Pulte Homes is making progress on plans for its Hilliard Isle master-planned community in Kissimmee, but city planners want to see a more detailed concept plan and home elevations before giving the project staff approval.
Pulte representatives had their second meeting Tuesday with Kissimmee’s Development Review Committee to review the amended applications for Hilliard Isle, a proposed 883-acre mixed-use development just off Simpson Road. The Atlanta-based homebuilder is seeking approvals to build 3,000 residential units and 190,000 square feet of commercial uses, including a marina on East Lake Tohopekaliga.
The homebuilder is seeking to annex 556 acres into the city and apply three different land uses in the comprehensive plan: Commercial General for the two commercial centers, multifamily medium density residential on roughly 111 acres and Low Density Residential for the remaining 739 acres. The size of the project has been expanded by 46.34 acres since GrowthSpotter first reported it last November, which resulted in an increase in the total number of homes from 2,448 to 3,000 — well below the 5,493 that would be permitted under the maximum densities for the future land uses.
The final application is for Planned Unit Development zoning. The submitted concept plan shows the proposed phasing and major infrastructure, but it doesn’t provide a development matrix with a breakdown of each product type and where they’ll be located. It also doesn’t provide details such as interior streets or recreation areas.
“We do want all three applications to move forward at the same time to our Planning Advisory Board,” DRC Chair Brenda Ryan said. “So we need to work on this PUD. First before we confirm any types of public hearing.”
Pulte is the contracted buyer for the acreage currently owned by Plaza Lakes LLC on the northwest tip of the 18-square-mile lake.
Planner Eric Raasch with Inspire Placemaking Collective has also modified the land use and zoning applications, but it will largely adhere to the city’s Traditional Neighborhood Development standards with some deviations.
For example, Pulte wants to have the option of offering estate homes with 3-car garages on some of the 60-foot lots, which would exceed the code requirement that says garage doors can not exceed 40% of the primary facade. Ryan said the PUD must include elevations for any housing product that deviates from the city’s TND standard.
“I think that’s the other larger issue that’s still missing that we need to have some type of depiction as to how those alternatives from our TND are going to be accomplished,” she said.
Chris Wrenn, director of forward planning for Pulte, said the townhomes will be intermixed with the single family homes. “So it’s not like there’s gonna is going to be a townhome subdivision inside the community. All the product types are integrated with each other.”
The transitional zone in the northwest quadrant of the community would allow mixed-use or apartment buildings up to four stories. The most intense development would be along Simpson Road, which is being widened to four lanes. The commercial center on Simpson Road is also planned in Phase 2 and could include a mix of retail and offices.
The marina would be built in Phase 3 and sits on 16.4 acres. It would be approved for up to 10,000 square feet with a mix of retail, restaurant, office, personal services and/or recreational uses. A multiuse trail would be built linking the marina to Simpson Road and a series of trails will highlight views of the lake.
Pulte is no stranger to large-scale master-planned communities. The Atlanta-based company is America’s third-largest homebuilder and has dozens of projects underway in Central Florida. Among those is EverBe, the 1,572-acre development just off Lee Vista Boulevard at the Beachline Expressway formerly known as Vista Park. That project, now in Phase 1 development, is approved for 3,486 dwelling units, including a gated section for a potential active adult section.
Pulte is also the exclusive homebuilder for Orange County’s first agrihood, The Grow, with 2,078 residential lots and more than 100,000 square feet of commercial space centered around a nine-acre working farm. Pulte also has a major presence in the Wellness Way area of Clermont, where it’s under contract to buy two residential projects with a combined 2,550 homesites.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261, or tweet me at @byLauraKinsler. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
