CCTV Installation Company in Haines City, FL

HAINES CITY, Fla. — Haines City leaders celebrated a groundbreaking for a major commercial development on Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

Crossroads Village Center is expected to transform the city’s landscape, providing dining options, hotels, residential living and retailers such as Target.

The commercial development is located on US-17 and spans 120 acres, with more than 50 acres dedicated to retail.

Ryan Mobley’s mechanic shop, Haines City Car Care, sits directly in front of the future Crossroads Village. When he first started as an employee 21 years ago, he said US-17 didn’t see much foot traffic.

“We used to have a snowbird season,” he said. “So, we would be busy during the winter and then slow during the summer, and now we’re just pretty much busy all the time. There’s not much of a slow season for us.”

He said that’s mostly thanks to the area’s rapid growth. According to Fortune magazine, Haines City is one of the fastest-growing cities in America. Mobley expects the number of people looking to visit or live in the city will increase even more once the commercial development is open.

“It’s good for the city. We don’t have hotels. We need more restaurants. We need those things, so growth is a good thing. Change is a good thing. So, we’re excited about it,” he said.

Vice Mayor Morris West said Crossroads Village has been in the works since 2018. However, he said city leaders and the development company, Black Mountain Group, faced many bumps in the road along the way.

“The first issue we came across was with DOT (Department of Transportation). DOT told us about 10 times ‘no,’ but we did not take that for an answer. So, we continued to go in front of DOT and that 11th time, we got that yes that we were after,” he said.

West said they experienced a similar situation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) but eventually got its approval. Now, officials are looking ahead to phase one of the development project. They expect the first half, covering 130,000 square feet, to be completed by Fall 2026.

As for Mobley, he says he’ll be in his shop, on the lookout for one thing only.

“More cars. That’s what we do,” he said.

A massive 120-acre mixed-used development at one of Polk's busiest intersections could mark a transformational moment for Haines City, city officials hope.

Haines City officials joined Syed Raza, executive director of Orlando-based developer Black Mountain Group LLC. to celebrate a groundbreaking for the Crossroads Village Center on Wednesday morning.

The mixed-used development, just southwest of the junction of U.S. 27 and U.S. 17-92, will be anchored by a roughly 150,000-square-foot Target Superstore, Raza confirmed Wednesday morning.

"There have been some rocks in the roadway trying to get to this day," Haines City Vice Mayor Morris West said.

In 2018, Raza said he first began acquiring and assembling parcels of land. Black Mountain Group had its first meeting with the Florida Department of Transportation about its intended plans in 2019.

West said FDOT declined the developer's plans 10 times. Then, the developer and city had challenges with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly called Swiftmud.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Raza said that caused Black Mountain Group to go back to the drawing board and redesign the project.

"What we are trying to create is a village-like environment," he said. "Where people can walk, live upstairs and go downstairs to go the grocery store, play and there's amenities around the lake."

In the first phase of development, Raza said a Target will be built in addition to 130,000 square feet of other commercial retail space by the fall of 2026. Upon completion of this store and one that's expected on U.S. 17 in Winter Haven, Target will have five locations in Polk County, including two in Lakeland and one in Davenport's Posner Center.

The developer is currently in negotiations with Darden Restaurants Inc., whose brands include Bahama Breeze, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden. There are plans to include a hotel, but Raza would not name the company with whom Black Mountain is negotiating.

A second phase beginning in 2026 will consist of additional retail space, residential condominiums and possibly an assisted living facility, Raza said.

"Sometimes I'm non-committal as things change and markets change," he said.

What site work residents will see

Heavy equipment was on site actively moving a massive amount of dirt and soil around Wednesday. Raza said the developer will need to move approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of soil.

Raza said crews will also dig 600,000 cubic yards to create a 14-acre lake.

"We are basically re-creating this land," he said. "This land had about 57 acres of wetlands we are impacting."

Raza said the developers are digging up to 25 feet to remove muck from the site. It has also been required by the state to purchase wetlands credits.

Impact on surrounding neighbors

Haines City Car Care Center is the sole existing business or residential development adjacent to the 120-acre construction zone.

Ryan Mobley, the auto center's owner, said he's glad to see development of the mixed-use plaza get underway even if it comes with some growing pains.

"We're glad it's going in, the city needs it," he said. "We need a hotel and need some more restaurants."

Mobley said he doesn't necessarily need the additional traffic and attention it might bring to his business, he's already busy with customers. Traffic is busy, Mobley said, but there are plans to install a signal which should help.

Dust blowing from the construction site is his other major concern, Mobley said. Depending on which way the wind blows, the dust clouds roll straight toward his customer's cars, or worse, toward U.S. 27, making it more difficult to navigate the busy intersection.

Mobley said construction crews have been out there daily with a water truck trying to keep the dust down.

"We're glad," he said. "It's been a long time coming."

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HAINES CITY, Fla. — As the population of Haines City skyrockets, more commercial and residential developments are underway.

Ryan Mobley owns Haines City Car Care right off of US-17. He is busier than ever these days.

“Every year, it’s just more and more cars. The highways are packed. We used to have a busy season and slow season. Now we just have a busy season,” said Mobley.

More than 8,600 people moved to Haines City in the last decade. Mobley said retail and restaurants haven’t kept up with the population boom.

“We do need the shopping and the restaurants. We only have a couple of major chains here in town and we need the hotels. We have no hotels in Haines City,” said Mobley.

A major commercial development coming to Haines City will redefine retail and residential space in one of the country's fastest-growing cities.

“With this development coming in here they don't have to go to Orlando, Tampa, or Lakeland. They can drive in their own community to a development that has a Target,” said Morris West, Vice Mayor of Haines City.

Crossroads Village Center is 400,000 square feet of retail space, with Haines City’s very first Target store as the anchor.

The development will feature a mix of national retailers, dining and residential.

“It has a huge economic impact. Hundreds of jobs are being created here. Millions of dollars' worth of trade area this will become. We’re estimating north of a few hundred million dollars in trade that will take place on this site,” said Syed Raza, CEO of Blue Mountain Group.

Traffic infrastructure to support this new development is now a top priority for the city.

“We have traffic issues that we understand so we’re working with the SunRail to get an extension out of Poinciana for alternative transportation for our citizens here in Haines City,” West said.

Crossroads Village Center is set to open in the fall of next year, bringing long-requested amenities closer to home.

A local business owner founded the Hometown Titan Retreat with the aim of encouraging the entire local business community to come together and help as much as they can after devastating hurricanes in 2024.

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HAINES CITY, Fla. — When talking about peaches, many people think of Georgia.

What You Need To Know

But the state of California produces the most peaches in the country.

A lesser-known state for peaches is Florida, including the Ridge Island Groves in Haines City.

It’s a place where anyone can come and pick peaches right off the trees.

Kids like Levi Ritch seem to like it.

“It’s fun 'cause all you do is just grab a peach. You put it in your bag,” Ritch said.

Guests are given a bag and can stroll the 23 acres that Archie and Jill Ritch have dedicated to growing peach trees.

“Every year peach season is determined by the weather,” Archie said.

Peach season only lasts a few months, typically ending in June.

“Peach-picking is very unique in Florida. We have a variety called a UF one, which are very, nice large peaches for a Florida peach,” Archie said.

The couple created Ridge Island Groves over 30 years ago, and it has become an institution, located off Polk City Road.

Families come there for their fresh vegetables and fruits, their peach-, blueberry- and orange-flavored ice cream and fresh juices.

“We have a little country store. We’re about 30 minutes from Disney. And then, of course, a lot of local people come primarily for peaches,” Archie said.

The store, located adjacent to their peach and orange groves, is busy with customers that come from around the state because of the freshness of what they grow.

“We take great pride in being able to sell what we grow," Archie said. "It’s a lot of satisfaction comes from that.”

Ridge Island Groves is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CELEBRATION, Fla. - The commute on I-4 between Haines City and Celebration should be faster and smoother for drivers now that congestion-relief lanes are open.

Big picture view:

One of the most congested sections of I-4 is between Highway 27 in Polk County and World Drive in Osceola County. According to state transportation officials, more than 140,000 people travel the six-mile stretch on a daily basis.

PREVIOUS: FDOT accelerates I-4 plan to ease congestion between Disney World, ChampionsGate

Now an additional eastbound and westbound lane should cut congestion time in half.

Local perspective:

"There's always so much traffic all the time," said Claire Ross, a resident of Central Florida. "I would say it probably cut down the drive by like 30 minutes, because before it used it take two hours to get from Tampa to Orlando, but now it's about an hour and 30 minutes, which is definitely a big difference for sure."

Dig deeper:

The Florida Department of Transportation project is eight months ahead of schedule, because it was accelerated through the Moving Florida Forward Initiative.

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"With the new modified phase design built process, we have in place and that's a process that hasn't been seen before when it comes to construction, so for us, we knew this was a priority for drivers in the area, so we could get this completed as fast as possible," said Matthew Richardson, the director of communications of FDOT's Moving I-4 Forward.

Not only will these lanes improve drive time, but safety as well, as I-4 is considered to be the most dangerous interstate in Florida.

"There's always some sort of backed-up traffic, because there's an accident blocking a few lanes, so opening up a few lanes helps that for sure," said Ross.

READ: Hillsborough leaders vote to end Cross Bay Ferry service early

What's next:

This relief comes at a good time as traffic is expected to increase as attractions grow throughout the Central Florida region.

The next step for the moving I-4 Forward Program is bringing improvements to the Champions Gate Interchange and World Drive Interchange, including widening the bridge area and adding express lanes.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered using details from a Central Florida resident and the director of communications with FDOT's Moving I-4 Forward.

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