A proposed 7-Eleven convenience store and fuel station planned for the Shoppes at East Shore development remains under review after Apopka staff raised concerns Wednesday about whether the project’s design complies with the city’s development guidelines for corner properties. 

The proposal was discussed during the city’s Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting as part of a second-submittal review of a construction site plan application for the property at 2501 Ocoee-Apopka Road. The project applicant is Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc., representing property owner Shoppes at East Shore LLC. 

According to city records, the proposed development would include a 7-Eleven convenience store and fuel station within the larger Shoppes at East Shore mixed-use development. 

Planning Manager Jean Sanchez said city staff continue to have concerns about the site’s layout and whether it meets the intent of the city’s development design guidelines for corner lots. 

“I did receive comments from Public Works, but planning also had one outstanding comment about the site layout and, in general, how it is not meeting the city’s development design guidelines, particularly for corner lots,” Sanchez said during the meeting. 

Derek Ramsburg, an engineer with Kimley-Horn, said the design includes features intended to soften the appearance of the site and improve the streetscape. 

“The renderings we have, we’ve done a pretty significant streetscape,” Ramsburg said. He noted that the plans include a masonry wall, decorative fencing, landscaping and hedges along the roadway frontage. 

He said those features are intended to make the site less visually intrusive from the road. 

Sanchez said the project remains too vehicle-oriented and does not adequately address pedestrian-friendly design goals envisioned for the development. 

“It hasn’t really substantially addressed planning comments in terms of making this a less vehicular-oriented building,” Sanchez said. 

Sanchez said staff believe the building should be reoriented toward the corner to better satisfy the city’s design standards. She said Ramsburg could continue discussions with staff or ultimately seek consideration from the City Commission, which adopted the development design guidelines governing the project area. 

The Shoppes at East Shore is a commercial development along Ocoee-Apopka Road that is part of the broader East Shore growth area surrounding Lake Apopka. The development includes the recently opened Lake Carter Exchange project, which features retail, restaurant and medical office uses and is part of the area’s expanding commercial corridor. 

The proposed 7-Eleven was one of several projects reviewed during the meeting. 

The DRC also reviewed a construction site plan for a warehouse project at 3716 Hogshead Road. Staff raised concerns about the need for adequate vehicle access for emergency responders.  

Another construction site plan reviewed was for Oakmoor, formerly known as Ondich North, a proposed 196-lot single-family subdivision on Oak Lane and properties at 3845, 4255 and 4267 Ondich Road. Staff said remaining comments primarily involve engineering issues, including sidewalk placement near existing fences and utility infrastructure needed to accommodate future pump station maintenance. 

The DRC is a staff-level review committee that evaluates development proposals for compliance with city regulations and identifies issues that must be resolved before projects can move forward. The committee does not make final approval decisions.