ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously voted against a proposal to rezone 227 acres of land for a new commercial and housing development in the Shingle Creek area.
The proposal sought the county’s approval to rezone 227.48 acres land presently designated as “Farmland Rural District” to become “Planned Development,” making way for the construction of 653,400 square feet of commercial uses, more than 1,000 hotel rooms and over 4,000 multi-family dwelling units. The development would be named “Tuscana.”
According to the proposal’s text, the plan would have involved some 22.44 acres of wetland impacts, leaving 193.23 net developable acres. “Tuscana” had its eyes on land north of State Road 417 and south of Central Florida Parkway.
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Among locals’ concerns leading up to Tuesday’s meeting were those of Deer Creek resident Kristen St. Jean, who said in March that the nearby Shingle Creek wetlands are crucial to avoid flooding elsewhere.
“The wetlands behind us in Shingle Creek (are) actually used to pump floodwaters into during major storms,” she said, adding that homes in the neighborhood currently don’t require the kind of flood insurance that may be needed if “Tuscana” were ever realized.
(WATCH: PROPOSED ‘TUSCANA’ DEVELOPMENT RAISES CONCERNS)
News 6 also heard from retired ecologist Gordon Spears, who explained the critical role of Shingle Creek in the city’s drainage system
“Shingle Creek is one of the main drainage creeks that drains the Orlando metropolitan area, draining it to the south towards the Kissimmee River. It also has large floodplains on either side that provide important floodwater attenuation services and treatment of water to remove toxins,” Spears said.