What were the most significant items on the Apopka Planning Commission agenda for December 2025?

Meeting Reading

Apopka Planning Commission

December 9, 2025

8 items on the agenda

**The Pulte Ondich North rezoning preceded the Major Development Plan by exactly 90 days.** Ordinance 3117 (PD rezoning + Master Plan + PD Agreement) was approved unanimously December 9 2025; the Major Development Plan returned to the same board on March 10 2026 and was approved unanimously. The 90-day rezoning-to-development-plan cadence at the SR-429 / SR-453 interchange demonstrates the Apopka pipeline velocity for institutional residential at the corridor's northern frontage. Pulte's national-builder presence at this intersection is the cleanest reading of how the SR-429 corridor is being absorbed by the major homebuilders.
**Industrial outdoor storage approved as a primary use in I-L (Light Industrial).** The Hermit Smith Road special exception is the corpus's first instance of a city explicitly permitting industrial outdoor storage AS a primary use rather than an accessory or secondary one. The signal complements Apopka's parallel industrial-corridor moves (Cold Link Apopka 147,624 sq ft cold storage on W. Orange Blossom Trail, February 2026 hearing). Apopka's industrial-zoning posture is more permissive than Lake County's — Groveland's industrial corridor expansion (Gadson, Langley) requires the three-ordinance annexation-then-rezone template; Apopka's industrial outdoor storage is approved as a special exception within existing I-L zoning.
**Paulucci Acres represents another large-tract residential rezoning at the city's northern edge.** The Ponkan Road / Vick Road / Pittman Road area is north of the historic core, in the agricultural-transition zone bordering the Plymouth-Sorrento area. With Daniel O'Keefe of Shutts & Bowen as counsel — a third major land-use law firm appearing in the Apopka record alongside LPG Urban & Regional Planners (Cip's Tavern, October 2025) and Lowndes Drosdick (Wyld Oaks, January-February 2026) — the rezoning continues Apopka's annexation-and-residential-conversion pattern at the agricultural transition.

On December 9, 2025, City of Apopka's Planning Commission considered 8 agenda items. **The Pulte Ondich North rezoning preceded the Major Development Plan by exactly 90 days.** Ordinance 3117 (PD rezoning + Master Plan + PD Agreement) was approved unanimously December 9 2025; the Major Development Plan returned to the same board on March 10 2026 and was approved unanimously. The 90-day rezoning-to-development-plan cadence at the SR-429 / SR-453 interchange demonstrates the Apopka pipeline velocity for institutional residential at the corridor's northern frontage. Pulte's national-builder presence at this intersection is the cleanest reading of how the SR-429 corridor is being absorbed by the major homebuilders. **Industrial outdoor storage approved as a primary use in I-L (Light Industrial).** The Hermit Smith Road special exception is the corpus's first instance of a city explicitly permitting industrial outdoor storage AS a primary use rather than an accessory or secondary one. The signal complements Apopka's parallel industrial-corridor moves (Cold Link Apopka 147,624 sq ft cold storage on W. Orange Blossom Trail, February 2026 hearing). Apopka's industrial-zoning posture is more permissive than Lake County's — Groveland's industrial corridor expansion (Gadson, Langley) requires the three-ordinance annexation-then-rezone template; Apopka's industrial outdoor storage is approved as a special exception within existing I-L zoning. **Paulucci Acres represents another large-tract residential rezoning at the city's northern edge.** The Ponkan Road / Vick Road / Pittman Road area is north of the historic core, in the agricultural-transition zone bordering the Plymouth-Sorrento area. With Daniel O'Keefe of Shutts & Bowen as counsel — a third major land-use law firm appearing in the Apopka record alongside LPG Urban & Regional Planners (Cip's Tavern, October 2025) and Lowndes Drosdick (Wyld Oaks, January-February 2026) — the rezoning continues Apopka's annexation-and-residential-conversion pattern at the agricultural transition.

CHANGE LENS

THE READINGmeeting record

City of Apopka Planning Commission — December 9, 2025

Meeting Overview

Type: Regular Meeting Quorum: Yes (6 of 7 voting members present)

Attendance

Present: Chairperson William Gusler, Howard Washington, Robert Ryan, David Woods, Eric Mock, Mary Norwood
Absent: Wes Dumey, Orange County Public Schools (non-voting representative)
Staff Present: Jean Sanchez (Senior Planner); Amer Hamza; Bobby Howell, AICP (Planning Manager)

Agenda Items

Item 1: Approval of Minutes — October 14 2025

Action: Approved
Vote: Unanimous (motion by Ryan, second by Washington)
Note: No November 2025 meeting was held — the December 9 meeting approves October minutes directly.

Item 2: Special Exception — 95 and 135 Hermit Smith Road

Type: Special Exception (Quasi-Judicial)
Location: 95 and 135 Hermit Smith Road
Applicant: Jonathan P. Huels (owner: Marilyn S. Boughan Trust)
Acreage: 12.27 +/- acres
Current Zoning: I-L (Light Industrial)
Request: Allow industrial outdoor storage as a primary use in I-L zoning district
Project Manager: Amer Hamza
Action: Recommended approval
Vote: Unanimous (motion by Mock, second by Woods)

Item 3: Ordinance 3117 — Ondich North — PD Rezoning, Master Plan and PD Agreement

Type: Rezoning (Quasi-Judicial)
Case Number: Ordinance 3117
Location: Northwest corner of Ondich Road and SR 453 / SR 429
Applicant: Pulte (c/o Aaron Struckmeyer); owners include IPM S-1 Reo LLC, Hmf LLC, and four Stallings family parcels
Current Zoning: County R-2 (and County A-1 Agricultural, per motion text)
Proposed Zoning: PD (Planned Development)
Existing FLU: County Rural
Proposed FLU: Residential Estate
Density: 1.0 dwelling units per acre
Acreage: 196.83 +/- acres
Project Manager: Jean Sanchez
Action: Recommended approval (rezoning, Master Plan, PD Agreement)
Vote: Unanimous (motion by Washington, second by Ryan)
Notable Discussion: No public comment, no ex-parte communications. The Major Development Plan returned to the commission March 10 2026 (separate meeting record).

Item 4: Ordinance 3140 — FLU Amendment — 1030 E. Sandpiper Street

Type: Comprehensive Plan Amendment (FLU)
Case Number: Ordinance 3140
Location: 1030 E. Sandpiper Street
Applicant: Lincoln Douglas Haynes (also owner with Lauren Elizabeth Haynes)
Acreage: 1.79 +/- acres
Request: Change FLU from "In Progress" to Residential Very Low Suburban
Action: Recommended approval
Vote: Unanimous (motion by Norwood, second by Mock)
Notable Discussion: Public comment in favor (Mary Smothers, Patricia Rutter).

Item 5: Ordinance 3141 — Rezoning — 1030 E. Sandpiper Street

Type: Rezoning
Case Number: Ordinance 3141
Location: 1030 E. Sandpiper Street
Current Zoning: T (Transitional)
Proposed Zoning: RCE (Residential Country Estate)
Acreage: 1.79 +/- acres
Action: Recommended approval
Vote: Unanimous

Item 6: Ordinance 3147 — Paulucci Acres PD Rezoning and Master Plan

Type: Rezoning + Master Plan (Planned Development)
Case Number: Ordinance 3147
Location: East of Vick Road, east of Jason Dwelley Parkway, north and south of Ponkan Road, south and east of Pittman Road, east of Ponkan Summitt Drive
Applicant: Daniel O'Keefe (Shutts & Bowen, LLP) for owner Paulucci Acres LLC
Density: 1.67 du/acre
Project Manager: Bobby Howell, AICP
Action: Recommended approval (per partial record; full motion text in packet)

Item 7: Cardinal Capital Specialty Retail — Major Development Plan

Type: Major Development Plan
Location: 1819 Armanda Borjas Jr. Way
Applicant: Bowman Consulting (Dane Fray, P.E.) for owner Apopka 3, LLC
Existing FLU: Commercial
Existing Zoning: C-C (Community Commercial)
Proposed Use: 17,550 sq ft specialty retail perishable food store
Acreage: 5.58 +/- acres
FAR: 0.07 proposed (max 0.25)

Item 8: Ordinance 3146 — Parks and Recreation Municipal Impact Fee Increases

Type: Impact Fee Ordinance
Case Number: Ordinance 3146
Presented by: Blanche Sherman, Shawn Ocasio, Henry Thomas
Notable Discussion: Recommended for adoption (parks impact fee increase study).

Public Hearings Summary

Number of speakers: 2 (1030 E. Sandpiper FLU/rezoning — both in favor)
General sentiment: Supportive across speakers; no opposition recorded
Key concerns: None opposed

Key Signals

The Pulte Ondich North rezoning preceded the Major Development Plan by exactly 90 days. Ordinance 3117 (PD rezoning + Master Plan + PD Agreement) was approved unanimously December 9 2025; the Major Development Plan returned to the same board on March 10 2026 and was approved unanimously. The 90-day rezoning-to-development-plan cadence at the SR-429 / SR-453 interchange demonstrates the Apopka pipeline velocity for institutional residential at the corridor's northern frontage. Pulte's national-builder presence at this intersection is the cleanest reading of how the SR-429 corridor is being absorbed by the major homebuilders.
Industrial outdoor storage approved as a primary use in I-L (Light Industrial). The Hermit Smith Road special exception is the corpus's first instance of a city explicitly permitting industrial outdoor storage AS a primary use rather than an accessory or secondary one. The signal complements Apopka's parallel industrial-corridor moves (Cold Link Apopka 147,624 sq ft cold storage on W. Orange Blossom Trail, February 2026 hearing). Apopka's industrial-zoning posture is more permissive than Lake County's — Groveland's industrial corridor expansion (Gadson, Langley) requires the three-ordinance annexation-then-rezone template; Apopka's industrial outdoor storage is approved as a special exception within existing I-L zoning.
Paulucci Acres represents another large-tract residential rezoning at the city's northern edge. The Ponkan Road / Vick Road / Pittman Road area is north of the historic core, in the agricultural-transition zone bordering the Plymouth-Sorrento area. With Daniel O'Keefe of Shutts & Bowen as counsel — a third major land-use law firm appearing in the Apopka record alongside LPG Urban & Regional Planners (Cip's Tavern, October 2025) and Lowndes Drosdick (Wyld Oaks, January-February 2026) — the rezoning continues Apopka's annexation-and-residential-conversion pattern at the agricultural transition.
Specialty retail perishable food store at 17,550 sq ft. The Cardinal Capital project (Apopka 3, LLC) is a non-self-storage commercial development on a Community Commercial parcel — a counter-exhibit to the self-storage canary pattern. The 17,550 sq ft food store at 0.07 FAR (well below the 0.25 maximum) is small-footprint commercial that does NOT consume the parcel as the self-storage typology does. Watch whether Apopka's commercial corridor cycle proceeds toward grocery-anchored retail at moderate FAR rather than the high-FAR self-storage saturation that defined Clermont's 2024 cycle.

Raw Notes

Source: Apopka CivicClerk tenant apopkafl, agenda ID 1292 (event 1338). Minutes embedded as first 4 pages of the January 13 2026 agenda packet. The November 2025 meeting was not held — December 9 minutes approve the October 14 minutes directly. Note: Apopka's Planning Commission convened with 7 voting members at this period (Gusler, Washington, Ryan, Woods, Mock, Dumey, Norwood); officers were re-elected at the January 13 2026 meeting (Gusler reaffirmed Chair, Ryan elected Vice Chair).