With little fanfare and considerably less public outcry than at an earlier meeting, the Deltona City Commission on May 16 gave final approval for a new neighborhood fronting on Lake Sidney.
The homes will be built on lots generally smaller than those in the older surrounding neighborhood in the south central part of Deltona.
Approval of Lakeside Landing came in the form of a rezoning of almost 40 acres from R1A (Single Family Residential) to RPUD (Residential Planned Unit Development).
The developer, Lakeside Landing LLC, agreed to reduce the maximum number of homes to 122, down from the 131 in the original request.
“The proposal is consistent and compatible with the neighborhood and surrounding areas,” Deltona Development Services Director Ron Paradise told city commissioners.
To make the deal more attractive to city leaders, Paradise said, the developer had, on his own, agreed to donate to the city $30,000 to help pay for resurfacing Monterey and Tradewinds drives.
“That $30,000 is an outright donation,” he said.
Amenities for those who buy into Lakeside Landing, Paradise added, will include a play area for small children, a trail and a lakeside park. In addition, there will be a homeowners association with mandatory membership. There will also be a streetlighting district, and property owners will pay for the lighting via a special annual assessment on their tax bills.
Many of the people now living in the Lake Sidney area who opposed the project at its first hearing in April were absent from the final public hearing.
One Lake Sidney homeowner did speak, however, and he expressed concerns about more traffic on the streets and roads near his home, as more new residents move into the neighborhood.
“I think there will be a huge increase in accidents,” Dean Napolitano said, adding there are “a lot of kids playing around there.”
To comply with a city ordinance governing new development, the developer will extend a sewer line to Lakeside Landing, even though homes in the established nearby neighborhood rely on septic tanks for waste disposal.
The sewer line, which will be approximately 1.67 miles long from a point at or near Courtland and Fort Smith boulevards, is known as a “pioneer line,” meaning it is bringing central sewage service into an area where it does not exist.
Lake Sidney homeowners previously voiced objections to the sewage-line extension, because of the cost of connecting and the monthly bills, should they be required to connect.
Deltona has the highest sewage rates of cities and counties in East Central Florida, according to consultants hired by the city. But city officials said there are no plans to require the existing Lake Sidney homeowners to connect to the sewer system.
The City Commission voted 5-2 in favor of Lakeside Landing. Commissioners Loren King and David Sosa voted no.
Asked when the development of Lakeside Landing will begin, Mark Watts, the attorney for the developer, replied, “Probably the first part of next year.”
