The Orange County, Fla., Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the preliminary plan for Hamlin Self Storage in Horizon West, a master-planned community that includes five mixed-use villages surrounded by greenbelts and a town center. The proposal includes the construction of a 147,637-square-foot facility on the 7.13-acre property, which is west of Hamlin Groves Trail and south of New Independence Parkway, according to the source.

The project is consistent with the “town-center area,” said Scott Gentry, a principal with Kelly, Collins & Gentry Inc. (KCG), the project applicant. “Town Center is the commercial area for Horizon West, so not only do we have residential uses in there—we have multi-family, we have single-family—but we have a multitude of commercial [uses],” Gentry said during the Aug. 21 commission meeting. “This is a low-traffic use. There’s not a lot of people here. There’s not a lot of noise. Obviously, people aren’t having parties or outdoor [events] like with restaurants.”

David Russell, a resident of The Cove at Hamlin, spoke against the project. “I’m speaking today to request the BCC [Board of County Commissioners] to please defer, delay or table this request until more data and information can be shared with local residents as to why this is the only location for such a facility,” he said.

Commissioner Betsy VanderLey noted that community meetings in which residents can learn about and comment on proposals have already passed. She added there’s little influence the public has at this phase of the development. “It is my policy not to do public hearings for the preliminary subdivision-plan phase of a development because there’s really very little the public can change at that point in time,” she said. The commission will work with the developer to determine the location of the buildings, road infrastructure and storm-water needs, she added.

Based in Orlando, Fla., KCG is an engineering and planning-consulting firm that provides land development, transportation, eminent domain and land planning.

Source:
Orange Observer, Orange County Commissioners Approved Storage Facility in Horizon West