A local developer wants to move forward with plans to deliver a new retail center on vacant land east of the Orlando Sanford International Airport, but the City of Sanford might not allow one of the proposed stores to be part of the final product.
Plans for the retail center call for 23,363 square feet, including a 6,160-square-foot tire store, a pair of 3,760-square-foot quick-service restaurants, a 4,500-square-foot dental office, a 3,333-square-foot bank, and a 1,850-square-foot Dunkin Donuts.
The center would be the initial phase of Queen’s Crossing, a 27-acre mixed-use development planned for 4604 Zanzibar Way, just south of State Road 46 on the eastern side of E. Lake Mary Boulevard. Developer and property owner Sadique Jaffer previously submitted plans in 2023 that called for a combined 81,490 square feet of commercial space and a 113-room hotel within Queen’s Crossing.
Chris Thompson of Z Development Services held a pre-application meeting with Sanford Planning staff this month to discuss the proposed retail project. During the meeting, Darren Ebersole, a city planner with the City of Sanford, said that auto shops and establishments are currently not permitted on the property.
“The tire store that you’ve got shown on here is not an approved use within the PD,” he explained. “I don’t think it’s one of the preferred uses within the Lake Mary Boulevard corridor overlay.”
An entity affiliated with Jaffer paid $2.6 million in 2010 for the Queens Crossing project site, which is located next to Kings Crossing, a mixed-use project with a retail component. Developer North American Development Group (NADG) delivered a 48,387-square-foot Publix store last February and plans to build another phase that will bring the total amount of retail space to 77,000 square feet.
A flyer on the NADG website indicates that Wawa will open on a 1.9-acre parcel at the southeast corner of State Road 46 and East Lake Mary Boulevard, while Encore Nail Bar and UPS will open directly west of Publix. There are also a pair of other commercial outparcels that are still available for lease.
Ilumina Sanford, a 260-unit apartment complex with a trio of four-story residential buildings, a pool, an outdoor pavilion, a zen garden, and a clubhouse with a gym, is also planned for a vacant parcel east of the Publix store as part of the Kings Crossing development.
D.R. Horton also recently submitted plans for a project with 320 multifamily units, 97 townhomes, and a 3-acre commercial parcel on 32.6 acres just east of Queens Crossing. The development would be built in partnership with D.R. Horton’s multifamily division, DHI Communities.
The commercial outparcel would be located at the property’s northern end on State Road 46. To the south, there would be six four-story multifamily buildings with amenities such as a clubhouse and a pool with cabanas. Meanwhile, the townhomes would be located on the southern end of the property, with an entrance from Richmond Avenue. The project, which is meant to complement the adjacent Kings Crossing development, is still making its way through the approval process with the city.
Jaffer, Director of Operations for Property Investment Brokers, is an active developer and investor in the Sanford area. For example, Jaffer owns a 13.5-acre property on the southeastern corner of E. Lake Mary Boulevard and Botanical Way that is the site of a proposed community with 114 townhomes. The plans for the property also call for a 2,691-square-foot quick-service restaurant along Botanical Way and a future development parcel set aside for a 10,000-square-foot office building near the terminus of Red Cleveland Boulevard.
Jaffer also received approval for 284 multifamily units on a 14-acre parcel at 3475 E. Lake Mary Blvd. and sold the entitled property to Douglas Hoeksema of Winter Park-based Douglas Partners for $6.15 million last year.
Additionally, Jaffer owns a nearby 3-acre parcel at the southwestern corner of E. Lake Mary Boulevard and Cameron Avenue that has entitlements for a 113-room hotel.
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