage and space for an additional vehicle on a 10-foot-wide driveway.

“This set of plans shows the proposed site layout for ‘The Enclave at Kathleen’ by Air-Sun Florida, LLC., with the 64 townhomes on the east side of the site,” Campbell said. A wooded buffer and two large retention ponds will line the western side, providing stormwater management and separation from the busy four-lane Kathleen Road.

Planning and Zoning Board member Susan Seitz praised the layout during the May 20 hearing: “I’m encouraged the forethought of putting the ponds between actual residents and Kathleen Road offers a great buffer for viewing. I think putting the ponds in that location is a good idea.”

Beyond the stormwater ponds, the developer has committed to preserving existing trees within 30 feet along the west and south edges of the site, which border Kathleen and Sleepy Hill Roads. Any tree removal will incur a fee, with certain exceptions allowed.

Amenities planned for The Enclave include a playground — referred to by Campbell as a “kidlot” — plus a shared mailbox area and guest parking spaces.

A traffic impact analysis will be required as part of the final site plan submission. Sleepy Hill Road is part of Lakeland’s “Top 10 High Injury Network Corridors,” which means the city plans future improvements for safer vehicle and pedestrian access. Since Sleepy Hill Road is city-managed and Kathleen Road falls under Polk County’s jurisdiction, the two governments will coordinate on road safety and traffic planning, said Chuck Barmby, Lakeland’s transportation and development review manager.

According to a letter from the Polk County School District dated May 6, 2025, local schools currently have enough capacity to accommodate new students from the development.

Campbell noted this site had long attracted proposals for commercial buildings, but past plans did not gain traction. “There was always a market demand at that intersection for commercial type services,” he said. “The city has not been supportive of that.”

With the unanimous vote on July 21, the city commission approved the needed land use and zoning changes, along with a conditional use permit for the townhomes. The Enclave at Kathleen now moves forward to site plan development, formal traffic review, and future construction.

The project aims to deliver new homeownership options while balancing growth with neighborhood buffers and green space preservation — a blend city planners and residents hope will serve both new homeowners and the surrounding community well into the future.

Originally reported by Sara-Megan Walsh in The Ledger.