Lake County growth: Hundreds of homes could be coming to Sorrento-Mount Plymouth

SORRENTO — The state is reviewing two proposed land use changes that could bring hundreds of homes to the Sorrento-Mount Plymouth area, according to Lake County officials.

The largest plan calls for 1,725 dwelling units on 466.18 acres and 350,000 square feet of commercial space. Specifics are not yet available but it will be a mix of single- and multi-family units, said Mike Fitzgerald, the county’s planning and zoning director.

The property sits in the middle of the Mount Plymouth area, south of State Road 46, east of County Road 453 and west of Wekiva Parkway and SR 46.

“It’s part of the Mount Plymouth-Sorrento Community Redevelopment District,” said Kathleen Dial, Lake County economic director. Dial, Fitzgerald and Mary Ellen Stern, executive director of economic growth, responded to an interview request by the Daily Commercial.

The property is currently held by a number of property owners.

“It’s a conglomeration of different zonings,” Fitzgerald said, including planned unit development, planned commercial, urban residential and agricultural.

The property owners plan to sell their land to Richland Communities once the land-use and zoning issues are resolved, he said.

The area is primed for future economic development, he noted.

The other planned project involves 328 single-family homes on 198 acres that was once a Eustis sprayfield site. The city sold the property as surplus to a private company, CR 437 Land Investments, L.L.C.

The company bought the pasture land for $1.7 million in 2021, according to Lake County Property Appraiser records.

It will be an extension of the existing Sorrento Pines subdivision, Fitzgerald said.

The entry point will be at County Road 437 through the subdivision.

Once the state reviews the land-use changes it will come back for local review and final approval by the Board of County Commissioners.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Growth mode: Sorrento-Mount Plymouth poised for residential construction