By Roger Jimenez, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
A proposed 20,250-square-foot office and warehouse project in Apopka faced unexpected delays during the May 14th Development Review Committee meeting, due to confusion stemming from disorganized document uploads in the city’s project portal.
The project, submitted by developer and property owner Michael Cooper, was set for discussion during the meeting as a resubmittal for the project that will be located at 357 W. Fourth Street, just three blocks from Apopka City Hall. However, the review process was hindered when the committee struggled to locate the correct and complete documentation, which had been renamed and improperly filed, buried under a throng of digital links.
Cooper is a prominent real estate developer and general contractor based in Apopka. With over four decades of experience in the construction industry, he has played a pivotal role in transforming the local landscape through various development projects, including Cooper Palms Sportsplex, a 101,000-square-foot facility featuring indoor basketball and volleyball courts, trampoline parks, and a café.
Cooper is no stranger to criticizing Apopka officials when he believes they fall short of their responsibilities.
Initially, committee members believed that the applicant had submitted an incomplete package. Only later was it discovered that the proper materials had been uploaded but were difficult to identify due to naming inconsistencies. As a result, the committee requested a delay in the approval process to allow adequate time for review.
That request prompted visible frustration from Cooper.
“I don’t have a choice now, do I?” said Cooper during the meeting. “I need to get this job approved. We’ve been dragging this thing out now for almost four months.”
The situation sparked a broader conversation among committee members about improving the city’s digital submission system to prevent similar issues in the future.
“A lot of times when they upload new things, they probably don’t really understand how to rename stuff,” said John Hanson, the Building Official for the Apopka Building/Safety Department. “I think what we need to do is look at the dates of the new submittals instead.”
“But we can’t keep searching for everything…” Police Chief Michael McKinley added. “Can we create a folder that just says ‘site plans’ and label them by date so we can look at the latest one there? Because I never would have found this.”
While no formal system changes were adopted during the meeting, the committee agreed to take the discussion offline and consider more user-friendly document management solutions.
For the project itself, the committee opted to proceed by reviewing the corrected documents outside of the public meeting. If all departments find no outstanding comments, the proposal may be approved without further delay.
Project Details:
- Location: 357 W. Fourth Street, Apopka, FL
- Total Lot Size: 1.98 acres
- Proposed Use: Single-story metal structure for office and warehouse space
- Engineer of Record: Taylor Engineering and Design, LLC
- Features:
- Driveway connection to W. Fourth Street
- Paved parking area
- Dry detention pond
- Water and sewer connections provided by the City of Apopka
- Signage and striping plan
If approved, the project is expected to support local commercial activity in the downtown area and contribute to Apopka’s continued growth in small-scale industrial development.
