Lake County Commissioners will consider a developer’s plan to swap out unbuilt vacation homes and duplexes in a Groveland-area subdivision for more estate-style homes after the county’s P&Z Board unanimously approved the change.
Straddling Phillips Road just south of County Road 565A, also known as Montevista Road, the proposed Tiger Paw Estates community is planned to contain 29 single-family residential units on 47.8 acres.
Property owner Michael Hirst and applicant Kriss Kaye of Carter and Kaye Engineering are seeking to amend a section of the Skiing Paradise/Swiss Fairways PUD, or Planned Unit Development, to revise its approved land uses.
Currently, the approved land uses within the PUD include 102 detached single-family units, 18 duplex villas and 10 triplex vacation suite buildings. While almost all of the detached homes were built, none of the duplex or triplex units have been constructed.
As part of the requested PUD amendment, the project applicant seeks to replace the duplex villas and triplex vacation suites with another 29 estate-style homes.
The homesites in Tiger Paw Estates would be a minimum of 30,000 square feet, or two-thirds of an acre. Kaye said the goal of the project is to “maintain the rural condition” of the site by reducing the density by more than half from the original 66 units.
“This land has opened up because of some title work that took place with [Hirst],” Kaye said. “The property ended up as something he owns now, and he wants to be a good steward of that land.”
With unanimous approval by the county planning board, the amendment will go to the county commission for a vote on July 14.
Directly east of the Skiing Paradise/Swiss Fairways PUD, on the north side of County Road 565A bordering Sumner Lake, Tampa-based developer Richland Communities began construction of the Cypress Reserve community earlier this year.
Planned for 607 single-family homes and 66 townhome units — homes within Cypress Reserve are being built by Tri Pointe Homes, Risewell Homes (formerly Landsea), and Toll Brothers.
Amenities in Cypress Reserve will include a community pool, pickleball and tennis courts, a kayak launch, and indoor gathering spaces. Tri Pointe anticipates opening its homes for sale in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The Florida Department of Transportation also recently revealed early design plans for an extension of the South Lake Trail in Groveland, set about 1.5 miles north of the proposed Skiing Paradise/Swiss Fairways residential project site.
Running along the north side of SR 50 and County Road 565A from 2nd Avenue to Silver Eagle Road in Groveland, the multi-use trail is expected to be 10-14 feet wide.
Stretching 1.8 miles, the trail will fill a gap in the Coast-to-Coast Trail that, upon completion, is expected to span about 250 miles across Florida from St. Petersburg to Titusville. The Coast-to-Coast Trail is for pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized bicycles.
According to FDOT, right-of-way acquisition is underway for the trail project and is expected to finish later this year. Project construction is funded and estimated to cost $3.4 million.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at jwilkins@orlandosentinel.com or 407-754-4980. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
