The Oxford Villages RV Resort near Wildwood, Florida, faced a setback as city commissioners rejected an application for site plan extension near Oxford Oaks subdivision.
The resort aims to feature 264 campsites along U.S. 301 near County Road 466. The site plan for the Oxford Villages RV Resort initially received approval in July 2022, followed by a one-year extension granted in 2023.
Wildwood’s development services director, Melanie Strickland, informed the commissioners that the developers had not paid impact fees, which resulted in the development permit not being issued.
Since the initial approval of the Oxford Villages RV Resort in 2021 and 2022, Wildwood’s city code has undergone changes. The code now prohibits such developments in commercial (C-3) zoning areas.
To continue the project, developers would need to rezone the property and reinitiate the site-plan process. As reported by Village News on July 23, civil engineer Michael Radcliffe, representing the developers, argued that the extension should be “automatic” due to over a dozen declarations of a state of emergency by Gov. Ron DeSantis related to Hurricane Nicole.
Radcliffe emphasized that Florida statutes require development projects to be extended when states of emergency are issued. However, city officials explained that the statute in question applies specifically to development permits, not to site plan approvals
In 2021, when the comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning for the project were approved local homeowners expressed concerns about potential negative impacts on property values. Additionally, Mayor Ed Wolf noted the difficulty of the approval process of the proposed resort due to traffic concerns.
