City leaders table vote after residents oppose Mixed-Use Development Project in Mount Dora

MOUNT DORA, Fla. — How tall is too tall? That’s the debate at the center of a city council meeting in Mount Dora on Tuesday.

Update 10 p.m.:

The Mount Dora City Council has decided to a table the vote on the proposed development in the Wolf Branch Innovation District. C

After dozens of resident spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, city leaders suggested seeking a second opinion after special magistrate recommended the city allow the project.

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It’s an argument that’s been going on for years now - the development of a portion of the city, just south of State Road 46.

Neighbors are not so sure about it. “I really think it will disrupt the city,” said Janine D’Onofrio-Bess who’s worked in Downtown Mount Dora for nearly 30 years. “It is a quaint, small town, and not something that is overgrown with high buildings and skyscrapers.”

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The project is part of what’s being called the Wolf Branch Innovation District.

The eight buildings – now ranging from 50 to 175 feet tall - would include a grocery store, a convention center, and senior housing.

It would also generate 1,500 permanent jobs in the city, according to AMCO Development, responsible for the project.

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In 2023, after the backlash, city council members decided not to proceed with the plan, with a 5-to-2 vote to reject it.

But now, more than a year later, a Special Magistrate is recommending the city to allow the buildings to go up. “We’re coming back to the city council meeting, and we are going to say ‘hey, we thought this was over,” said Ephraim McCormick, who has been leading the opposition to the project.

McCormick explains that those who oppose the initiative are not fighting against the growth of the city, but they hope there will be a better solution.

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“What we are opposed to is the spirit of the town not being respected as it pertains to what is being presented and built in that area,” McCormick said.

Channel 9 reached out to AMCO Development for comment and is still waiting to hear back.

See what the project will look like once it’s completed, if approved, at Tuesday’s meeting.

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