-
A summary of the plan of a nearly 1,100 home development between Hickory Tree Road and Alligator Lake. It received approval—but not unanimous—Monday for a preliminary subdivision plan. GRAPHIC/OSCEOLA COUNTY
Over 2,500 homes are slated for the east side of Osceola County, across a small handful of developments getting enough support from officials to acquire approval.
The ‘yes’ votes have not been coming from County Commissioner Ricky Booth, who represents the District 5 area where they are slated for construction along Hickory Tree Road.
Booth, a lifelong resident of the area who’s passed through there “thousands of times,” called it a “rinky-dink road”— and it’s slated to eventually get those houses.
At Monday’s County Commission meeting, the board approved a preliminary subdivision plan for 309 acres of the Triple H Ranch that would allow for 1,070 homes along Hickory Tree south of Alligator Lake. Approved Monday with a 4-1 vote that included Booth’s ‘no’ vote, it returned to the board after October and December meetings, with new provisions for larger lot sizes (100 feet rather than 85) on Alligator Lake and future school parcels.
“I don’t think the area’s ready for 1,100 homes on Hickory Tree,” Booth said. “But I thank the applicant for listening to the board and adjacent residents.”
Another ordinance, which would change the zoning designation from agricultural to low-density residential (LDR) on 62 acres near Story Road and Tucker Avenue, south of the sharp turn Hickory Tree takes south of “The Manor”, even had Commissioner Peggy Choudhry’s ‘no’ vote as well as Booth’s, but passed with a 3-2 vote. It paves the way for what county documents call “Story Estates”.
Three members of the county’s nine-member Planning Commission voted against it and another abstained. County officials said LDR was the most reasonable zoning level appropriate for land within the county’s growth boundary, and that roads around it were adequate at their “current level of service.”
“But you approve (nearly) 3,000 homes on that rinky-dink road, the level of service is going to get worse quickly,” Booth said after hearing road expansion in the area is due by 2045. He also asked if low density residential is a compatible land use, considering those acres are surrounded by five-acre lots and estate houses, the latter would make expanding some of the framework roads in the area, like Story road, difficult.
But Shawn Hindle, who represented the applicant Baveria LLC, and was the abstaining vote on the Planning Commission, said the applicant will make road improvements to the surrounding roads, including buffers and setbacks.
After the meeting, Booth said he acknowledges and appreciates a willingness to talk to adjacent residents about growth that is coming.
“We’re not prepared, but that’s my opinion,” he said. “But we have a future land use and a transportation plan in place. The state said we don’t even have to have that, but I’ve fought hard for that. We’re in the same position as any other high-growth county (in the state), and I hope the State Legislature begins to address it.”
On the flip side, commissioners did deny the application to change the zoning on a 15-acre parcel of land to low-density residential just north of 192 and east of Simmons Road and Florida's Turnpike. A representative for the applicant stated the planned project was no longer under contract. The zoning change was previously denied on this in September.
