Stung by the vocal opposition from nearby homeowners to a proposal to build scores of new homes on the east side of Pine Ridge High School, a subdivision’s developers now propose to pare the number of houses and provide larger lots.

The Orlando development firm of Poulos & Bennett last year sought the Deltona City Commission’s blessing to add more than 150 single-family homes to the Fernanda Place neighborhood. Although the commission at that time favored the firm’s request, the third phase of the neighborhood stalled. Now, the developers are asking for something that may satisfy critics.

“Over the last 11 months, we have come up with a new proposal,” Josh Edmondson, the applicant for Fernanda Place, told Deltona’s Development Review Committee Nov. 2. “We heard loud and clear the concerns. … Our intention is to take what we heard into account.”

“Start looking at those concerns, so that we can present a supporting position on this,” Development Review Committee Chair Phyllis Wallace said.

Wallace is Deltona’s deputy director of public works.

Instead of requesting to build more homes on reduced-size lots, Edmondson said his company wants to rezone the now-vacant land from Agriculture to R-1. The R-1 zoning classification would allow one home per acre, which would limit the number of new homes to 43.

“We are able to meet all of the standards of R-1,” Edmondson said.

The acreage in question is behind Pine Ridge High, fronting a long Osteen Cemetery Road.

That number is in contrast to Fernanda Place’s other two phases that formed a residential planned-unit development that features standard modern dwellings on smaller homesites. Those two existing phases of Fernanda Place have a combined total of 252 homes. Many of the lots are 40-50 feet wide — meaning street frontage — and approximately 100-120 feet long.

The objections raised by neighbors — including some living in Fernanda Place — included traffic congestion on Howland Boulevard and roadways crossing it, and youngsters climbing over fences and crossing homesites to go to and from school. Besides Pine Ridge High, two other schools, Pride Elementary and Heritage Middle School, are close by.

“We hope to have an updated traffic study on this,” Edmondson said.

Still other Fernanda Place homeowners complained the community swimming pool provided for themselves and their guests was often overcrowded.

The Development Review Committee consists of upper-level staff members from a variety of city departments, including planning and development services, fire and emergency medical services and public works.

When the latest proposal for Fernanda Place Phase 3 will be submitted to Deltona’s Planning and Zoning Board has not been determined. The City Commission will make the final decision on whether the property will be rezoned.