The Apopka City Council unanimously greenlit annexing 39 acres for Paulucci Acres, a proposed mixed-use development that will include 1,000 single-family residences and townhomes as well as non-residential uses. 

The annexation’s second reading and approval was done at the Aug. 6 City Council meeting. The annexation’s first reading was approved at the council’s July 16 meeting. 

The 39-acre land is situated on the east side of Vick Road, approximately a quarter of a mile north of the Vick Road and West Lester Road intersection. The parcel is owned by Paulucci Acres LLC. Pulte Homes is the project’s builder. 

As a separate action item, the City Council also approved a resolution, which would vacate a right-of-way for the planned development. 

Specifically, the resolution vacates the northern 20 feet of a 40-foot-wide, unimproved public right-of-way and a 40-foot-wide north-south section of the same right-of-way north of Woodside Ridge Drive and Misty Glen Circle. The vacated right-of-way is estimated at 1.52 acres. 

The resolution vote was previously tabled at the July 16 City Council meeting. 

“It’s what we call a paper right-of-way, meaning it was platted at one point in time but never improved,” city planner Bobby Howell told the City Council on Aug. 6. “So you would never know it was there if you went out and saw it in real life.” 

Howell explained that according to the project applicant, the future Paulucci Acres homeowners association will enter into a maintenance agreement with the city regarding the southern 20 feet of right-of-way that will remain after the property is developed.  

This condition will be added to the planned development, Howell said. 

The applicant on record is Daniel O’Keefe, partner with the law firm Shutts & Bowen. 

Utility providers AT&T, Lumen, Duke Energy, Comcast and Lake Apopka Natural Gas District told the city they have no objection to the abandonment of right-of-way. These companies’ email messages and letters confirming their lack of objection were included in the Aug. 6 City Council agenda package. 

Pulte and Shutts & Bowen held a private community meeting concerning the Paulucci Acres project at 6 p.m. on Monday at the Apopka Community Center, according to a July 18 notice shared by the Apopka Critic. Approximately 30 people were in attendance when The Apopka Chief arrived. Since the meeting was exclusive to neighboring property owners, the Chief did not attend the meeting. 

“Developer representatives for the Paulucci Acres project showed residents the new plan for roadway improvements to Ponkan and Vick Roads,” the Apopka Critic said in a Facebook post about the community meeting. “The new plan is to close the Pitman Road, Ponkan intersection at the dangerous curve.” 

Other updates from the evening included a new roundabout and new curbing, sidewalks and lighting for Ponkan Road. Orange County District 2 Commissioner Christine Moore, and Apopka City Commissioners Diane Velazquez, Nadia Anderson and Nick Nesta attended the meeting. 

During public comment at the Aug. 6 council meeting, resident Rod Olsen said he attended the Monday meeting. While he said the Paulucci Acres meeting was very well done, he said he remained concerned about how new developments will impact existing infrastructure. 

Olsen also said the city needed better infrastructure management and needed to hold developers accountable for infrastructure connectivity. 

“We need to look at better ways of managing this process and holding the developers accountable … for the connectivity so we don’t run into the issue,” he said. “[Apopka City] Commissioner [Alexander H.] Smith pointed out where we got this new development, and we don’t have safe sidewalks to and from schools.” 

Sarah Merly contributed to this article.