Atlanta-based Hathaway Development has acquired an 11-acre parcel within the Wyld Oaks mixed-use development in Apopka for $13 million and plans to build a 325-unit apartment community, adding another residential component to the growing project near State Road 429.
The transaction brings a multifamily developer with more than 30 years of experience and more than 20,000 units delivered across the Southeast into Wyld Oaks, a mixed-use development taking shape along West Kelly Park Road.
“This is precisely the kind of thoughtfully master-planned, high-growth environment we target,” said Daniel Hathaway, chief executive officer of Hathaway Development, in a prepared statement. “Wyld Oaks offers the rare combination of complete infrastructure, direct expressway access, surrounding residential momentum, and a curated roster of co-creators already shaping a true destination.”
The development is backed by a $47 million construction loan from Ameris Bank, according to a mortgage recorded June 2 in Orange County. Matthew Smith, principal of Dewfall Development, which partnered with Hathaway on the deal, said the apartment community represents a roughly $71 million investment and is expected to break ground this month, with the first units delivering in summer 2027.
“With the apartment market still in recovery mode, we believe that any new investment opportunity should have a compelling story,” Smith added. “The commitment and vision of the team at Wyld Oaks to developing a catalytic destination with commercial and green spaces in one of Orlando’s emerging suburbs attracted us to this location. We remain bullish on the Orlando market as it continues to display strong growth fundamentals.”
The apartment community will be developed within a broader mixed-use project that includes plans for residential neighborhoods, retail, restaurants, hotels, healthcare facilities and educational uses. Wyld Oaks developers have positioned the project as a walkable destination intended to concentrate housing, employment, shopping and services in a single location.
The timing comes as growth accelerates in this part of the county. According to market data cited by Wyld Oaks, more than 13,000 housing units are planned or under construction in the surrounding northwest Orange County market, creating demand for additional retail, dining, healthcare and hospitality uses.
The sale also reflects the development strategy behind Wyld Oaks, where infrastructure is installed before individual sites are sold to specialized builders and operators.
“As the master developer, once we horizontally develop the property, then we’re selling the parcels to what we call co-creators or vertical developers,” said Joseph Beninati, founder of master developer Wyld Oaks.
Beninati said the original land assemblage totaled roughly 315 acres, though portions have since been sold for other uses, including an AdventHealth emergency room and helipad site and land acquired by the Clarion-Cadence partnership.
Beninati said the project is expected to generate economic benefits beyond the boundaries of the development itself.
“I definitely think that we’ll bring business to the city of Apopka. There’ll be increased taxes. There’ll be more jobs,” Beninati said.
According to the developer, Wyld Oaks currently encompasses about 215 acres and is planned as a mixed-use destination featuring residential development, commercial space, hospitality uses, healthcare facilities, parks, educational uses and entertainment venues. The project is located along the recently completed State Road 429 corridor and is being built around a “co-creator” model that brings together multiple developers and operators within a single master-planned community.
The Wyld Oaks acquisition also marks Hathaway’s latest move in Central Florida after the company abandoned plans for a proposed 300-unit apartment community on U.S. 192 and Narcoossee Road in Osceola County. GrowthSpotter previously reported that Hathaway canceled its contract on the fully entitled site after county officials approved sharply higher mobility fees, a move that project representatives said undermined the economics of the deal.
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