One of central Florida’s most prolific home builders wants to turn a series of vacant parcels in North Apopka into a massive development called the Pauluch Acre, consisting of over 1,000 homes and townhomes.
However, developer Pulte’s plans have encountered early resistance from neighbors and some city authorities, particularly about possible traffic impacts on Curvy Ponkan Road, according to a report from Growthspotter.
Paulucci Acres cover 618 acres across 18 plots south and east of Wolflake Middle School on either side of Ponkan Road. The proposed seven-phase project includes 1,052 lots, ranging from a 20-foot-wide townhome to an executive-sized lot that is 95-foot-wide and 136-foot-depth. There is also a 5 acre commercial outpurcell across from the middle school.
It is located in Orange County, where approximately 40 acres are not incorporated, and must be annexed by the city of Apopka.
Pulte has an agreement to purchase property from St. Petersburg-based Paulucci Acres LLC. Law firm Shutts & Bowen is working on behalf of Homebuilder and requires all residential low suburban designations of all residential lots and planned developments and zoning to make way for development.
Max Perlman, Pulte’s vice president of land acquisition, said Pulte plans to become an exclusive home builder for the project, and expects construction will begin in the second half of 2027 or early 2028.
“Pulte has a long history of success with communities in the Apopka market, having built out Rock Springs Ridge, Vista Reserve, and Winding Meadows over the last several years. The Paulucci Property is a great location with close proximity to SR 429 and all of the activity in the burgeoning Kelly Park corridor, as well as being close to Apopka’s Fields of Fame, the massive Jason Dwelley sports complex, and For these reasons, Apopka is a very attractive place to build a new home,” Perlman said.
Distribution materials
Pulte recently built a nearby Winding Meadows Subdivision. (Distribution materials from Pulte)
However, the proposed size of the Paulucci Acre is concerned for some local residents. More than 100 people competed in the community meeting in January, expressing concerns about how the project will affect traffic, nearby characters, school abilities and sensitive wetlands. At the time, Pulte proposed an even larger development program with 1,150 detached homes, 15 acres of apartments and multiple commercial parcels.
One of the main concerns from the city’s perspective is how the development will affect the traffic and safety of Ponkan Road, which has multiple curved sections. City officials hope that applicants will work with Orange County to straighten and improve the roads before development moves forward.
“We intend to raise concerns about how much we will reach this development alongside this development,” Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley said at a development review committee meeting on Wednesday.
In response, Luke Kraston, engineering in 1828, working on the project, said the applicant would meet with county officials to discuss improvements to the road.
A letter sent to the city of Apopka by Shutts & Bowen defended the project’s proposed development program, noting that nearly 58% of the land will be preserved as open spaces that include conservation areas, buffers, stormwater ponds and recreation areas.
Pulte has come a long way from getting final approval for the project. This is still in the early planning stage. The applicant team must reappear before the Development Review Board (DRC). If the DRC approves rezoning, Pulte will also need to obtain approval from Apopka’s planning committee and city council.
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