Mount Dora Business and Real Estate

NEW DEVELOPMENT ON DONNELLY STREET HAS FINAL PUBLIC HEARING ON MAY 5

4/5/2020

ABOVE: Donnelly Woods would be on Donnell Street and on Limit Avenue (wrapping around the existing office buildings).

(Articled updated May 3 to reflect new May 5 final hearing date.)

Mount Dora’s newest proposed development, Donnelly Woods, is a combination of apartments and professional office space. The final public hearing is set for Tuesday, May 5 at the Mount Dora Community Building at 5:30 p.m. The development would encompass two adjoining parcels on the east side of Donnelly Street and the north side of Limit Avenue. The parcels total just under 17 acres and 2.22 of those acres are wetlands, which would be left undisturbed.

The project would be developed in two phases with the first one being the construction of 24,000 square feet of professional office space with buildings no more than 35 feet high. Phase two of Donnelly Woods would be adding 112 apartment units with on-site amenities like a pool and clubhouse. The three-story apartment building would be built to a maximum height of 45 feet.

The developer is requesting to reduce the front setback from 25 feet to 15 feet for the office buildings. The northern section of the property would be kept as passive recreation and an active recreation area is proposed south of the apartments and north of the office complex. (see diagrams below)

The proposed Donnelly Woods touts enhanced landscape buffers to help minimize impact to the surrounding properties and wetland buffers that are greater than the minimum 25 feet required by the City.

The developer is seeking a zoning change to Planned Unit Development (PUD) from the existing Single-Family Residential (R-1A) and Residential Professional (RP) zoning districts. A PUD typically allows more flexibility to the developer, as well as the City. The developer is GC Development of Lake County, Inc., whose president, Gerry Guenther, is a long-time Mount Dora resident and a principal of G3 Development.

Public input will be allowed at the hearing at Mount Dora Community Building located next to City Hall. Seating will be according to social distancing guideline. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

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13 Comments

Gary John Hopcraft link

4/1/2020 12:25:49 pm

I am amazed , saddened and frustrated that developers would assume that they can grab up land that should be conserved like this area ...after all this is where Mount Dora gets its precious water supply!! It also is part of a natural crevice flow area that drains into Lake Gertrude. This not only endangers the quality of water for Mount Dora, but the flow of pollutants to Lake Gertrude.

Maria Rothstein

4/4/2020 12:47:19 am

I agree 100%. They are going to keep building up this area until they ruin it like S Florida. The builders may want to think about continuing with this project now. The economy is already in a tail spin. Why ruin more wild areas here especially when spending will more than likely be on the back burner for quite a while as a result of COVID-19?

Cynthia Trueba

4/5/2020 04:02:16 pm

I am surprised at the development that is happening in Mount Dora. There is new development on Limit. There is the Cottages on 11th. Soon Mount Dora will be like every other place in Central Florida and not "someplace special." Green space and a small town environment is why most people live here.

Dennis Dawson

4/6/2020 02:36:52 pm

Already, we have traffic issues at the intersection of 441 and Donnelly. Adding another potential 200 drivers from the apartments and 200 from the Office Park going north on Donnelly, making left turns from 441 westbound to southbound Donnelly, will only increase the mess that already exists at that intersection and Donnelly and Limit Ave.

The 2 lane city streets within Mt Dora cannot now and will not support the additional traffic that will continue to increase with the development on 11th with the cottages, the development south of Limit and Highland and now the new apartments and office park in Donnelly woods.

Quality over quantity.

Jill B

4/8/2020 08:47:58 pm

Hey I was a resident of Mount Dora for just about one year, I am shocked that they are building like this. I moved here from Fort Myers because Mount Dora is Someplace Special.
Fort Myers is totally out of control with building and no more roads to handle the increasing traffic.
Please reconsider this! We just cannot have it here or we will not be Someplace Special much longer

4/9/2020 01:57:38 pm

Not only will the streets have additional drivers and traffic from these new developments, but it also impacts waste collection, water/sewage use, and schools.

Jon Wanberg

4/17/2020 10:53:20 am

This is awesome! Finally some entry level housing coming to Mount Dora. Without projects like this, the younger generation will have to keep migrating out of Lake county. We have a massive housing shortage, especially in the affordable price point. We need a place for people to live that will shop at our shops in downtown Mount Dora and work in our businesses. The city needs additional tax revenue and without these type of projects, the only way they can get it is by raising taxes on the current residents.

J. Lippincott

4/18/2020 12:48:31 pm

I completely understand what you are saying, but this location is not the place to do this. Putting a community like this on the other side of 441 would be more appropriate for so many reasons: Existing infrastructure, access, not destroying existing forest habitat, and ascetics are just a few aspects that make this location problematic. I'm good with building affordable housing - let's do it where it's appropriate.

Darlene Betts

5/5/2020 08:05:11 pm

I moved to Mount Dora for the small town charm and at that time the people in charge of growth said they WOULD NOT allow this type of growth. Ever since they allowed the movie theater to bypass the the height law this is what happens, they have more greed. You need to think about the people who live here and have already been impacted by the building choices and areas that they are allowing for growth. Our roads and utilities can't handle all of this. Please rethink allowing these apartments, you are talking about 200 hundred plus cars on Limit and Donnley, these roads can't handle that type of traffic.

Miriam Lindley

5/6/2020 06:06:38 pm

It’s becoming ‘No Place Special’ if they continue this ridiculous growth and keep allowing developers to destroy our small town. They already can’t keep up with crime, traffic, empty buildings in downtown or something simple like cutting the grass on the medians on 441 to have the city looking nice. They have allowed country feel disappear . Time vote those out that are making decisions about that are ruining Mt Dora.for generations to come.

Raymond Harris

5/6/2020 08:38:26 pm

What did you people expect to happen, once the 429 extension came into the Mt. Dora/Sorrento area, the new 441 and 46 flyover, the widening of 441 from Donnelly to the flyover, it was only a matter of time, but this is only the beginning, we have a new hotel going up at the corner of limit and 441, and I'm pretty sure there are more development in the pipeline, welcome to the newest Clermont, Mt. Dorans!!

Teekay

5/11/2020 09:03:57 am

Well said J. Lippincott. Critical thinking sir, be glad you have it.

Bill Lowery

6/1/2020 11:44:31 am

We all love Mount Dora the way it is, but most of us have not had the foresight to buy all the undeveloped land to keep it pristine. Those who did buy that land, no matter when they did it, have the right to use it, to develop it under the law. Those who complain don't understand the rights of landowners.

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NEW DEVELOPMENT ON DONNELLY STREET HAS FINAL PUBLIC HEARING ON MAY 5

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