Polk County Rail Hub

“We’re here, we value our partnership with the City of Winter Haven, we are committed to being a good neighbor and we’re spending money. And anytime we’re spending money … you know we are truly committed.” With those words, Cameron Wilson, Director of Acquisitions and Development for CSX Corporation summed up his remarks to the Business Trustees of the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce at their February 21 luncheon.....

Wilson was on hand to present the current project status for the planned two-phase Integrated Logistics Center to be built on 1250 acres of property that is currently a part of Winter Haven’s Wastewater Treatment Plant #3.

Winter Haven C of C

Today’s news reports outline some of the concerns expressed by residents near the planned CSX Integrated Logistics Center. While there was some mention of a proposed “berm” to buffer the site from the residential area, CSX addressed this and other concerns in a letter sent to Sundance Ranch owners on February 15, 2007. Representative samples of the proposed landscaping berm follow the highlights. (You can download the entire text of the letter at the end of this post.)

Additionally, CSX is currently preparing a plan to host neighborhood meetings as forums to discuss the questions and concerns of residents. The Chamber will also implement an “On Track” Q & A forum on our website where questions will be addressed by CSX experts. Watch for announcements of both the meetings and the “On Track” forum....Winter Haven C of C

County Commissioner Randy Wilkinson is pushing for approval to send a letter to state planning officials to rule that the entire CSX freight depot is a development of regional impact. However, according to Florida law, it will take more than a letter....Side Table Spectator

Once the Winter Haven ILC is underway, CSX intends to purchase the surrounding 900+ acres the plans for which will be evaluated by the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process. The plans call for a combination of warehousing, industrial and office space. Here are a few of the tenants attracted to the Alliance, Texas ILC:.....Winter Haven C of C

Last October representatives from Winter Haven visited Alliance, Texas for a closer look at the potential impact of the CSX Integrated Logistics Center planned for south Winter Haven. The Alliance facility provides a good look at an ILC and its surrounding area developed from raw land, much as the Winter Haven site will be. There is an interesting slide show and much more information on that ILC here....Winter Haven C of C

In March of 2006, attorneys representing CSX Transportation requested a letter of clearance from the Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee. The correspondence outlined the acreage requesting clearance and specifically addressed Development of Regional Impact (DRI) thresholds. Here are pertinent excerpts:

The project acreage was described as follows:
318 acres total
- 160 acres for the intermodal terminal
- 99 acres of vehicle storage and unloading
- 10.5 acres of administrative and control buildings
- 3.3 acres of maintenance buildings
- 45 acres of stormwater management areas
… together with construction and dedication of a public roadway connecting the Intermodal Facility to SR 60.

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Editor’s Note added 5-11-07 at 7:31 a.m. — The roadway is not contiguous to the 318 acres and will be publicly owned and maintained. This type of transaction is often found in public/private partnerships and the bottom line is it saved Polk County taxpayers the cost of land acquisition.

In fact, it will accomplish one objective of a Polk County road improvement plan released last year. The roadway will complete the “Pollard Road extension.”)

Winter Haven C of C

This is to confirm that the Department is prepared to work with you on a Preliminary Development Agreement pursuant to Section 380.06 (8), Florida Statutes for the CSX Integrated Logistics Center Terminal Project. -- Winter Haven Chamber