Lake Helen considers new development proposal for land once eyed for DeLand auto mall

A piece of property along Interstate 4 and Orange Camp Road that was once proposed as the site of a major auto mall could have a very different future.

Property owners are now proposing a mixed-use development that would include fast food restaurants, a sit-down restaurant, a 120-room hotel, and an apartment complex with 348 total dwelling units.

The proposal is bringing renewed attention to an area that was at the center of a development fight in 2018, when plans for the DeLand auto mall were ultimately shot down.

Now, residents are weighing in on what should come next — and they’re not all on the same page.

Some worry the development would bring too much traffic and threaten the small-town character that makes Lake Helen unique.

Resident Chris Lumley is among those opposed.

“There’s all of the additional car traffic. The city is not set up. It’ll ruin the city,” Lumley said.

Lumley believes the area should remain less developed and argues that projects of this scale belong in places that are already more urbanized.

“This is a special place. And we didn’t elect our representatives to approve this kind of a development boom,” he said.

But other residents see the proposal as an opportunity to bring more convenience and economic activity to the community.

Kenneth Smith supports the idea, saying residents currently have to travel to DeLand or Daytona Beach to find many restaurant options.

“I think it’d be a great idea. I mean, because right now you have to go to Daytona. You have to go to DeLand to get anything to eat,” Smith said.

Smith also believes additional development could help generate revenue for the city.

Another resident, Mike, said he is not particularly concerned about the additional traffic and sees growth as a positive for the area.

The proposal would bring a combination of commercial and residential development to the property, although it has not yet been approved.

Lake Helen leaders are expected to take up the proposal Thursday as the city considers the future of the property.

For residents, the debate comes down to a familiar question facing growing communities across Central Florida: How much development is too much — and what is worth giving up in exchange for growth?