Apopka development staff and the project applicant discussed a proposed annexation of two parcels in the southeast corner of the Palucci Acres assemblage during the Development Review Committee meeting on June 18.

Luke Classen of 18 28 Engineering, representing the applicant, said the site is part of a larger assemblage and “there's 2 parcels in the Southeast Corner that are technically in Orange County. All the rest of the parcels, are within city limits. So we're just annexing those 2 parcels. It's roughly 40 acres.” He added that the larger assemblage totals 617 acres and “of the 6 17, about 40 are still in the county.”

The discussion combined the annexation request with a related right‑of‑way vacation and a future land‑use amendment. Classen said the applicant coordinated with Orange County staff and “got a letter from them saying they don't oppose the annexation.” He described the vacation request as covering a 40‑foot section adjacent to Warkivar Run and noted the applicant would leave a 10‑foot strip in county jurisdiction to meet state standards.

Why it matters: the annexation would move remaining parcels into Apopka city limits so the developer can develop the larger project as one plan. Police, engineering and other city staff flagged traffic, safety and utility issues that would affect whether and how the annexed land can be developed.

Safety and traffic concerns
Mike McKinley of the Apopka police department did not oppose the annexation or the vacation but repeatedly cautioned about capacity and safety on Poncan Road. “I appreciate your effort so far, but I think the developer needs to continue to work with the city and figure out some way to improve that road,” McKinley said, adding that existing pavement edge failures and potholes create public‑safety hazards. He warned the development will “probably double the traffic to that road when this development is done.”

Classen said the applicant has discussed right‑of‑way dedications with county staff and will dedicate a 30‑foot strip on both sides of the roadway — increasing a current 60‑foot right‑of‑way to 120 feet — and is coordinating on trail alignments and turn‑lane improvements. He said the design team is performing several traffic analyses at key intersections near Vic and Poncan to identify specific mitigation the county will require.

City engineering and planning staff stressed coordination with Orange County because Poncan is a county road and the county will set required improvements. City Engineer Vladimir Simonovsky said the city will continue to participate in county meetings and said the applicant expressed willingness to make improvements that the county ultimately requires.

Future land use, density and housing types
The applicant also requested small‑scale future land‑use amendments to match the annexed parcels to adjacent city designations and to establish two roughly five‑acre commercial nodes. Classen said the goal is to limit commercial entitlement rights and allow “neighborhood‑type commercial uses” on those small parcels.

Committee members pressed the applicant about housing types and density. One DRC member said the surrounding area is primarily single‑family and asked how townhomes or condominium units would fit. Classen replied the current proposal would restrict apartments and high‑density uses and instead allow limited townhomes in two internal locations to provide a transition to surrounding single‑family lots: “We're doing townhomes, but they're only interior to the development. So our proposed plan is there's only 2 areas where we're looking to do townhomes.” He added the plan includes a 25‑foot buffer around the perimeter to match lot sizes at property lines.

Planning staff clarified the city’s comprehensive plan limits about where densities can rise, noting some entitlement rights already exist and that the city will review the project’s planned development (PD) to finalize permitted uses and improvement conditions.

Next steps and decisions
No formal vote was taken in DRC. Staff and the applicant agreed to combine review of the annexation, right‑of‑way vacation and future land‑use amendments as the project advances. City staff indicated remaining items — traffic mitigation details, right‑of‑way maintenance agreements for vacated strips, and PD conditions restricting apartments — would be finalized during subsequent reviews and public hearings. Classen said the PD would include a condition requiring an HOA to perform perpetual maintenance of a remaining 20‑foot strip adjacent to the right of way.

Ending note: DRC members asked to remain involved in county conversations on Poncan Road so the city’s engineering and traffic concerns are represented before the county finalizes roadway requirements.