With two interchanges along State Road 429 in Apopka, plans are well under way for growth off those exits of the limited access toll road, and work on one development planned for the interchange at U.S. Highway 441 in Apopka is gearing up again after a lull due to the economic shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plans for developer Tony Benge’s 80-acre project now dubbed Floridian Town Center at the northwest quadrant of the SR 429 interchange at U.S. 441 call for up to 600 apartment units along with a hotel, supermarket, YMCA, and various retail establishments.
Benge this week said that the driver in all the planned development along SR 429 is the toll road itself.
“The 429 is really the game changer,” Benge said. “I live in Winter Park and I can be from my house to this site in 25 minutes. It really opens up the pressure on growth.
“If you look at every exit on the 429, look at the development that’s going on there. At every interchange, there’s a major development going on and it follows the ease of the road. Right now, the need for housing is really booming and Apopka is the next big destination ahead of that. They’ve got utilities, access roads. It’s coming.
The recent and continued development of about 2 million square feet of warehouse space that has drawn some of the biggest names in corporate America is a huge factor in Benge choosing the site for the apartment complex and retail. Mid-Florida Logistics Park is about a mile south of where Floridian Town Center is slated to be built.
“We’re thrilled with the neighbors across the street with Amazon, Goya, Coca-Cola – great companies. That will generate a lot of jobs which will need the support retail there with restaurants, entertainment, shopping,” Benge said.
“We’re going to have major jobs engines like the AdventHealth hospital one exit south. You’ll have Orlando Health eventually one exit north. Just really well positioned to be the beneficiary of a lot of those projects.”
The full story begins on page 1A of the Friday, June 12, issue of The Apopka Chief. Subscribe today!
