Courtesy of city of Apopka
Key Points
- The Apopka City Council delayed the Paulucci Acres zoning ordinance discussion to January 7 to resolve legal issues and complete the development agreement.
- The zoning change would convert 618 acres east of Vick Road and north of Ponkan Road from residential to mixed-use for a 1,034-unit development.
- Resident Joshua McMillan opposed the development, citing its impact on wildlife, the area's history, and concerns about overdevelopment and community displacement.
The Apopka City Council unanimously approved delaying the conversation about the 1,034-unit Paulucci Acres zoning ordinance to the Jan. 7 meeting.
City planner Bobby Howell said the reason for the delay is that the planned development agreement was not complete yet, and some outstanding legal aspects are still being resolved.
The ordinance would change the zoning of about 618 acres, which the development would go east of Vick Road and north of PonkanRoad, from residential to mixed-use.
The development’s applicant, Daniel O’Keefe of the law firm Shutts & Bowen, requested a continuance of the first reading of the zoning ordinance to Jan. 7, with a second reading to follow Jan. 21, according to city documents.
Joshua McMillan is a resident who lives in the Bridal Wood subdivision directly across from where Paulucci Acres is proposed for development. At the Wednesday council meeting, he opposed the development, citing its impact on wildlife and the community’s history.
McMillan, who said he is an eighth generation Floridian and a third generation Apopka, highlighted the area’s unique natural beauty and the ecological destruction caused by overdevelopment.
“What I’m trying to establish is how this piece of land, in particular and specifically, is incredibly special and unique to the city of Apopka and its residents,” he said. “Y’all are driving people like me and many others out of Apopka.”
This summer, the City Council approved the annexation of 39 acres of land for Paulucci Acres.
On Dec. 9, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of Paulucci Acres’ rezoning and planned development master plan. At that meeting, concerns about the development’s potential impact on the surrounding area, including traffic and roadway capacity, took center stage.