MOUNT DORA, Fla – It’s happening all over Central Florida: Farmland being scooped up and developed to meet the growth of our region.
More often than not, locals are against the changes and that’s certainly the case in one part of Mount Dora where a controversial mixed-use employment center is planned on 850 acres along S.R. 46 near the Wekiva Parkway.
For 25 years, Lisa Winslow has owned Home and Garden Treasures, a quaint home decor shop in downtown Mount Dora. “I love being in Mount Dora,” she said. “I love what I do and meeting my customers. It’s great.”
Since moving to the charming city in 1999, Mount Dora’s population has nearly doubled, but she says the population isn’t the only thing growing.
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“I know my taxes have gone up considerably in the last few years,” Winslow said. “My husband is like, ‘Oh, look at the property values.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, look at our taxes.’”
Winslow lives about four miles from downtown in the Sullivan Ranch neighborhood, which is close to where even more growth is planned in the future.
It’s all part of the Wolf Branch Innovation District, an 850-acre mixed-use development that’s being billed as a job creator for the sprawling area. On top of employment, plans call for different housing options, including single-family homes, apartments and townhomes. Portions of the project are beginning to take shape after two decades of planning.
“The cows are gone, the green is gone, now there’s just machinery and sad,” Winslow said. “I don’t know anyone that’s like, ‘Yahoo. Let’s go. This is exciting.’”
Loretta Imparato also lives in Sullivan Ranch after moving from South Florida eight years ago.
“It’s going to ruin it, destroy it, make it crowded, add more traffic, and it’s going to be just horrible,” Imparato said. “The homes across the street – I’m disgusted. I want to fight them. Every time I leave the development, I get sick.”
The district is a collaborative effort between Mount Dora and Lake County to bring high-paying jobs to the area after the completion of the Wekiva Parkway, but so far, it’s only brought confusion and controversy.
Most notably, a developer’s plan to build offices, apartments, and commercial space on 36 acres that ended up having to go to a special magistrate over the proposed height of the buildings. The judge eventually sided with the developer, and Mount Dora City Council followed suit last week by voting in favor of allowing high-rises that don’t exceed 175 feet.
While shorter than the original plan, it’s still too high for neighbors.
“I don’t want Orlando across the street,” Winslow said. “That’s why I moved from South Florida 25 years ago.”
“We don’t need high-rises,” Imparato added. “They’re going to take all the beautiful scenery away and the trees. It’s ridiculous, and they complain now that the bears are coming out.”
The developer behind the 36-acre project said he hopes to prove the naysayers wrong by building something special for future generations.
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