From staff reports
LAKE CITY -- A dispute between residents at the Jewel, a development company, and Lake City nearly resulted in a civil lawsuit.
Bill Griffith, the developer's attorney, said he prepared a lawsuit after city officials weren't acting quickly enough to integrate the Jewel development. But city council members resolved the situation earlier this week, and the lawsuit is no longer an imminent threat.
The Jewel, an 800-acre development that could double Lake City's population, is a golf community. Its championship golf course will eventually be surrounded by as many as 1,100 homes.
Griffith said as Jewel subdivisions are built, infrastructure like roads and sewers are built. City officials must approve and accept these improvements. Griffith said the developer was prepared to argue in court that the city approval process was occurring too slowly.
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Lake City Attorney Phil Gartner said city officials pledged this week to move forward "at a speed that's acceptable to everyone."
"The Jewel is satisfied with the action that the city is taking," Gartner said. "And the city is saying we're not really doing anything different than we were doing, but as long as everyone's satisfied, that's good."
