Over 18 months since its January 2024 groundbreaking, the Wyld Oaks development has seen much progress and is on budget, according to Wyld Oaks founder Joseph Beninati.

Beninati addressed professionals, community leaders and entrepreneurs on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Apopka City Center Hilton Garden Inn at an Apopka Area Chamber of Commerce event. After giving the update and hosting a Q&A, Beninati invited attendees to the site for a tour. 

Nearly two miles of roadways have been built, and all utilities are completed, including potable water, wastewater and stormwater, Beninati said.

“We don’t have any debt on the property,” he said. “We don’t have any investors in the property, so nobody is telling us what to do and go fast, go slow. We have the ability to be stewards of Wyld Oaks for generations, and that is our intent at this point.”

Future plans include vertical construction by early 2026, with 700 multi-family homes and a town center with a new Main Street. Multi-family homes will be built in phases, with the first phase starting in the first quarter of 2026. The project includes plans for up to 6,000 units, depending on the height restrictions.

A major healthcare agreement and a local convenience store, Wyld Provisions, are also in the works.

The project aims for local integration, focusing on bringing in local operators over national chains for retail space, Beninati said.

Husband and wife Jim and Eileen Diamond, a consultant and a realtor, respectively, attended the chamber event. They live down the street from Wyld Oaks off Plymouth Sorrento Road.

“I’m really excited because we are also golf cart owners, so the idea of coming from our neighborhood and being able to go to a restaurant or a store or something is really exciting,” Eileen Diamond said, adding that there are currently no gas stations in the Wyld Oaks area.

Beninati answered Jim Diamond’s questions, such as the project timeline, Diamond said. He said he and Eileen had followed other local developments similar to Wyld Oaks that made some progress but came to a halt. They wanted to find out if Wyld Oaks might meet a similar fate.

“This was just unimproved land [before Wyld Oaks] and we’ve seen the trucks drive by,” Jim said. “It’s great to see all the roads in and the infrastructure already finished.”

Charles Chambers, past chamber chair and proprietor of FastSigns Apopka, visited the Wyld Oaks site up to four times prior to Aug. 8, including before any infrastructure was developed.

“It’s going to be a great community,” he said. “What they got so far and what it’s going to be, it sounds perfect. We’re actually looking to move from where we live to here.”

Wyld Oaks is a 215-acre mixed-use development off the 429 Beltway and the West Kelly Park Road interchange in northwest Apopka. The development will have many amenities intended to accommodate a booming state and regional population as well as help relieve the affordable housing crisis, supporters have said.

Wyld Oaks amenities will comprise up to 200,000 square feet of retail and outparcels, two hotels, multifamily and condominium residences, an expansive outdoor entertainment venue, a park and preserve, a dog park, an advanced ER with a helipad, and recreational amenities.

The demand for Wyld Oaks retail in 2024 was estimated to be almost $1.1 billion while supply is only $700 million, leaving a gap of about $400 million, a past Wyld Oaks press release stated.

Over 12,9000 new homes are located within 10 miles of Wyld Oaks, with a 6.1% population increase expected to occur over the next five years, according to data from the development’s website.