Roan Bridge to bring 625 family homes, K-8 school, fire station
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Roan Bridge will be a 276-acre mixed-use development off Old Hickory Tree Road. SUBMITTED PHOTO
There’s no stopping the Central Florida growth, whether it’s new homes or retail development, and St. Cloud is no exception.
Dix Developments is in the process of finalizing its $400 million Roan Bridge project, a 276-acre mixed-use development off Old Hickory Tree Road. The final plan will include 625 single-family homes, 599 multifamily units, retail and office space, townhomes, a K-8 school and a new fire station.
“This will have a large economic impact of about $100 million,” said James Dicks, CEO of Dix Developments in Lake Mary.
Construction of single-family homes will be the first focus of the project. Phase one will consist of 500 homes in the $250,000 range and builders will start early next year. But Dicks said the homes are already sold out, adding that he could not disclose who the three builders are.
“It’s the busiest I’ve seen in 20 years,” he said. “It’s very competitive. Osceola is one of the fastest growing counties in Florida.”
St. Cloud has a population of about 55,000, said Andre Anderson, St. Cloud’s community development director. And it’s the ninth fastest growing city in the country. He explained that people like the lakes, canals and nature, however, it is close enough to a large city.
“Any new development encourages people to come to the area,” he said.
Anderson stressed that there is definitely a need for a variety of housing types.
The 17-parcel tract was annexed into the city of St. Cloud in 2017. Along with housing, Roan Bridge will include 70,000 square feet of commercial space, 30,000 square feet of office space and 1.5 million square feet for civic space. Javier Omana of CPH Inc., a Sanfordbased engineering firm, was named manager and land planner for the Roan Bridge project. The environmental consulting is being done by Young Bear Environmental, of Edgewater, and Johnston’s Surveying Inc. in Kissimmee is conducting the survey of the property.
Anderson said the project meets the city’s standards for a mixed-use development.
“The city is encouraging it because it creates a walkable more sustainable development,” he said. “And the city is always striving to employ more people.”
Dicks said, “The original goal of the Roan Bridge conceptual master plan – to balance social, environmental and economic sustainability – can be achieved by using long-range, large-scale planning. This plan will provide sustainable economic development, a sound tax base, ease the pressure for urban sprawl and reduce vehicle miles traveled by linking with road and transit networks. When Roan Bridge is complete, this truly will be a great place to live in Florida.”
