After a motion to deny the development failed, the Lake County Commission this month voted again to postpone a rezoning decision on Heritage Green, a proposed rural conservation subdivision.
Representing the applicant, Bill Ray with Ray & Associates asked the commission to continue the April 1 hearing until an unspecified later date because county staff had not been able to review a study on the floodplain. The development is proposed for a property north of Wolf Branch Road and east of Scenic Hills Drive. This area flooded during Hurricane Milton.
The commission ultimately voted 3-2 to postpone a decision on Heritage Green, but not before Commissioner Anthony Sabatini moved to deny the development. That motion failed, but Sabatini and commission chairwoman Leslie Campione voted against postponing. Tuesday’s hearing had been postponed from the commission’s Jan. 7 meeting.
Plans for the development, done by engineering firm Halff, call for 265 homes — 177 on 65-by-125 and 88 on 60-by-125 lots — on 217 gross acres for a density of 1.25 units per acre. About 134 acres of the property are protected, which includes about an acre of wetlands and two conservation areas. The property is owned by the developer, Robert Zlatkiss.
The commission adopted standards for rural conservation subdivisions in 2023. These standards preserve “agricultural and forestry lands, natural and cultural features, scenic viewsheds and rural community character,” county documents say. The standards require such developments be designed around conservation and that protected space be maintained, among other things.
Mount Dora, Lake County pitch in $270K to study smelly ‘industrial’ odor
Like many did at the January meeting, residents came to speak on the development. The major sticking point was flooding concerns. Most asked the commission to deny the development altogether.
Many who spoke live in Wolf Branch Estates, which flooded during Hurricane Milton. They told the commission that flooding wasn’t a concern until D.R. Horton built Timberwalk, a 376-lot development nearby.
Despite the postponement, commissioners were not optimistic that they would approve the development as submitted.
“I personally don’t think that the conservation design works here,” Campione said, echoing her comments from the January hearing. “I think the conservation design can work in certain instances. I don’t think it works on a property like this that has such huge changes in its topography and I don’t think it works because of the impact of that topography on the adjoining properties.”
Campione went on to say that she believes the property should stay designated as rural transition, which allows for one unit per acre.
Commissioner Kirby Smith also voiced concerns but said he wanted to give the developer time to rework their plans.
Campione said there would have to be a “major, major design change” to consider approval.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
