Chain of Lakes Park, the former spring home of the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, would be redeveloped as a lakeside village with retail and restaurants under a plan submitted to Winter Haven officials, with work beginning in a month.
The Landings, proposed by Orlando developer Tony Benge, would take the former spring-training site on 45 acres of city-owned land overlooking Lake Lulu, at the southeast corner of U.S. 17 and Cypress Gardens Boulevard. The spring-training site, now used for baseball tournaments, would be torn down at some time, through initial development would take place on the Orange Dome location.
The plan calls for an entertainment/retail complex with stores, restaurants, bars and movie theater. Financing is apparently lined up; if approved by the City Commission, construction could begin next month.
No word on how the action affects the Winter Haven Loggerheads (summer collegiate; Florida Collegiate Summer League), set to debut at Chain of Lakes Park this summer.
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