Here are some commonly asked questions about Fieldstream Village.
Community
Fieldstream Village will be developed as a village-type, Master Planned community. We propose to have up to 1,500 units of market-rate luxury apartments and approximately 100,000 square feet of walkable commercial space in the downtown. The community will be built around two main central community greens.
Fieldstream Village will be developed as a village-type commercial center with two central community greens. These common areas will be ideal for passive recreation, such as family gatherings, walking dogs and picnics, and group or individual exercise (e.g. yoga). Fieldstream Village residents will be able to enjoy controlled-access to swimming pools and gyms, free of charge.
It is anticipated that apartments in Fieldstream Village, combined with homes in the surrounding six neighborhoods, will attract coffee shops, various salons, restaurants, pet stores and other retail establishments. Additionally, we plan to host a Food Truck event once a month, or more if requested by the area residents. The site is currently under consideration by several grocery stores.
We also are working with a local private school that holds a charter for this area, to establish a K-8 STEM school, that hopefully will be free of charge to not only the residents of FSV, but also the surrounding neighborhoods.
The K-8 school planned by Central Preparatory Academy is proposed as a STEM school. As a publicly funded charter school, tuition will be free. The curriculum will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. This STEM-based school will offer parents an alternative that they may prefer for their children. Research has shown that STEM education is effective in improving students' learning outcomes, such as academic learning achievement, student motivation, attitude and problem-solving skills.
Yes
TRAFFIC
No. Lake Underhill Road currently carries traffic above its designed capacity. MMI has been working with Orange County for a solution to this stretch of road, and has offered various methods and processes to build the road improvements, either through financing mechanisms or use of County money, or a combination thereof.
Orange County has not prioritized this segment of Lake Underhill Road due to the presence of solid waste underlying Lake Underhill Road, which will be discussed in Section IV.
Yes, studies show that roundabouts are far safer than traditional stop-sign or signal-controlled intersections. Roundabouts reduced injury producing crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Roundabouts are proven to improve traffic flow by up to 30 percent through a given intersection. In 2016, FDOT issued a state mandate requiring a study on any intersection to determine if a roundabout is a better option.
Yes. Heavily landscaped with large palms and heavy ground cover.
The plan is that the northern parcel’s hazardous materials will be excavated and backfilled with clean structural fill, to create an area where a temporary Lake Underhill Road will be constructed. Upon completion of the temporary road, the existing Lake Underhill Road will be demolished, and all underlying hazardous materials will be removed. Lake Underhill Road can then be reconstructed at its approximate current location and at a proper elevation. The southern parcel will be the final excavation area. The approximately eight acres on the south side is also contaminated and will be remediated as well.
It will remain contaminated and undevelopable and the road improvements needed will likely get “kicked down the road” like an empty can, as has been done for the past 30 years or so.
DENSITY AND HEIGHT
No, we did a sight line study using the homes closest to the project and using the highest planned buildings closest to the property lines and across the road, etc. No homes will be able to see the buildings, since we plan to plant a tree in the back yard or along the property lines that will obscure the view of any resident that wants those plantings to occur.
ORANGE COUNTY DUMP
The site is commonly referred to as the former “Cloyd’s Dairy Landfill.” The site was a portion of a dairy farm utilized by Orange County as a (unpermitted) Type 4 sanitary landfill from approximately 1964 to 1972. The northwest portion of the landfill was also used by Orange County for surface disposal of construction and demolition debris from 1974 until 1980. Orange County abandoned the site in 1980. It has never been formally closed and the materials are there to this day. This fact affects the Traffic FAQs above.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) identifies Orange County as the Primary Responsible Party for environmental contamination at this site. Routine groundwater monitoring is Orange County’s responsibility and is ongoing. Groundwater monitoring wells are located within the boundaries of the former Cloyd’s Dairy property and offsite on the former Seybold property (southwest), Dean Woods Reserve (west), Fieldstream North (east), and Fieldstream West (south) residential subdivisions. The contaminants of concern (COCs) are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, total xylenes (BTEX), vinyl chloride, and ammonia in the groundwater.
Because the surrounding neighborhoods are connected to a municipal water supply, there is a low risk for human health impacts. The “threat” to surrounding neighbors is the devaluation of their property due to the proximity to an old, unlicensed dump and the known groundwater impacts and if any gardening is being done, we cannot exclude that potential risk (i.e. eating vegetables grown in the soil on or around the site). Since many pets and wild animals don’t necessarily drink from municipal water, they are at the highest potential risk as opposed to humans drinking from a known water source.
MMI is taking an aggressive approach to cleaning up the dump. Our FDEP-approved “Excavation & Disposal Plan” lays out in detail the processes to excavate and dispose of all of the buried material at the site, and on an 8-acre parcel on the south side of Lake Underhill, and underneath Lake Underhill Road where dumped material is known to exist. A rough estimate of proposed excavation volume is 350,000 to 400,000 cubic yards. MMI’s intent is to remove 100 percent of the buried debris.
Certain groundwater contaminants can naturally degrade over time, however, they will travel through the aquifer both horizontally and vertically throughout the degradation cycle. The most effective way to remediate groundwater contamination is to remove the “source” of the contamination.
It is expensive. Current estimates to excavate and haul the hazardous materials to a licensed and regulated landfill exceeds $15 million. Orange County has funds in reserve to manage its existing Young Pine Road landfill for decades after it eventually closes. But no such fund exists in Orange County’s budget for this landfill. Another issue is the known presence of old trash that lies buried beneath Lake Underhill Road this entails removing and replacing the road. Removing 100 percent of the old waste to eliminate groundwater contamination will require excavating under Lake Underhill Road. Our plan proposes to temporarily realign Lake Underhill Road, remove the trash and replace the two existing traffic lanes with four traffic lanes. No one has ever pressured the County to do so, and the County is reluctant to do so given the complexity and cost.
GENERAL FAQ
Approximately $15 to $25 million, depending on what the excavation contractors encounter on the site. However, the taxes would be generated by the development on the Old Dump Site site. In addition, the fact that the property has not been developed has cost taxpayers in Orange County tens of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue over the decades. It currently has an agricultural exemption and pays no taxes to the County.
There will be no direct costs to taxpayers. Here’s how the project will be financed:
- MMI has proposed to Orange County establishing a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district to help pay the upfront costs of remediating the old landfill. The boundaries of the TIF will be determined by Orange County. The boundaries could be limited only to the Fieldstream Village parcel or they could be expanded over a broader area if additional improvements are necessary (e.g. road upgrade).
- Under a county-approved agreement, MMI would borrow and advance the money to finance the remediation, pledging TIF revenues to repay the loan.
- As Fieldstream Village is built, the property values will improve. Increases in value will generate additional property tax revenue. Over time, that revenue will pay off the remediation loan.
- It is important to note that – regarding the repayment period – the broader the boundaries the quicker the repayment period. Conversely, the narrower the boundaries, the longer the repayment period.
- When the remediation loan is paid off, the TIF district will sunset and the full property tax revenue generated by FieldStream Village will flow to Orange County. The landfill will be long gone and FieldStream Village will pay its fair share to support things such as public safety, environmental protection and the county’s social safety net programs.
- Lastly, the bulk of the revenues to repay the money advanced by MMI, will be generated by FSV itself, by placing over $300,000,000+ of taxable value on the County’s tax rolls, where there is currently none.
Yes, New development would generate additional property tax revenue from the Fieldstream Village site. The average highest retained values in Orange County are the homes in Baldwin Park, which has similar community features (large green areas and a vibrant downtown main street.
Maitland West on SR 414 and SR 434 included cleaning up a former dump site. Marden Ridge in Apopka included constructing an interchange, using TIF financing. Windermere Cay provided Disney cast members (employees) walkable housing next to the Magic Kingdom.
It is often said that the best predictor of future performance is past performance. MMI has never abandoned a project. This property is also an Opportunity Zone and if it was abandoned, MMI and its partners would be subject to fairly severe tax implications and impositions.
Orange County is expected to hold virtual meetings by Webex or ZOOM meetings in April and May. A second round of virtual meetings is planned for October and November 2021.
The conservation areas will be protected from any future development or construction. A nature trail with boardwalks will be developed, if allowed by the County and various state agencies.
All things being equal, the wildlife will be protected and their water supply quality improved. If FSV is permitted to connect all of the neighborhood via a walkable system, people will be able to become better acquainted with Florida’s natural wildlife and plant life, thereby gaining a higher appreciation for its value not only here, but everywhere.