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Article
and Video Courtesy of Channel 6
By Sheli Muniz
Published
November 15, 2014
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VIDEO
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ORANGE COUNTY -- An angry crowd of homeowners vows to put up a big fight after developers look to take away the EastWood Golf Course and rezone it for more housing or commercial use.
More than 1,000 residents of the EastWood community and surrounding subdivisions packed a meeting Wednesday night to speak out against the proposal. The community is in east Orange County, right off of Alafaya Trail next to Waterford Lakes, Avalon and
Stoneybrook.
The golf club owners said the course is not performing up to par so they are looking to replace it with something else. The problem is they have an uphill battle brought on by the homeowners.
"The reality is he wants to transfer the debt onto this community, and that is not right and that is not fair," said resident Michelle Key.
"Join me in telling the developer to get out of our backyard, take this proposal somewhere else," said a resident, Dennis, to the owners' representatives. |
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"If I could please, all of those who oppose this rezoning, please stand?" said homeowner Casey Saxon.
The crowd filled the cafeteria at Avalon Middle School sporting red and holding signs, fighting to keep their course.
Representatives for the owner of EastWood course claim the course has been losing money in the past two years.
"The first thing you do as a planner is you listen to the residents of the existing community," said Stoneybrook resident Edward
Beidel.
Following the meeting, the attorney for the course owner, Jim Pratt, said, "It was an overwhelming response and we'll take that back to the owner." |
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The application to rezone the land was recently submitted. The process for approval could take months. Orange County commissioner District 4 Jennifer Thompson said she would not support it.
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