The Del Webb Coming to Hernando Is Zoned Low Density. So Why Are Its Lots So Small?

On August 25, 2026, Citrus County commissioners approved Del Webb River Oaks on State Road 200 in Hernando. Under the approved plan, 667 homes will go on lots that start at 40 feet wide. The land keeps its Low Density Residential designation. For anyone buying a home in Hernando's 34442 ZIP code, that combination matters. The county map label leaves open both how small the lots next door can be and when anyone will move onto them.

If you're comparing Hernando with other parts of Citrus County, especially the wooded stretch along SR 200 near North Tram Road, River Oaks shows how both of those gaps work in practice.

What the County Actually Approved

The vote was 3–2. Commissioners Rebecca Bays, Jeff Kinnard and Holly Davis voted yes. Chair Diana Finegan and Commissioner Janet Barek voted no. The project became Ordinance 2026-A18. The county's Planning and Development Commission had heard the case on July 2. It recommended denial 6–0, finding the application inconsistent with the Land Development Code and the Comprehensive Plan.

The county's agenda memo describes the change. The zoning moves from Low Density Residential with mobile homes allowed, along with plain Low Density Residential, to Low Density Residential with a Planned Unit Development overlay. The ordinance's own title says what the overlay does. It allows "single-family residential use of more than two units per acre in the Low Density Residential District."

So "low density" stays on the map. The PUD sets the rules for what actually gets built.

Where the 40-Foot Lots Come From

Here's the lot mix in the master plan PulteGroup filed with the county:

The plan lists the gross density as 667 homes on 268.06 acres, or 2.49 homes per acre. That's the figure in every summary of the project. But add up the three lot rows and the home sites cover about 102 acres, roughly 38% of the property. On the land that actually holds houses, that works out to about six and a half lots per acre. A 40-by-110 lot is 4,400 square feet, about a tenth of an acre. The widest lots in the plan are about 7,040 square feet.

The rest of the site goes to roads, the amenity center, drainage, and open space. The plan's open space exhibit counts 113.53 acres, or 42.4% of the site, once drainage retention areas are included. The code minimum is 20%. The county planner's presentation made the same point: "Smaller lots allow an increase in open space."

That's how 2.49 homes per acre and 40-foot lots end up in the same plan. Density is measured across the whole property, so homes can be grouped tightly on part of it while the rest stays open. Under the approved conditions, every lot must be at least 40 feet wide. Side and rear setbacks are 5 feet. Internal roads must be privately owned and maintained. Lot size was a central point of disagreement. The Citrus County Chronicle reported that concerns raised before the planning board included traffic, smaller lots and the overall amount of development. PDC Chairman David Bramblett said the proposal didn't belong in a natural setting in the Holder area. "It's a project that's in the wrong location," he said.

What Gets Built Around the Edges

If you're looking at property near the site, the approved conditions spell out where the project meets the neighbors. Access will come only from two entrances on SR 200, also called North Carl G. Rose Highway. The conditions say North Tram Road "will be undisturbed by this development." A 15-foot landscape buffer runs along Tram Road. A 6-foot decorative concrete wall goes along the north side and along the east side where the site faces SR 200. A 6-foot decorative fence covers the remaining edges.

Inside, the planner's presentation shows community gateways, an 8.3-acre amenity center with a clubhouse, pool and sports courts, sidewalks on both sides of residential streets, and paved multi-modal trails along three main spine roads. The homes will connect to Citrus County central water and sewer. The plan also requires right-of-way stub-outs to the neighboring unplatted parcels so they can be connected later. If you're thinking about vacant land next to the site, that clause is the one to read most closely.

This Land Has Been Approved Before

The timing question is where an approval says the least. According to the Chronicle's preview of the hearing, the same property was approved in 2006 for a 350-home age-restricted community. That project was never built, and the zoning went back to low-density residential in 2020.

The current plan is a bigger project from a builder with more resources behind it. At the PDC hearing, the applicant's attorney, Robert Batsel Jr., gave a tentative buildout of six to seven years. He also said the development would be limited to people 55 and older, according to the Chronicle's account of the vote. Before anyone moves in, the approval documents require several steps:

1. A traffic impact analysis with the first phase. Off-site improvements that come out of the study must be designed and permitted with FDOT and must be working before the first certificate of occupancy.
2. SR 200 turn lanes. Commissioners amended the motion to require a southbound right-turn lane into the northern entrance and northbound left-turn lanes into both entrances. That requirement depends on FDOT confirming there's enough right-of-way.
3. A biological survey before the preliminary plat and improvement plans can be approved.
4. Stormwater review when improvement plans are submitted, under SWFWMD, FDEP or county standards.
5. Final site design. The master plan calls its phase lines conceptual. The layout can change at the plat stage as long as overall density doesn't go up.

The county's own development applications page shows how slowly those later steps can go. Crystal Ridge, nearby in Lecanto, has approval to start infrastructure on Phase 1's 234 lots and Phase 2A's roughly 213 lots. Neither phase has filed a final plat yet. As of the August vote, River Oaks was at the start of that line.

What This Means If You're Buying in Hernando Now

For a buyer, two practical points come out of this.

First, the homes for sale in Hernando today are the ones on the market. Florida Realtors' figures for August 2026 show 355 closed single-family sales in Citrus County, up 9.6% from a year earlier. The median sale price was $270,990, down 9.7%. One month's median can swing a lot. For January through August, the county's median was $281,950, down only 1.0%, on 2,933 sales, up 18.4%. The Florida Realtors report shows a county with steady sales and flat-to-softer prices so far this year. That's the market you'd be buying in while River Oaks still has to clear the steps above.

Second, when you look at a parcel near open land, the land-use label is where your questions should begin. Ask what zoning the neighboring land carries, whether a PUD has been filed or approved, and what lot widths and buffers the approval sets. The answers are in public county records. The disagreement on the dais shows how much depends on reading them. The Chronicle reported Commissioner Barek's comments at the hearing:

"When I look at what does Citrus County need? We need affordable housing. We need workforce housing. This is neither of those. This is retirement (housing)."

Chair Finegan cited the planning board's vote, saying a "nonpolitical PDC board" had found the project incompatible with the area. Commissioner Davis, who voted in favor, said there was "a lot of NIMBYism" in the opposition. Elected officials read the same code and the same plan and came out 3–2.

Where the Density Rules Get Rewritten

The rules that allowed River Oaks come from a Comprehensive Plan that dates to 1990. Citrus County is now rewriting it as Citrus County 2050. The Chronicle reported that the first public workshop on the draft was set for October 19 at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path. After that, the draft goes to the PDC and then to the County Commission. Those hearings will set how much clustering future PUDs in places like Holder can use.

This post is general information about public zoning records, not legal advice. If a specific approval affects a property you're considering, please confirm the details with a land-use attorney or the county's Growth Management staff.

If you're looking at Hernando and want to know what's been approved, filed or proposed near a specific address before you make an offer, The Finley-Terrell Team can help you pull the county records and walk through them with you. Contact us, and we'll start with the parcel you have in mind.