APOPKA, Fla. — A massive proposed development along West Ponkan Road in Apopka would include apartments, single-family homes, and commercial retail, but is already facing tough community opposition.
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The project known as Paulucci Acres is in the early planning stages, but along West Ponkan Road some residents have already placed signs asking their neighbors to “say no” to the project.
On Monday, developers with the project including the Pulte Group, Appian Engineering, and Shutts and Bowen held a meeting to answer questions from residents and share more details on the current plans.
Concept plans on file with the City of Apopka show the total property is about 577 acres, with just over 313 acres of developable land.
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The plan would include 1,150 single-family lots and related amenities, at least 15 acres worth of apartments, and commercial retail on 10 acres of land.
Apopka Resident Rod Olsen says he has concerns about the scale of the project and the pressure it would put on existing infrastructure, including schools, roads, and water management.
“It’s just too much, too fast, and we need to slow the train down,” said Olsen.
He points to OCPS Student Generation Rates, which suggest the single-family homes proposed with the project would add more than 465 students to Orange County Public Schools
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“If you’re not growing, you’re dying. And I think that’s probably true overall in development. But we need to have smart growth. We need to be able to have the infrastructure in place,” said Olsen.
In order for the project to move forward, the developers are seeking to rezone the land to “Planned Development.”
According to the City of Apopka, once formal applications are submitted, the project will need to be reviewed by the Development Review Committee, next head to the City Planning Commission, and ultimately City Council for consideration in public hearings.
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Channel 9 reached out to the Pulte Group for their response to resident concerns.
You can see their full statement below:
“Pulte is the contract purchaser for the majority of the Paulucci Acres Property. Pulte has filed no formal applications with the City to rezone the property. Community meetings are required prior to any rezoning applications being filed with the City. As part of that process, Pulte and its consultants held a community meeting at Rock Springs Elementary on Monday, January 13th, from 6-8 PM - to seek feedback from residents. The event was well attended with more than 100 people, allowing residents the opportunity to ask questions and provide input to the development team. Pulte is presently evaluating the feedback received, among other factors, as it considers any future rezoning activity.”
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