Husband & wife assemble 4.8 acres for 20-home Sanford residential development

A husband and wife development team are cobbling together three small parcels in Sanford with the goal of creating a 20-home subdivision called Orange Creek.

James H. Stelling III and his wife, Lorayne, of Sanford, through their limited liability company Lor Jim Holdings, hope to build one- and two-story homes on the adjacent parcels, which are under contract and total 4.87 acres.

The single family residences would front Orange Boulevard, east of Amanda Kay Circle. The homes would be "middle of the road" in terms of price and "nice" in terms of design, James Stelling said. He declined to elaborate further, and Lorayne declined to comment.

The Stellings hope to see building begin later this year, with completion based on demand since the project will not be done on spec, James Stelling said.

Stelling said a general contractor has not yet been chosen, and there is no listing of an architect for the project in documents submitted to Seminole County planners. B&S Engineering of Winter Park is consulting.

The property is virtually surrounded by homes, and Stelling echoed the comments of other developers regarding difficulties finding land to build on following the last few years of intense construction in the Orlando area.

"It's tough, especially in Seminole County," he said.

Two of the properties the Stellings have targeted are owned by Timothy Lampert, who bought them in 2007, paying $121,000 for both. The sites are 1.79 acres at 4885 Orange Blvd., and 1.23 acres at 4889 Orange Blvd., property records show.

The other property, 1.85 acres, is at 4881 Orange Blvd., and was bought by Max and Rhonda Pickering for $135,000 in May 2001.

Lampert and the Pickerings did not respond to calls seeking comment.

The Stellings have proposed to Seminole County a zoning change from agricultural to planned development for a single family residential subdivision.

James Stelling has been in the land and property business for decades. His Lor Jim Holdings is one of a dozen LLCs he has headed over the past 26 years, with four still active.

He is principal of Stelling Properties out of Sanford, and has also been an insurance agent.

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