From Staff Reports
In Summary:
The Apopka City Commission voted 5-0 to approve a 363-unit apartment development within The Ridge planned development near Boy Scout Road and Ocoee-Apopka Road. Commissioner Sam Ruth led a lengthy discussion about transportation studies, road improvements and whether commissioners had received enough information to make a quasi-judicial decision. The project still must complete engineering, permitting and construction reviews before development can begin.
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A month after pressing pause on one of the city's largest pending residential developments, the Apopka City Commission unanimously approved the Ridge Phase III major development plan Wednesday after concluding that lingering transportation questions were directed more at the city's planning process than the developer's proposal.
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The 5-0 vote authorizes the major development plan for a 363-unit apartment community on approximately 14 acres within Parcel 3 of The Ridge planned development near Boy Scout Road and Ocoee-Apopka Road. The project, however, still must undergo additional engineering, permitting and construction review before work can begin. City planners emphasized the proposal does not increase the development rights or density approved when the planned development was adopted in 2021 and amended in 2022.
The approval came after nearly an hour of discussion that revisited many of the concerns commissioners raised when they tabled the proposal July 1, including road improvements, infrastructure capacity, institutional knowledge within City Hall and the status of long-planned transportation projects.
Commissioner Sam Ruth, who led much of Wednesday's discussion, said his concerns had never centered on the apartment project itself, but on whether commissioners had been given the information necessary to make an informed quasi-judicial decision.
"Most of my concerns are the corridor study," Ruth said. "The problem that I'm having is I'm asking for questions from staff that nobody's aware of. If we're going to sit up here and be quasi-judicial, and I'm acting as a judge, and I'm asking for the study that nobody knows about... it's hard for me to be impartial."
Ruth said he wasn't trying to delay the project, but rather ensure the city was being transparent about its transportation commitments.
"We need to be very transparent with the transportation obligations that we're moving forward in the future because the last transportation study that was done in 2021... it's kind of died on the vine," he said. "I want to make sure the developer's afforded all the necessary tools he needs from us to really keep moving forward on this project because I think it's important."
Later, as commissioners discussed utility capacity and future traffic, Ruth explained why he continued asking detailed questions.
"What I'm trying to do is I'm trying to create a transparent discussion that if anybody's paying attention, they can go back and hear this, because when it doesn't work, I'm not sitting on the Christmas ornament everybody gets to kick."
He also reflected on years of delayed transportation improvements.
"We've been working on this for going on six years, and we've done nothing. I want everything that's occurred up to this point to reflect the sins of the past are still haunt us today."
Community Development Director Jean Sanchez disagreed that the transportation planning effort had stalled, explaining that the corridor study became the foundation for the city's successful federal BUILD grant application.
"I would disagree with that," Sanchez said. "We know about it because we used it to actually apply for the BUILD grant... We did get the BUILD grant. It's over $17 million. That is your robust improvement."
Sanchez acknowledged, however, that significant staff turnover had complicated communication and continuity.
"Unfortunately, we've had staff turnovers, and significant ones. We've had a change in transportation coordination, a change in city engineer and public works," she said. "The last 10 years... there've been a lot of turnovers. Unfortunately, that knowledge has gone away with some of the people."
Mayor Nick Nesta sought to redirect the discussion toward improving communication between commissioners and city staff.
"What can we do better to make sure that you have it, that you don't feel that there's question marks out there still?" Nesta asked.
When Ruth replied that the issue was a lack of transparency, Nesta acknowledged the challenges created by staffing shortages.
"Sometimes it's not the person you think... one person may be running one specific project. So a lot of institutional knowledge is being kept by one or two people," Nesta said. "To your point, it does create delays in getting information out."
Commissioner Nadia Anderson turned the conversation toward whether the city's infrastructure was ready for the next phase of development.
"Can our existing transportation support this additional traffic that we're going to be bringing to the area?" Anderson asked, later adding that she wanted to make sure residents could hear the discussion and understand how the city's infrastructure planning was keeping pace with growth.
Public Works officials responded that the Ridge development had already exceeded minimum infrastructure requirements by installing a 24-inch force main, constructing additional lift station capacity and designing stormwater facilities to serve future growth. Staff also said the federally funded widening of Ocoee-Apopka Road remains on track, with construction expected to begin before apartment residents move into the development.
Vice Mayor Diane Velázquez said her primary concern was ensuring transportation improvements stay ahead of residential growth.
"It's important to have this road widened to have some of the transportation in place for the impact of the additional units that you're building," Velázquez said. Later, she added, "The impact of those residents coming in there, it really concerns this road. So that's what I'm looking for from our staff is the timeframe for the road."
Developer Pedro Guston, vice president of Centerline Development, said the road improvements and apartment construction are expected to progress on similar timelines.
"It's about two and a half years from that process in order to move forward with respect to everything that we have to do in order to meet with the permitting and actual construction documents," Guston said.
Commissioner Yesenia Baron highlighted the financial investment already made by the development, noting developers had already paid nearly $5.8 million in impact fees, with more than $6 million still expected before buildout.
"That grant that was secured was a result of the developers assisting the city. They kind of worked together with that," Baron said while discussing the BUILD grant and the corridor study.
She later addressed questions she had received from residents regarding impact fee credits.
"They thought it was just something that we decided to give them back a credit, but statutorily, we have to do that," Baron said after staff explained the credits are required when developers install infrastructure beyond what city code requires.
During public comment, resident Leroy Bell urged commissioners to require complete information before development proposals reach the dais.
"Everything needs to be black and white in front of you guys," Bell said. "Before you make a decision, don't wait for something to come back. It needs to be upfront."
Sylvester Hall argued the city should prioritize filling operational positions before expanding executive staffing.
"If I see you going the wrong direction... we need to do a U-turn and come back and get on track," Hall said.
Apopka resident Rod Olsen urged commissioners to insist every technical issue be resolved before projects advance to final approval.
"They have to have every I dotted, every T crossed before it moves... When it comes to you, it should just be a cakewalk," Olsen said.
After public comment concluded, no commissioner argued that the application failed to meet the city's adopted development standards. Ruth moved to approve the major development plan, the motion received a second, and the commission voted unanimously.
Before the commission recessed, Ruth thanked the developer for taking the time to answer his questions outside the public meeting.
"I sincerely appreciate everything you did for me and getting my answers," Ruth said. "I wish we could have done better as a team and helped kickstart this four years ago."
Key Points:
- The commission unanimously approved the Ridge Phase III major development plan after tabling it July 1.
- The proposal includes 363 apartments on approximately 14 acres within Parcel 3 of The Ridge.
- Sam Ruth said his concerns centered on transparency, transportation planning and the city’s preparedness rather than the developer.
- City staff said a federal BUILD grant will help fund major improvements along Ocoee-Apopka Road.
- The apartment project remains subject to additional engineering, permitting and construction review.
