The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of an annexation, a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment and PUD rezoning for the 24‑acre Dilley Lake site west of U.S. Highway 27 on May 22, 2025.

Staff described the request as an annexation and a change in future land use from Lake County Regional Office to City of Leesburg General Commercial, with rezoning from Lake County PUD to City of Leesburg PUD. The proposal calls for roughly 300 multifamily apartment units and a commercial parcel along US‑27 with a maximum of 10,000 square feet of retail uses; the applicant’s initial concept shows about 6,500 square feet of retail under consideration. “It is a proposed mixed use of a 300‑unit multifamily and then retail, which the desire is gonna be a c‑store, a convenience store with gas pumps,” said Robbie Moon, the applicant’s representative.

Staff summarized departmental review: no substantive city department objections were recorded, the project is outside the city electrical service area, the Lake County School Board advised the project will be subject to school concurrency review, and Lake County Public Works noted that access to the site would be via U.S. 27 and under Florida Department of Transportation review. The staff report proposed PUD standards including 35% open space, a 25‑foot perimeter buffer tract maintained by the HOA, dark‑sky lighting, a 4‑foot berm along US‑27 with landscaping, and a required swimming pool and amenity building among four recreation areas. The PUD also requires connection to city water and wastewater and a four‑year substantial‑commencement phasing clause.

Commissioners asked questions about site plan details, access limitations, tree preservation and market demand. Commissioner discussion noted a mix of local markets and commuting patterns in the area; staff and the applicant said DOT will review and limit access to directional movements where appropriate and that shared access with adjacent properties is planned. The commission voted to approve the small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment (SSCP25519) and the PUD rezoning (PUD25520) and forwarded both recommendations to the City Commission for final consideration.

The approved recommendations include staff’s conditions such as the perimeter berm, sign height allowances for the US‑27 frontage (up to 25 feet and 80 sq ft per face due to the high‑speed corridor), and required recreational acreage (1.4 acres of recreational areas calculated at 200 sq ft per unit). The applicant also indicated intent to preserve large oak trees on the site and to provide internal pedestrian connectivity and a dog park. Lake County and FDOT review of access and stormwater, and school concurrency review, remain outstanding implementation steps.