Residents are objecting to a plan for 23 new homes near Leesburg, Florida, ClickOrlando reported.
What's happening?
The proposal calls for 23 single-family homes on a 10-acre site behind the Silver Lake Springs neighborhood, near County Road 44.
Much of the concern is focused on County Road 44 itself. According to ClickOrlando, neighbors described the two-lane road as already prone to backups, and they said rain brings drainage problems.
Describing runoff from nearby construction, resident William Josh said, "You can still see even the clay from the development that gets washed over."
Residents intend to voice those concerns directly to the developer at a meeting in Umatilla. The proposal is headed to city leaders after the planning and zoning committee rejected it.
At that planning and zoning meeting, Leesburg resident Rita DaSilva Collado said nearby homes are seeing water problems even without a major storm.
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"In the normal just afternoon shower and the weekend — no, not a storm — the water almost reaches out to their front doors now," she observed.
Why is this concerning?
If the development moves ahead, families living near County Road 44 worry it could bring longer traffic delays, more stress during rainy weather, and a higher chance of property damage where stormwater has nowhere to drain.
And as extreme weather events like flooding increase, that means this decision could have even more negative effects on stormwater management.
As ClickOrlando reported, DaSilva Collado said residents had been told flood insurance was not necessary because the area was outside a mapped flood zone.
What's being done?
Neighbors are continuing to push their case through the public process. Their testimony has already affected the proposal's path. ClickOrlando reported that the planning and zoning committee rejected the project after hearing from residents.
Residents noted that what they can already see on the roadway is part of what fuels their concern. DaSilva said nearby development has changed how water moves through the area.
"Except now, the amount of development that's happening around us is actually altering that landscape," she said.
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