Lady Lake Town Council recently approved an ordinance that will allow for the development of a single-family residential community on the site of a former golf course located along County Road 25.
The proposed development, tentatively titled The Pond, is planned for 73 homes on 24.34 acres at the southwest corner of County Road 25 and Marion County Road. Previously, the site contained nine holes for the adjacent Lakes Golf Club.
As part of the ordinance, property owner JNJ Ventures 2 LLC — operated by Joe Hiep Nguyen of Ocean Springs, Mississippi — and applicant Charles Hiott of engineering consultant Halff requested a change in the property’s zoning designation from Lady Lake Agriculture Residential to Lady Lake Single Family Low Density Residential.
While the total property is 32.65 acres, Nguyen and Hiott have opted not to rezone the entire parcel and instead only plan to develop on the 24.34 acres within the eastern portion of the property. The other 8.31 acres will remain zoned as Agriculture Residential.
The former golf course site and 13 single-family homes north of Dowling Circle, directly south of the proposed project site, were initially Phase 2 of the previously approved Lakes of Lady Lake residential development.
According to Lady Lake town staff, Phase 2 was not rezoned at the time of development, meaning the remaining 8.31 acres must retain its Agriculture Residential zoning to ensure that the existing platted lots on the north end of Dowling Circle remain compliant with Agriculture Residential density requirements of one unit per acre.
After initially filing for the rezoning in October 2025, project applicants withdrew the application in January 2026 and filed a new application four months later.
“Not to get too into the weeds about why we had to initially withdraw our application and come back, but if we were to incorporate that, even as open space within the rezoning application, it would cause the density of the surrounding area to fall below the maximum allowable density,” Lowndes attorney McGregor Love, representing the applicant, said.
Lady Lake Town Council approved the rezoning ordinance by 4-1 vote.
“With the posture we’re in, it’s difficult to speak to the specific details of what the development will look like,” Love said. “[Hiott] will have to go through that process if this property is developed, and he’ll have to meet the town’s standards.”
Just over a quarter-mile north of the proposed site of The Pond, up County Road 25, a developer that made its mark bringing vitality to Orlando’s urban neighborhoods is expanding its new homebuilding venture.
Moxie Homes, founded by Elise Sabatino and Giovanni Fernandez of Orlando’s National Real Estate, is actively selling within the Boulevard Oaks residential subdivision in Lady Lake.
Paying homage to Mid-Century Modern architecture, with a focus on indoor-outdoor living and elevated finishes rarely found at the proposed price point, homes in Boulevard Oaks start in the mid $300s to low $400s.
In nearby Fruitland Park, less than a 10-minute drive straight down U.S. Highway 441 from The Pond site, Atlantic Housing Partners recently received site plan approval for an affordable housing project set to rise on Lake Geneva.
WaterVue at Lake Geneva is planned by Atlantic Housing as a 92-unit affordable housing community comprised of 36 villas and 56 lakefront apartments.
Seeking funding to aid project development, Atlantic Housing received a $460,000 commitment from the Lake County Board of County Commissioners in April under the condition that the project receive approval from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, or FHFC, Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.
With Lake County’s support and financial contribution, Atlantic Housing intends to receive 9% competitive Low Income Housing Tax Credits to build the units for incomes at a mix of 30%, 60% and 80% of the area median income, or AMI.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at jwilkins@orlandosentinel.com or 407-754-4980. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
