UPDATE: Construction Activity Next to OAKS Entrance - updated on 03-23-2018

Dear Homeowners,

You may have noted there's some construction activity right next to the entrance for the OAKS of Longwood Green.  This is an update to let you know what to expect.  There are two things going on right now...

1. Dr. Singh owns and operates Luv-N-Care Animal Hospital on Ronald Reagan Blvd near the OAKS entrance; he also owns surrounding vacant lands that he plans to develop.  As you may recall, in November 2016, Dr. Singh received a variance from the City Commission to construct a three story condo building which the HOA concluded was no more than low income rental housing.  This variance was good for one year and if a construction permit was not pulled the variance was set to expire in November 2017.  However, because of the impact of Hurricane Irma to the area the deadline was extended.  Per the Longwood Development Manager, Chris Kintner "Regarding Dr. Singh, when the state issued the Hurricane Irma emergency declaration there was a clause in there that extended any active permits for the emergency period plus 6 months. So his new due date is July 6th. The City has no provisions for an extension to the exception so, unless there’s another emergency declaration or something like that outside of our control, that’s his expiration date on the special exception."  You may have noticed that the old structure sitting on the proposed build site was recently demolished and fill dirt have been brought in.  We can assume that Dr. Singh intends on moving forward with his condo project which now bears the name Longwood Cove condos; the outward appearance of the proposed building has changed.
2. Dr. Singh is also planning on expanding the parking lot surrounding the Luv-N-Care Animal Hospital.  You may review the announcement by clicking HERE.  We are not exactly sure why the parking lot is being expanded as the current parking is sufficient.  It is suspected that ultimately, the parking lot may be an overflow parking area for the proposed Longwood Cove Condos (previously called "Village Green Condos").  This is probably a good thing because it likely means that residents of the OAK will not have to deal with illegal parking of vehicles on Blackwater Place.
   

It is hoped that the new additions will not negatively impact surrounding property values.  If, during construction, you have complaints about construction noise beyond City approved hours you may call the non-emergency number for the Longwood Police at 407-339-1297 or call Longwood Code Enforcement at 407-260-3409 to file your complaint.

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UPDATE: Result of Longwood City Commission Meeting held on 11-07-2016

By a vote of 3-2 the City Commission voted to grant Special Exception (SPE 5-16) which now allows the Village Green Condo project to move forward.

You can email the Commissioners who voted FOR SPE 5-16 to voice your outrage and thank those who voted AGAINST it. The vote went as follows:

FOR:        John C. Maingot : District 1 Commissioner jmaingot@longwoodfl.org

FOR:        Brian D. Sackett : District 5 Commissioner bsackett@longwoodfl.org

FOR:        Ben Paris : District 3 Commissioner bparis@longwoodfl.org

AGAINST: Deputy Mayor Mark Weller : District 4 Commissioner mweller@longwoodfl.org

AGAINST: Mayor Joe Durso : District 2 Commissioner jdurso@longwoodfl.org

Important reading to get you up to speed:

• Read about the reason for this URGENT COMMUNITY ALERT by clicking HERE.
• Read the HOA Board's counterpoints to the recommendation by the City of Longwood Planning Department to approved a Special Exception to the Longwood building code (variance) by clicking HERE.

Audio recording from recent Citizen Awareness and Participation Plan (CAPP) Meeting