Source: Ocala Star Banner

Back in the 1960s, before Marion Oaks was even platted, an airline pilot purchased two square miles of land on County Road 484 about two miles west of Interstate 75. It would become The McGinley Farm, which produced corn and peanuts for decades.

By 2017, rumblings around town were that Richard McGinley was ready to turn the agricultural land into one of the largest industrial centers in Florida.

It was about four years ago when plans of transforming the 1,280-acre farm into Florida Crossroads Industrial Park were first unveiled. In the years since the property is being developed at breakneck speed.

The property is split into two sections by CR 484. About 75% of the acreage is on the south side of CR 484 and is home to Dollar Tree, a 1.9 million-square-foot distribution center and the centerpiece of the south portion.

McGinley is working with an investment group to plan out the north side. Along the north side of CR 484 there will be commercial, retail, and restaurants to “support a lot of people that will be working on the south side,” he said.

North of that commercial section, McGinley said there could end up being multi-family complexes, and/or single-family homes.

Southside master plan
The commission voted unanimously to allow for changes for the southern portion of the development fronting CR 484.

Mary Elizabeth Burgess, director of Marion County Growth Services, told commissioners that the new plan calls for 40 1.14-acre lots near CR 484.

The original concept was to put some uses, like a gas station and other things, and some type of restaurant, on the south side of CR 484. McGinley said the smaller lots will be commercial for possibly smaller warehouses.