AMCO files legal action against City of Mount Dora for denying development

ABOVE: Rendering of AMCO project that was presented during January Mount Dora City Council meeting. The height of tallest building shown was reduced after this rendering. (Source: City of Mount Dora public record)

In March the developer which sought to exceed the 100-foot building height limit in the Wolf Branch Innovation District (WBID) filed legal action against the City of Mount Dora.  AMCO Development and MK & AD Land Investments (collectively, “AMCO”) requested a magistrate to review Mount Dora City Council’s rejection of its 36-acre proposed development located on the south side of State Road 46 inside the 850-acre WBID.  

Five of the seven council members voted to deny approval of the development at the February 21 hearing largely due to it significantly exceeding that area’s 100-foot building height limit and incorporating uses outside of what the property’s land use allows.  At that marathon meeting several residents, along with City Council members Doug Bryant, Dennis Dawson and Nate Walker, continued to express their concerns over the development's height.

AMCO filed legal action to utilize Florida Statute 70.51 which allows any property owner to apply for relief if they believe that a development order is unreasonable or unfairly burdens the use of their property.  A magistrate, selected by both the City and AMCO, would then mediate to see if the two parties can negotiate an agreement.  

At the February 21 public hearing AMCO's project included the following:

• 865 apartment units (revised from 650 units)
• 665 condo units (revised from 450 units)
• 950,000 square feet of commercial space (revised from 750,000 square feet)
• 250-foot building height in a 100-foot maximum height area (revised from 350 feet) 
• 275 senior living units
• 900,000 square feet of office space
• 150,000 square feet of warehouse
• 325 hotel rooms
• 100,000 square-foot convention center 
• 80,000  square feet of future commercial space on Tract 1 (fronting SR 46)
• 100,000 of future commercial Tract 2 (fronting SR 46) with specialty grocer (55,000 sf)
• Revised Buildings B, C, and D are mixed use buildings with office, residential, and commercial.
• Revised Building A (office) moved from Phase 1 to Phase 3

During the upcoming mediation process, the City’s negotiating team is slated to be City Manager Patrick Comiskey, Mayor Crissy Stile, City Attorney Sherry Sutphen, and Planning Director Vince Sandersfeld.  If that team decides to compromise with AMCO, their agreement would then come before the City Council for a vote.  If approved by the Council, a final public hearing could immediately follow on that same evening.  That would be the only opportunity for the public to provide input, unless the City Council decides the hearing should be held at a later date to allow time to inform the public of the agreement.  If the City Council votes to decline the agreement, the matter would go before the magistrate to reconsider the original decision.

RELATED:  Read information on Florida Statute Section 70.51 that AMCO is utilizing

AMCO's development was the first proposed project located within the WBID to come before Mount Dora City Council for a vote. There are no similar projects in size or scope shown on AMCO Development’s website or that appear in internet searches. Mount Dora Buzz reached out to AMCO’s president, Aaron Hakim, on three occasions for more information, but he did not respond to any questions. 

The WBID is a joint partnership between Mount Dora and Lake County and comprises 850 acres along State Roads 46 and 453.  Some of the privately owned land lies within Mount Dora's city limits, while other property is in unincorporated Lake County.  Initial discussions began about the creation of the WBID in 2004 and picked up planning momentum about a decade ago. The intent was to plan for growth and bring economic development to the area along with high-paying jobs.  After public input, the two government entities adopted the WBID plan.  Design standards were put in place, including a 100-foot height limit adopted by Mount Dora City Council in 2018.  

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