SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A mixed-use development project would bring thousands of square feet of commercial, retail, and housing space to International Parkway.
Preliminary plans for what would be called "Piedmont Townpark" show Eastwind Development LLC and Konover South are proposing to build a gym, retail building, grocery store, and restaurant, along with a mid-rise multifamily housing site.
The 18-acre property is located along International Parkway, just south of the 417, where several apartment complexes and office spaces are nearby. It’s also north of the existing Colonial Town Park.
Wednesday, the applicants for Piedmont Townpark met with Seminole County staff to give an overview of the proposed site plan which shows:
- 12,500 square foot grocery
- 34,000 square foot gym
- 3,037 square foot restaurant
- 12,635 square foot retail space
The commercial section of the property would be closer to International Parkway, while the multifamily site would sit on the backhalf. It includes plans for more than 300 units and a parking garage, according to the applicants.
“The multifamily is approximately 307 units,” said Stephen Novacki with Eastwind Acquisitions. “It’ll be class-A luxury, multifamily housing with state of the art amenities and condo quality finishes.”
Chris Witker with Konover South said the combination of commercial retail uses will provide amenities to both the existing offices next to the property, along with the planned housing unit, and the region as a whole.
The agenda for Wednesday’s pre-application meeting includes documents that also show a development plan for the property was approved in 2019 which included use for up to 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 800,000 square feet of office space, and a hotel. Following the initial development plan, the site was used while the highway expansion was being done at that time.
County staff said further discussion would be needed regarding the future plans for the 18-acre piece of land. They also said an overall traffic study would likely be needed for a project of this size.
Pat Karakoosh and Fred Petito, both attended the pre-application meeting to keep tabs on what development is happening in the Heathrow area where they live.
Karakoosh said she would be concerned about the traffic and what impact it’s going to have.
“I think with every condo comes two cars,” Karakoosh said.
Petito said he has already seen growing pains in the area.
“Trying to get out of that north gate at 5:00 at night, sometimes it’s very difficult because of all the office buildings and all the traffic that’s happened over the past 20 years,” Petito said. “So, adding another 300 units would just further complicate that situation.”
An apartment complex built by Crescent Communities just north of the 417 along International Parkway opened in 2023. And this summer, the same company also submitted plans to Seminole County for a proposed multifamily residential development on a 21-acre site located at International Parkway and Wilson Road, which is just north of HCA Florida Heathrow Emergency.
Petito said he will be watching what happens as the both projects progress.
“Along with business development, you have to have road development, utility development, all those peripherals that are necessary to run the businesses that are ideally coming in to add to our community,” said Petito. “As long as its adding to the community, it’s great.”