A Lakeland planning board approved Monday night what will become one of the unique Starbucks locations in Shelby County, but delayed for a month plans for 109 townhomes also drawn up as part of the $400 million mixed-use Lake District development.

The townhomes proposed before the Lakeland Municipal Planning Commission/Design Review Commission are a change from 241 single-family detached units already approved for the Lake District, which is having storm drains and sewers currently installed at the site at Interstate 40 and Canada Road.

Instead of the 241 detached homes, Gilad Development proposed 177, or 64 fewer, replaced by the 109 townhomes. 

The developer believes market conditions have changed since the project was originally approved, and now that number of single-family detached homes would oversaturate the market, which Gilad feels would be better served by a wider variety of homes.

“We think this product type is going to do exceptionally well,” Gilad Director of Development Maggie Gallagher said.

The townhomes should be completed by early 2021, just after Phase 1 retail locations are ready in fall 2020. The detached homes in Phase 2 are projected to come online at the end of 2021 or early 2022, Gallagher said.

“With Phase 1, we can be ready for occupancy probably in early 2021. So, there’s a lot of demand in the marketplace for people to live there now, and they’ll have services from the Phase 1 retail,” she said.

Pricing on the 1,600- to 1,800-square-foot townhomes is anticipated to start in the mid-$300,000s. Floor plans feature courtyards and two-car garages.

“I love what it brings to market,” Lakeland Commissioner Wesley Wright said. “There are a lot of people out there in the region that need a product like this.”

The newly approved Starbucks coffee shop is planned for one of the Lake District’s outparcels, and designers at LRK Architects have dubbed it “The Pumphouse” due to its older industrial look with a 25- to 30-foot “vent stack.”

“Part of the original vision for the building was the idea that it wasn’t just the same old Starbucks that you see everywhere else,” said LRK Principal Victor Buchholz. “It has a lot of character and is something that maybe gives the appearance that it was an original structure to the site.

“The Starbucks people are very excited about the whole theme of this. We’ve been working really closely with them,” he said.

Plans for the walkable Lake District community also include a 10-acre lake and walking trails; 150,000 square feet of retail space on its Main Street with 396 apartments above; 168 age-restricted apartments; lakefront restaurants; 75,000 square feet of office space; a hotel; and two parking garages.

Phase 1 retail, which is 90% leased, will be ready for tenant improvements next fall so they can be open for the holidays. Retail tenants in Phase 1 will include Memphis BBQ Company, Frida’s Restaurante Mexicano, Starbucks, Malco Theatres, Brick House Fitness, Gould’s Salon and Spa, Gloss Nail Bar, The Stock Market grocery, Osaka Japanese Cuisine, Phillip Ashley Chocolates, Hollywood Feed, wellness tenants Elite Total Health Walk-In Clinic and Neighborhood Barre, and more.