Ocoee approves 381-home community

More homes are on the horizon in the city of Ocoee.

After holding a second reading and public hearing, city leaders voted unanimously during the Nov. 5 City Commission meeting to approve three ordinances and a land-use plan related to the CLRM Planned Unit Development — a 381-home residential community that will be built on a 193.22-acre property in northeast Ocoee.

One of the ordinances annexes the property into the city, while the second was a comprehensive plan amendment to change the land-use designation of the property from Orange County rural settlement 1/5 to city of Ocoee low-density residential. The third ordinance rezoned the property from from Orange County agricultural to city of Ocoee PUD.

The subject site totals 212.3 acres, but only 193.22 acres was annexed into the city. The property is located south of East McCormick Road and west of North Apopka Vineland Road. In addition to the 381 homes, plans for the project include 68.68 acres of open space, which do not include areas around existing lakes and proposed stormwater ponds within the subject property. The density of the project is 1.8 dwelling units per acre, and lot sizes within the community will be between 40 to 60 feet.

“It’s sort of like a little cluster development,” Development Services Director Mike Rumer said. “Shorter lot sizes provides more open space. The project will access McCormick Road via two entrance points.”

Rumer added the project would have impacts on local schools. It’s estimated the development would generate about 72 new elementary school students, 36 middle school students and 49 high school students, according to Rumer. 

“The project has recently received a mitigation agreement with Orange County Public Schools to mitigate the school (impacts),” Rumer said. “The project, therefore, has received approval from the state to go forward. It’s received approval from Orange County Public Schools to move forward because of the mitigation agreement, and it is now within the Joint Planning Area Agreement we have with Orange County, so it meets that criteria.”

Additionally, the project was moved forward with two added conditions of approval. The first condition was that the developer had to agree to fund one half of the cost up to $200,000 to design and install a traffic light at the intersection of North Apopka Vineland Road and East McCormick Road. The second was that the developer will convey a 30-foot-wide strip of property adjacent to McCormick Road at no cost to Orange County to be used as an extension of the West Orange Trail.

“They’re going to provide some funding for a signal at McCormick and Apopka Vineland, and there’s a plan to provide an extension to the West Orange Trail down McCormick Road,” Rumer said. 

Prior to the vote, City Commissioner George Oliver commented on the traffic on McCormick Road and Apopka Vineland Road.

“I live off McCormick, and I see the traffic on McCormick quite a bit,” Oliver said. “It is really, really hard to get off McCormick to turn left or right — north or south — on Apopka Vineland Road. … I was very happy to hear that there were plans to put a signal at Apopka Vineland and McCormick Road.”

Oliver also asked about who would be paying the remainder of the costs associated with the design and installation of the traffic light at McCormick Road and Apopka Vineland Road, which he said would cost up to $450,000. Rumer said Orange County would cover the remaining funds needed for the traffic signal.