Resort-style development in Horizon West progresses

Although residents had concerns about how an applicant’s proposal for a resort-style development in the Horizon West area would impact traffic and growth, the project met little opposition at a community meeting hosted by Orange County’s Planning Division Wednesday, April 3, at Water Spring Elementary School.

Applicant Javier E. Omana, representing owner PRS Investors Group LLP, is requesting to change the Future Land Use Map designation from Village to Growth Center-Planned Development-Commercial. 

If approved, this would allow for a resort-style development with up to 360 short-term rental and/or hotel/condo (timeshare) units with related amenities and up to 5,000 square feet of ancillary Retail Commercial District uses.

The subject parcel is located at 17998 Grove Blossom Way, located south of Grove Blossom Way, west of Avalon Road and east of the Orange/Lake county line.

The property sits on 21.32 acres, with only 10.30 acres being considered developable because of the wetlands. Omana said his client does not plan on impacting the wetland area. 

DEVELOPMENT DETAILS

The county’s adopted 2010-2030 FLUM depicts the property, located within the Horizon West boundary, as Village. The designation allows for residential development at a maximum density of one dwelling unit per 10 acres, unless approved as a Special Planning Area.

The rezoning of the subject property from Citrus Rural District to Planned Development District also will be required to establish design and development standards and conditions of approval for the project.

“There’s no village that they can actually come into,” Orange County Case Planner Jennifer DuBois said. “So, they’re not contiguous to any of the adopted villages or to the Town Center. The property is not large enough. It does not have enough … in it for the establishment of a new village.”

DuBois said the application previously came in during the 2022 amendment cycle.

“At that time, some requests were made relative to a transportation study — which has been satisfied — and, more importantly, a CAP; the wetland line,” Omana said. “One of the challenges with this particular project is that the owners are from Canada … communicating with our client has been somewhat of a challenge.”

Omana said the proposal is consistent with the county’s land-use policies; compatible with the surrounding FLU designations and uses; does not increase, promote, or extend urban sprawl; increases taxable value of the property; and will service demands of Orange County’s entertainment and resort economy. 

Because the application is considered a large-scale amendment, it will require two rounds of county review: transmittal public hearings followed by adoption public hearings.

The proposal next will go to the local planning agency transmittal hearing April 18, followed by an Orange County Board of County Commissioners transmittal hearing at a date to be determined. Both entities would then hold adoption hearings at dates to be determined.