As Tribune reporter Billy Townsend reports, CSX has envisioned a 1,250-acre complex in Winter Haven ever since officials began talking about the project 18 months ago. But because the state requires a multi-agency review for any project of 320 acres or more, the railroad decided to submit a "first phase" plan that would only cover 318 acres.
Nice try.
The railroad is not proposing to build a strip shopping center. It's proposing a major industrial complex that will send trains through the heart of Lakeland and Auburndale. It's expected to add 1,150 trucks to roads in Bartow, Lake Wales and Mulberry. Major improvements will be needed to handle the additional traffic on State Road 60, U.S. Highway 27 and U.S. Highway 98.
