APOPKA, Fla. – Growth is reshaping Apopka’s Kelly Park corridor, where new subdivisions are emerging, traffic is increasing and longtime residents are watching the area’s rural landscape rapidly change.
The next proposed project could add 55 homes along Golden Gem Road.
Known as Saddlebrook Meadows, the development would convert roughly 20 acres at 3585 and 3603 Golden Gem Road into a neighborhood of single-family residences.
Apopka city commissioners are scheduled to review the project’s rezoning request and major development plan Wednesday, Oct. 21.
For nearby homeowners, the proposal is prompting concerns about whether local roads and infrastructure can keep pace with the area’s accelerating development.
A quiet neighborhood facing more development
Luis Morin Dos Santos has lived in the area for about two and a half years. He told News 6 that affordability and the neighborhood’s peaceful setting were among the reasons his family decided to move there.
“It’s a quiet place,” Dos Santos said.
He values being removed from the busier parts of the city while still having convenient access to nearby highways and the area’s rural surroundings.
At the same time, he has seen construction spread around his neighborhood, including activity near Kelly Park Road.
Asked about the possibility of 55 additional homes being built nearby, Dos Santos offered a brief response.
“Conflicted.”
One of his primary concerns is the capacity of the existing road network.
“It’s just a two-way, two-way street,” he said.
Dos Santos acknowledges that new development could bring benefits, such as potentially increasing property values. However, he is worried about more vehicles, construction noise and the combined impact of several projects being built in the same area.
His concern extends beyond a single subdivision. He said the larger issue is the speed at which the entire area is changing.
Dos Santos said his property has not experienced flooding or drainage issues, but he remains concerned that the neighborhood could lose the quiet character that initially drew his family there.
What exactly is being proposed?
City planning records show that Saddlebrook Meadows would include:
55 single-family homes on approximately 20 acres.
Residential lots with a minimum area of 7,500 square feet.
A proposed maximum density of five homes per acre.
Approximately 35.5% of the property designated as open space, exceeding the city’s 20% requirement.
The proposal involves changing the property’s agricultural zoning to a Kelly Park Interchange mixed-use designation with a neighborhood character overlay.
The city’s Planning Commission recommended approval of both the rezoning and major development plan during its September 22 meeting.
However, those recommendations do not constitute final approval for construction.
In written responses to News 6 on Monday, the City of Apopka confirmed commissioners are scheduled to consider the second reading of the rezoning/master plan and the major development plan on Wednesday.
Even if commissioners approve those items, the developer would still need to obtain approval of a separate Construction Site Plan through the city’s Development Review Committee before construction could begin.
No confirmed construction start date has been provided.
What does the city say about traffic and drainage?
News 6 contacted Apopka officials with questions about the potential impact of 55 additional homes on Golden Gem Road and surrounding neighborhoods.
Asked whether the city had reviewed a traffic-impact study and whether roadway improvements would be required, officials responded that the city’s Public Works Department had reviewed and approved the submission.
However, the city did not provide specific projected traffic figures, findings from the review or details about whether roadway improvements would be necessary.
SEE ALSO: Megan Moroney’s Wings Nearly Upstage Victoria’s Secret Stars
News 6 also asked whether existing drainage, stormwater, water and sewer infrastructure could accommodate the proposed development without negatively affecting neighboring properties.
The city said it was still awaiting a response from Public Works.
Under Apopka’s development regulations, new projects must comply with stormwater-management standards designed to limit the impact of development on surrounding properties.
Among those requirements, the peak stormwater runoff discharge rate after development cannot exceed the pre-development rate during a 25-year, 24-hour design storm.
That standard is intended to address how development changes stormwater runoff, but it does not guarantee that flooding will never occur during heavier rainfall or other conditions.
News 6 is seeking additional information about the specific drainage plans, proposed stormwater facilities and engineering analysis for Saddlebrook Meadows.
Asked what financial responsibilities the developer would have, the city confirmed that impact fees would be required. Officials did not specify the anticipated amount or identify any additional improvements the developer would be required to fund.
Growth along Kelly Park Road has already raised infrastructure questions
The Saddlebrook Meadows proposal comes as development continues around the nearby Kelly Park Road corridor.
In August, News 6 reported that Apopka was confronting a funding problem involving the planned widening of West Kelly Park Road.
City documents at the time identified questions about how to cover the remaining cost of the roadway project, including the limits of developer funding commitments.
The proposed road widening and Saddlebrook Meadows are separate projects. The earlier funding issue does not establish that the proposed subdivision’s traffic review is inadequate.
However, both highlight broader questions about how Apopka plans, funds and builds public infrastructure as residential development continues.
For residents such as Dos Santos, those questions are becoming increasingly relevant as more construction moves into the area.
School capacity adds another consideration
News 6 also contacted Orange County Public Schools to determine how the development could affect nearby schools.
The district identified Zellwood Elementary, Wolf Lake Middle School and Apopka High School as the schools assigned to serve the proposed development.
According to enrollment figures provided by OCPS as of October 15, two of those three schools were already operating above their listed capacities:
Zellwood Elementary: 572 students enrolled; capacity of 630.
Wolf Lake Middle: 1,149 students enrolled; capacity of 1,112.
Apopka High: 3,297 students enrolled; capacity of 3,227.
OCPS also confirmed that school-capacity determination APK-26-009 found that capacity was not available for the proposed development.
The district said it recently rezoned portions of Wolf Lake Middle into Kelly Park K–8 and portions of Zellwood Elementary into Wolf Lake Elementary in anticipation of continued growth.
News 6 is seeking clarification on what the school-capacity determination means for the project’s remaining approval process and whether additional mitigation would be required.
The finding does not, by itself, establish that children moving into the proposed neighborhood would be denied school enrollment.
What happens next?
Apopka’s City Commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday, October 21, at 6 p.m. in City Hall’s Commission Chambers at 120 E. Main St.
The rezoning and development plan are among the matters scheduled for consideration.
For Dos Santos, the upcoming meeting is an opportunity for city leaders to listen to people who already live near the proposed development.
He believes the city should make a greater effort to gather feedback from surrounding homeowners, including those unable to attend commission meetings.
“Not everybody can go to those meetings, so just do a survey of the area,” he said.
As more homes are proposed across this part of Apopka, Dos Santos hopes city leaders consider not only the additional housing but also the roads, schools and neighborhood character that residents will continue to depend on.
News 6 will continue following the proposal and the city’s responses to questions about traffic, drainage and infrastructure ahead of Wednesday’s vote.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.