Residents in the Bridgewater community in northeast Lakeland are upset about a proposal for a 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse development just to the north.
There are several hundred homes in Bridgewater just off of Highway 33. Many of the homes were built at the peak of the housing boom.
"Many of us in this neighborhood are still underwater, especially if you purchased near the peak of the housing bubble,” said resident John Gierlach.
Gierlach and other residents are concerned their existing property values are threatened by the proposed development.
Until 2011 there was a golf course on the north side of the community, but it closed and the property has not been maintained. That old golf course is part of the land to be used for the proposed warehouse development.
The developer would need a zoning change for the project. Residents don’t want that.
"It just kind of opens up a slippery slope that probably doesn't lead to the community that we bought into,” said Gierlach.
Tim Campbell, an attorney representing Seefried Industrial Properties, said the company has met with residents to hear their concerns. He said the company scaled back the size of the development and made plans for a high berm with tall trees so residents don’t really feel the impact of the warehouses.
Lakeland’s planning and zoning board still needs to make its recommendation on the proposal. City commissioners will then take up the issue for the first time on Dec. 7.