Concluding nearly 4-1/2 hours of presentations, commentary and questions, the Apopka City Council voted unanimously in favor of the first reading for the rezoning of the New Errol project that proponents believe will save the faltering Errol Estate from permanent closure.
The special City Council meeting was held on Tuesday, March 27, at the Apopka Community Center/VFW building with more than 300 people in attendance.
In two separate motions, the governing body voted 5-0 on the second reading of a future land use comprehensive plan, and 5-0 on the first reading of New Errol’s rezoning and master plan.
Because the first reading passed, the New Errol project will go before the City Council for a second reading and adoption on Wednesday, April 11, also at the Apopka Community Center/VFW building, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The vote was not without hard questioning from the City Council, though. City commissioners grilled Celebration-based real estate developer Signature H Property Group about revitalizing Errol Estate, located on Errol Parkway off U.S. Highway 441, on topics such as construction entryway, buffers, and water drainage.
Likewise, many homeowners in the room supported New Errol, but even some advocates expressed reservations about it.
Overall, the City Council and homeowners were feeling positive about New Errol.
“It’s not us convincing you that the product is good; you have been convinced,” said City Commissioner Diane Velazquez. “The fact that Signature H has invested 130 (community) meetings … I truly believe the right thing to do is to vote for this.”
City Commissioner Kyle Becker said he is not against the project, but he wants Signature H to deliver a final version of the development agreement containing information about the amenities the developer promised the community to build.
“If you all screw this up, you’re screwing up a lot of people that put a lot of confidence into what they’re doing and you’re selling,” he said. “I’m not against this project. I ask tough questions because they need to be asked. Friction makes the point sharper.”
New Errol is a proposed 261-residential development with several amenities intended to salvage Errol Estate, which has been losing between $50,000 and $60,000 per month in operations.
In addition to the 261 residential homes, New Errol also includes a new golf course, the new clubhouse/lodge area Staghorn Club and Lodge with a 40-room lodge, a community water park, and a senior campus in the form of two adult living facilities (ALF) with 90 beds each and one building with a 60-bed post-acute rehabilitation center.
Also as part of the redevelopment project, Signature H has proposed a new two-lane roadway named Staghorn Drive – also called the spine road – connecting Errol Parkway and Vick Road. The spine road that will connect to Vick Road at the Sun Bluff Lane intersection, will serve as the primary internal collector roadway for the new housing that is proposed as part of the project.
To keep residents updated on New Errol, Signature H hosted more than 130 community meetings over the past two years, as well as visits to different Errol areas and interaction with homeowners.
Helmut Wyzisk III, Signature H vice president, said that trust grew between homeowners and Signature H because of the meetings.
“There’s value in being transparent in building this team of ambassadors,” he said. “These are our future supporters of New Errol. We had a very successful time in doing that. But you don’t get there without a vision. I would not call this unconditional love or support. This isn’t unconditional love and support. This is conditional support. We made commitments to these residents that they’re going to hold us to, and we’re ready to be held to.”
The New Errol design has gone through several levels of government review including the City Council, which on August 22, 2017, approved the plan, the rezoning of the estimated 75-acre parcel in Errol Estate, and transmittal to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The state approved the plan, and sent it back to the city for further review.
The full story appears on page 1A of the Friday, March 30, edition of The Apopka Chief.
