BUSHNELL
Some Villages residents are very unhappy with plans to add another 830 homes to one community. 

Dick Norton, a resident of The Villages, spoke to Sumter County Commissioners Tuesday on behalf of about 50 of his neighbors. He said they were told by sales people for The Villages that they were purchasing “premium” land that abutted pasture. 

“I’m a city guy, and I wanted to look at the pasture and the cows that I’ve never seen,” he said. “Now they’re going to disappear. The sales force has been consistently inconsistent.” 

The developer for The Villages received approval about eight years ago to build 11,990 homes and a variety of businesses and institutions on 3,740 acres called Tri-County Villages. The community is 830 homes shy of that goal. 

Actual construction of a planned community often differs from what was originally on paper, planning officials say. “If it came out perfect, I’d be shocked,” Sumter County planner Robbie Rogers said. 

Representatives of The Villages appeared before commissioners Tuesday seeking approval to build the remaining homes on 232 acres on the community’s west side. The board unanimously endorsed the project, sending the request to the Florida Department of Community Affairs for review. 

DCA will analyze the request, send comments and objections to the developer, and in at least two months return it to the county commission for final approval. 

Also complaining to the board about the project Tuesday was Gertrude Dickinson of Lake Panasoffkee, who said the additional homes would exasperate the state’s water shortage. “You will create more sinkholes,” she said. “They used to sell swamp land to retirees, now you sell sinkholes. God got Noah to build the ark. Experts built the Titanic. This is a Titanic.” 

Jackson Sullivan, a consultant for The Villages, said the retirement community wasn’t asking for approval of a new development. 

“This is a development that has already been reviewed,” he said. “We already have water use permits.” 

Representatives of The Villages have met at least three times with homeowners in the area to alleviate concerns, officials said. 

“We don’t want to have unhappy owners,” said Nancy Linnan, a consultant for The Villages. “We intend to work it out. Hopefully we’ll all come together.” 

Homeowners said they are looking for some form of compensation if The Villages builds on the land previously zoned agriculture. 

Representatives for The Villages will also meet with county officials on an arrangement for the developer to extend or expand County Road 101 near the development.