Lake County residents push back on plans to bring nearly 1,000 homes to their community

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Some Lake County neighbors are upset about a proposed development that could bring hundreds of new homes to their community.

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The Hammock Cove neighborhood is being developed by the Legacy Group and is still in its early development stages.

A representative for Lake County says county staff has met with the Legacy Group once to discuss the proposal, but nothing formal has been submitted.

Neighbors told us they learned about the development when they received an Open House flier from the Legacy Group in September.

They’ve since attended at least two community meetings where they expressed concerns to the project leaders.

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The Legacy Group’s website says the Hammock Cove project could bring 1000 residential units comprised of townhomes, villas and single-family homes to the land. It would also include a golf course and a marina with access to 9,000 acres of lake.

The development would come to land off Lake Griffin Road and Marion County Road.

Randall Aman says he’s worried about the amount of congestion the project will bring to country roads near his home.

“Right now, roads are very peaceful, not very high traffic. And that’s absolutely got to change putting in that many houses. The traffic will increase quite a lot,” said Aman.

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Aman took an Eyewitness News crew to the vacant land where the development would go. The 1,300-acre property includes open fields and wooded areas. Part of that land is now being used to raise cattle.

Aman’s property juts right up to the land where the Hammock Cove development could come.

That’s also the case for Aman’s neighbor, Robert Gregg.

“Everybody that lives around there is going to end up having some impact because of it,” said Gregg about the project.

Gregg was one of the first neighbors to show up to an Open House on Sept. 21, where the developer discussed the plan.

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“It’s an area that I love, and I’d love to keep it the way it is. That’s what we’re fighting for,” said Gregg.

Gregg also met with the developer in a smaller group setting at his home to discuss concerns, including whether the area’s emergency services could support such a large development.

Neighbors have said they are also concerned about possible pollution of nearby lakes and impacts on area wildlife. They’ve also expressed worries about water quality diminishing because of the development.

They sent a letter to Lake County commissioners expressing their issues with the project.

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“We believe it is crucial to preserve what makes Lake County special, its peaceful atmosphere where families can enjoy outdoor activities without worrying about excessive noise, overcrowding or increased traffic issues,” the letter in part reads. “We respectfully ask that you consider keeping this area from being developed for our future children to enjoy.”

According to a spokesperson for the developer, “Legacy is being transparent and committed to listening to residents.”

The spokesperson said the development process requires both environmental and traffic analysis studies and that they expect their project to surpass the standards.

The spokesperson added that the project is in the early development stages, so plans could change before anything is submitted to the county later this year.

She noted that while no additional public meetings with residents are planned, the Legacy Group does plan on having smaller meetings to continue to work with residents.

A zoning change could be needed to move the development forward, but as of right now, neither the county nor the developer could confirm if that would be required since formal plans have not been submitted.

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