Seminole County approval could pave the way for 300+ apartments near Lukas Nursery

The Seminole County Commission on Tuesday approved a zoning change that could lead to more than 300 apartments down the road from Lukas Nursery in unincorporated Oviedo.

Greeneway Preserve, as it’s known, would occupy 23 acres northwest of the State Road 417 overpass on Slavia Road in Seminole County, down the road from Lukas Nursery. The County Commission approved a change in the future land use from low-density residential to high-density residential, and to change the zoning from agricultural to multi-family residential.

Much of the site is currently an RV and boat storage facility. 

“There’s a (power) transmission line that goes through this piece of property, and I just want to make sure they (the developers) coordinate with [Florida Power and Light) for any and all work around that transmission line,” said County Commissioner Bob Dallari. 

Dallari said he does have some concerns about the project: road capacity, stormwater and the power lines. But he voted for the zoning change. 

 “Right now, they’re just going for a zoning change, that’s all,” Dallari said. “There are some issues, but those issues need to be addressed during site plan and development.”

No residents spoke at the meeting, and county commissioners didn’t ask any questions of the developer. But at previous meetings, Caleb Lukas – one of the owners of nearby Lukas Nursery – asked for a pause on the project. 

Lukas was worried about flooding and traffic on Slavia Road. The county is planning to widen Slavia Road into four lanes, and Lukas Nursery has also been impacted by the widening of Slavia Road. Lukas previously told Oviedo Community News that a row of oak trees shading parts of Lukas’ plant nursery will be cut down on the north side of Slavia road to make way for the widening. 

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Lukas was worried about construction for the apartment project happening before the road is widened.

“I’m concerned about which comes first,” Lukas said. “If certificates of occupancy are issued on this and scheduled, will that be working for a two-lane road as it presently sits before a widening project can alleviate that?”

See below for a previous Planning and Zoning Commission meeting about the apartments. 

The project is expected to have a clubhouse and a pool as well. The applicant on the project said the apartments would help accommodate growth in the Oviedo area, pointing to how close the site is to Oviedo on the Park, Regal Oviedo Mall, and the Oviedo Medical Center.

“As (the) Oviedo area continues to experience growth, the project will provide much-needed housing to accommodate that growth,” the applicant wrote.

County Commissioner Jay Zembower voted to approve the zoning change, but also cautioned there would need to be more work on a site plan. 

“When it gets to site-specific planning, it’s very sensitive,” said Zembower, whose district includes the development. “This area is prone to flooding.”

In addition, the Seminole County Commission on Tuesday:

• Saw the Tatra Homes townhome project – nestled between Chapman Road and State Road 417 – get withdrawn by the applicant. That means the project will not move forward. “Completely gone,” Dallair said. “You’d have to ask the applicant. Completely pulled his application.”
• Approved filing for federal grants for the Scout microtransit system, which has replaced most of the Lynx bus routes in Seminole County with a taxi-sharing service similar to Uber or Lyft. 
• Denied an application by the existing Jain Society to expand their current civic center in a residential neighborhood to a two-story facility. The project is near Altamonte Springs, and residents both for and against the project spoke. 

 Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member.