Updated! Tavares City Council denied a proposed SIXTY FOOT HIGH apartment building at HWY 19 & Lane Park Cutoff

Tavares Residents! 

Updated Dec. 16, 2021 after meeting described below: 

The two items we described below on the Tavares City Council Agenda on 12/15/2021 were discussed by the Council. The two County buildings were approved by the Council, even though it will be used by two County Constitutional Officers, thus will not be taxable, and Tavares will lose about $600,000 tax income in the first year, and will also lose about $300,000+ in each following year vs building taxable homes on the property.  The County and City attorneys claim a law requires that the Supt. of Elections must have their main HQ within Tavares, the County Seat.

 

The SIXTY foot high 160+ unit apartment complex was denied by the four Council members there. Amanda Boggus was out sick.   The video of the meeting is on the Tavares website HERE.     

 

Original Post (Dec. 15, 2021): The City Council will discuss CHANGING the land use on TWO development proposals at the Tavares intersection of HWY 19 and Lane Park Cutoff. See the map screenshot.

 

"A" is to change the land use from residential to commercial and allow the building of two huge County office buildings. One is for the Sheriff, the other for the Lake County Supervisor of Elections. The big issue here is that changing from tax revenue-generating residential units to tax-exempt Lake County buildings will reduce potential property tax revenues for Tavares.  They need to change the policies or regulations that specify the Elections HQ be in the County Seat and encourage the COUNTY to provide the land for the warehouses.

 

"B" is to also change the land use on the opposite corner on Lake Idamere from Commercial to a HIGH DENSITY SIXTY FOOT tall residential apartment building with 165 apartments generating 963 road trips per day, mostly dumping off into Highway 19.

 

The current Tavares building height limit is 45 feet, but this 60 FOOT proposal will exceed that. (See picture of 60 foot robot for an idea how tall the building will be).  Keep in mind the nearby city of Mt. Dora residents collected 2000+ signatures to OPPOSE a building over their existing 40-foot limit.

 

The simplified traffic analysis report barely analyzes anything, saying the apartment building will generate less traffic than the planned commercial zoning. BUT, the "volume capacity" for HWY 19 is 97%, indicating the reason why backups exist and that neither the existing Commercial project or the proposed SIXTY foot building should be built until HWY is widened.

 

The Idamere Crossings tower is agenda item 3 & 4 on today's 4pm meeting. Call your City Council member if you are tired of high traffic and approvals of more developments without fixing the traffic first.

Additionally, the notice signs of the hearings were posted 30 feet away from the roadside and only ONE sign for each of the two developments. You almost think the City was trying to avoid anyone knowing about the development or effects on traffic. (You had to email the City Clerk to get a copy of the traffic analysis because it was not in the online agenda).

 

By the time you read this, the Tavares City Council will make a decision, which I will post at the top of this page.  Either way, contact the City Council and voice your opinion.  Do we need a 60 foot apartment building that may be slated for rumored affordable housing (not workforce housing, but affordable, subsidized housing), and maybe the Biden Government will place illegal immigrants there with subsidies (unverified, but it is my opinion that is a risk since it is well known they are filling hotels with taxpayer funded rooms for illegal immigrants).