Orange County planning board recommends denial of Stonemont Manor development 

The Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial Oct. 15 of a proposed 38-home development in the Tangerine Rural Settlement, rejecting county planning staff’s recommendation for approval. 

Stonemont Manor would rezone 38.86 acres at 6322 Terrell Road and 6409 N. Orange Blossom Trail from agricultural to planned development zoning. Commissioners questioned whether the proposed subdivision’s smaller lots would preserve the area’s rural character. 

Commissioner David Boers questioned the compatibility of suburban-style neighborhoods with rural settlements, which county policies were designed to protect. 

“I feel like this is just another breakdown of making a rural area more suburban,” Boers said. 

County planner Allison Rice recommended approval with 13 conditions, explaining that county policies encourage clustering homes to preserve open space. 

“Clustering is a tool that the policy, the comprehensive plan, encourages to support the rural character of rural settlements,” Rice said. 

The proposal would concentrate homes on one-third-acre interior lots and half-acre perimeter lots, preserving 50% of the property as open space. 

Attorney Julie Kendig-Schrader, representing the applicant, described the property as unique because of its former borrow-pit use and inclusion in a joint planning area with the city of Mount Dora. She argued those circumstances distinguished the proposal from other rural properties, limiting its value as a precedent for similar rezonings. 

Applicant Tanner Kalebaugh said a traffic study estimated 40 vehicle trips during the busiest hour, including 15 entering and 25 leaving. 

Residents opposed the project over traffic safety, environmental concerns and potential changes to Tangerine’s character. 

“If everything constantly is rezoned, what is the point of having a rural settlement?” resident Mary Emanuel asked. 

According to a public notice published Oct. 18, the proposal is scheduled for a Nov. 10 hearing before the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, which will make the final decision on the rezoning request. 

The Tangerine Rural Settlement is one of several communities designated on Orange County’s future land-use map to preserve rural lifestyles, agricultural uses and established development patterns. The designations recognize communities existing when the county adopted its comprehensive plan in 1991 and help direct more intensive development toward urban areas.  

County policies specifically identify Tangerine as a community whose historic rural character should be preserved.