The ordinance will adopt the RoseArts Planned Development (PD) with Wekiva (W) Overlay, located on the south side of Rosamond Dr., north and south sides of Lakebreeze Dr., north and east sides of South Lake Orlando Pkwy. and south side of Clubhouse Rd., all south of Lake Orlando. The applicant is Andrew McCown, with GAI Consultants, represented by Rebecca Wilson with the Lowndes Law Firm, for the owner, Lake Orlando Land Owner, LLC.
The PD development plan proposes a phased redevelopment of the former Lake Orlando Golf & Country Club into a maximum of 5,650 dwelling units and 350,000 sq. ft. of non-residential uses, along with preservation of a certain amount of wetlands and conservation areas, all on nearly one hundred twenty-eight (128) acres. The request is tied to concurrent requests to annex a 7.72-acre parcel (ANX2021-10006), to amend the future land use designations on the property from Public-Recreational-Institutional, Residential Medium Intensity and Orange County Industrial to Urban Village (GMP2021-10010) and to create Growth Management Plan Sub-Area Policy S.1.4 to implement the Urban Village requirements (GMP2021-10011).
The proposed development plan has the overall site divided into nine (9) sub-phases lettered A through I, extending from Rosamond Drive on the north, south and west nearly to the west portion of South Lake Orlando Pkwy. The site will be developed in three main phases, with each phase or sub-phase requiring Specific Parcel Master Plan approval prior to applying for development permits. The overall site is constrained by the minimum 20% open space requirement of the Wekiva Overlay and much of the site is also located in one hundred (100) year flood zone, which will require extensive compensating storage mitigation. Roadways are planned to be extended from Rosamond Drive south, across Lakebreeze Dr., to provide both vehicular and pedestrian and bicycle access to the total development. Affordable housing and a transportation circulator have been incorporated into the PD Ordinance, with additional detail provided in a separate Developers Agreement that was approved at the Council meeting on November 8, 2021.
Prior to the public hearing before the Municipal Planning Board, the applicant conducted numerous virtual and attended meetings with the local populace to garner comments and support for the project. At the July 20, 2021 Municipal Planning Board (MPB) meeting, the board heard from many citizens and recommended approval of the Annexation, GMP Amendments and PD rezoning (ZON2021-10008). The cases were subsequently appealed and a hearing was conducted by the Hearing Officer on September 23, 2021. On October 13, 2021, the Hearing Officer issued a Recommended Order, concurring with the MPB recommendation of approval for the PD rezoning.
The Legislative appeal of the annexation and GMP cases was previously conducted before the City Council on September 13, 2021, followed by the 1st readings of the annexation and GMP amendments at the same September 13, 2021 Council meeting. On November 8, 2021, the City Council upheld the Recommended Order from the Hearing Officer for the Quasi-Judicial appeal of the PD (denying said appeal), approved the July 20, 2021 MPB minutes and approved the first reading of the PD Ordinance. The City Council also adopted the 2nd reading of the related annexation and GMP amendments on November 8, 2021.