The proposal for a 300-unit apartment on 12 acres of land in the ecologically sensitive Wekiba Conservation Area faces a difficult conflict and Seminole County between two valuable goals: protecting the environment and providing affordable housing.
A development plan reviewed by county staff this week shows the complex, sitting on wooded land at the corner of State Road 46 and Orange Boulevard in Northwest Seminole County.
It is proposed under the Live Local Act – a state law of 2023 designed to promote the rapid construction of affordable multifamily homes by shortening the government’s approval process. In this case, developers do not need to hold a community meeting before the county commission and request zoning changes, as required by most other development applications. This proposal and process plagues environmentalists, residents and seminolle commissioners.
Opponents of the project say they understand the area faces a disastrous need for affordable housing and are not necessarily opposed to the law itself.
However, they say that the countryside Wekiba Conservation Area is not a suitable location for a high-density complex with five four-storey buildings. The apartment site itself is located at the very end of the protected area and is already adjacent to the main highway, but that doesn’t alleviate concerns.
“In my opinion, this is horrifying,” Seminole Commissioner Lee Constantine said of the proposed apartment complex. Previously a state legislator for nearly 20 years, Constantine was a longtime supporter of the Wekiba River protection and sponsored the Wekiba Parkway and Protection Act of 2004.
“Live local acts were not intended to destroy the environment by entering environmentally sensitive areas and building large apartments,” Constantine said.
Michelle Jamesson, a member of Friends of the Wekiva Environmental Group, who lives nearby, said the complex is dense in the area.
“We’re not opposed to affordable housing,” Jamesson said. “We’re very much in favor of that, but it’s in an inappropriate place.”
Corey Canfield, Maitland’s Middleburg Development LLC, who submitted its development application on February 11, said he would “not comment.”
Gray Wilson, a friend of Wekiva’s board member, said he was not opposed to the site’s Nay Development. In fact, the land is currently being zoned for commercial development, and Wilson said he would not oppose the small shops and office buildings there.
But Wilson and other opponents say the bigger development will open the doors of similar housing projects and even more into protected areas.
“This would definitely set a precedent,” he said. “Affordable housing belongs to areas where there is mass transport and other services. It is located on the outskirts of the county. … replaces the protection introduced for this at-risk area.”
Wilson’s group is considering legal challenges.
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Sanford’s Sen. Jason Brodur, who defended him as environmental guardian in his campaign – and GOP Rep. Lake Mary, owner of the real estate investment company, did not respond to phone and email requests for comments on whether the Live Local Act should be amended to provide more environmental protection.
The Live Local Act was signed by Governor Ron de Santis in March 2023. It will loosen the zoning requirements and require local governments to approve them without a hearing.
In 2022, the median household income for Seminoles was nearly $42,000, slightly below $80,000 for households, according to the US Census Bureau and Data USA.
The law is an effort to encourage more affordable housing and to stop double-digit rent spikes in Florida, particularly the Central Florida area, which has in recent years impacted low- and middle-income families. Supporters say the limitations on public input aim to support the construction of projects that are routinely behind in public meetings with residents expressing their “non-my backcard” objections.
Last year, Seminole County opted out of another incentive in the law to increase affordable housing — tax cuts for developers.
The Wekiba Conservation Area, which covers most of the Northwest Seminoles, was established by Congress in 1988 to protect the local rural and environmentally sensitive properties. The Wildlife Corridor is a high charging area for the Floridan Aquifer and is intended to protect the at-risk Wekiba River, which Congress designated a wild, scenic river in 2000.
In January 2024, the state completed the $1.6 billion Wekiva Parkway. It is an advanced super highway designed to protect wildlife and limit the spread of housing fragmentation. The parkway features wildlife underground passages and bridges in stone throws on the apartment grounds, which soars up the Wekiba River without obstructing the natural flow of spring water.
According to the application, the apartments include a clubhouse, fitness centre, yoga room, pool and dog park. The apartments range from 1 and 3 bedrooms, with at least 120 to be considered affordable until 2055.
After meeting with county staff on Wednesday, developers will need to submit site plans for review before construction begins. There is no date to start construction.
If the application was not submitted based on the Live Local Act, developers had to discuss the project and hold a community meeting to answer questions from the public. The developer then requires changes to zoning and land use as heard by the county zoning board, and ultimately requires approval by the board.
George Sellery, who lives near the site of the proposed development, said he was angry that he was unable to express his objection at the hearing.
“This is the worst possible place for this development,” Sellery said. “Traffic is going to be a nightmare, and I think this will set a horrible precedent.”
