Below is the full text of a press release from the WIlliams Acquisition Holding Company. Is the name unfamiliar? They’re the owners of the Williams Development of Regional Impact (DRI). That’s the largest landholder in the area around the USF Poly campus at I4 & the Polk Parkway. The Williams DRI is a plan to use the land to develop something akin to the Lakeside Village plus a research/development park, considerable housing and commercial space. The release includes some figures on the proposed plan.

The announcement also mentions a proposed high speed rail station in the area:

The Williams group is currently in negotiations with P3 DevCo for development of the property surrounding the proposed future High Speed Rail station site.

The release makes it clear that Williams finds the Eastern Polk County HSR station location to be a good bet. However, they’ve not yet finalized any deals.

The terms of any joint venture or potential sale of any portion of the Williams property for development will not be completed until the High Speed Rail station location is determined.

According to Gray, if the station is located on the Williams property, Williams is prepared to make available a 20-acre site for the station.

It looks those favoring the Eastern Polk station location have another ally.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2010

MAJOR DEVELOPER WEIGHS IN ON HSR STATION SITE

Lakeland, Florida—As Polk County’s chambers of commerce, governmental units and planning organizations focused increasing attention on the regional implications of the recently announced Tampa-Polk-Orlando High Speed Rail plan, a major landowner on Florida’s High Tech Corridor announced major plans for one of the leading sites proposed for Polk County’s HSR station.

The site, at the eastern intersection of I-4 and the Polk Parkway, is adjacent to the new USF Polytechnic campus and minutes from the Polk Commerce Centre and the county’s new Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, is located within the Williams Development of Regional Impact (DRI). More importantly, according to USF Polytechnic CEO Marshall Goodman, “This site is central to all of Polk County. It’s the most accessible location being considered.”

Through it’s local spokesman, Charles Gray, of Gray Robinson PA, Attorneys, the Williams Acquisition Holding Company, Inc., owner of the DRI, plans to develop the site as the USF Poly campus opens its doors for 5,000 students in 2012 on a Calatrava-designed campus expected to ultimately host 16,000 students. The DRI project is planned to include 4,300 residential units, 1.3 million square feet of commercial space, a research/development park with 2.9 million square feet of space, 350 hotel rooms and a village center, similar to the successful Lakeside Village development on Lakeland’s southwest side, 240,000 square feet of retail space, 200,000 square feet of office space, 400 residential units and a 100-room hotel.

The Williams group is currently in negotiations with P3 DevCo for development of the propertysurrounding the proposed future High Speed Rail station site. Williams also previouslynegotiated with several national community developers for the development of the entire Williams DRI. Negotiations, however, were postponed pending completion of the construction of the Polk Parkway interchange, the East/West road and Phase I of the USF Polytechnic campus.

Williams sees 2012 as a pivotal year for the site and the region, Gray said. That year will see the completion of the Florida Turnpike Enterprise’s massive Pace Road interchange project on the Polk Parkway and completion of the 5.8 mile 4-lane highway (the East/West road) connecting the Pace Road interchange on the east and State Road 33 on the west. The County has completed construction of the 4-lane Pace Road from Berkley Road to the interchange.

This regional roadway will serve the University, Polk County and the county’s 17 municipalities. With the location of the High Speed Rail station at a site in the center of Polk County’s segment of I-4, the new transportation mode will be positioned to serve the USF Poly campus, the Williams DRI, the Polk Commerce Centre DRI, the Lake Myrtle Complex, Fantasy of Flight, and Merlin Entertainment’s recently announced LegoLand theme park in Winter Haven, as well as the major population hubs in Lakeland.

The terms of any joint venture or potential sale of any portion of the Williams property for development will not be completed until the High Speed Rail station location is determined.

According to Gray, if the station is located on the Williams property, Williams is prepared to make available a 20-acre site for the station

photo credit: colodio

For two decades, the Center for Urban Transportation Research has advised Florida policymakers on how to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to improve the state’s overwhelmed transportation system.

The University of South Florida think tank says every transportation option it examines undergoes a rigorous and objective analysis. It says it plays no favorites.

But a St. Petersburg Times analysis shows CUTR has often criticized one type of travel — passenger rail — while promoting alternatives it is paid millions to study. — One of rail’s biggest critics gets millions to study and promote alternatives

A question unasked is why DOT believes that CUTR can do better studies than DOT can in-house? If they want opinions and studies from different sources, are they spreading around the wealth to other “think tanks?”

Hit tip to Sticks of Fire – cutr’s anti-rail stance questioned