One of the nation’s largest owners and developers of for-profit affordable housing has a 67-acre site in the ChampionsGate-Reunion area of Osceola County under contract for a combination senior and family housing development.

Minneapolis-based Dominium is eyeing the site on Goodman Road, just north of Bella Citta Boulevard and the proposed Sinclair Road extension that will link the two resort communities, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

Dominium is seeking a land use and zoning change from Osceola County to go from Low Density Residential to High Density Residential, which would allow up to 25 dwelling units per acre. As with all Dominium communities, 100% of the units will be affordable to low-income residents earning no more than 60% of the area median income, or AMI. The total number of units is still to be determined, but it’s expected to be several hundred.

The resort area that’s just a few miles from the Disney theme parks is one of the region’s strongest apartment markets, but has little affordable housing. Disney and its development partner, the Michaels Organization, are planning to build 1,410 units of attainable workforce housing just over the county line in Horizon West. Those units would target renters earning at least 80% of the AMI.

“With over a decade of experience in Florida, we have seen the need for affordable housing firsthand across the state and in Osceola County,” Dominium VP Devon Quist said. “Over the last couple of years, we have built new affordable communities, like Osprey Park and Heron Ridge, to help meet the County’s goals. These proposed communities would represent another significant step toward helping end Osceola County’s affordable housing crisis.”

The property, owned by Richard Gold, is north of the recently completed Cortland ChampionsGate luxury apartments and the AcadeMir charter school, which opens in August. It abuts property to the south that already has HDR zoning, but property to the east is a zoned a rural enclave.

The same parcel was under contract last year to Capstone Communities for a potential Build-to-Rent community, but Capstone backed out of the contract due to the wetland and floodplain issues on the site. Quist told GrowthSpotter the company is completing a wetland delineation study to learn how much of the property can be developed, which will determine the total unit count.

“We are currently in the process of designing these communities,” Quist said. “As with all our communities, we want to be in active conversation with Osceola County staff, County Commissioners, and residents on a design and scale that helps the County meet its affordable housing needs.”

Dominium often clusters its housing communities in pairs, building side-by-side apartment communities for low-income seniors 62 and over and for families. The company has completed the lease-up of 387-unit Osprey Park, a 62+ community at Solivita Marketplace in Poinciana and will break ground on 400 units of family housing by the end of the year.

Dominium is now in the initial lease-up at Heron Ridge, a 331-unit senior community in Kissimmee, which opens in August. And in Orange County, the company is wrapping up construction at Sandpiper Glen, a 288-unit 62+ community on the south side of East Colonial Drive in Orlando, just east of State Road 417 and a short drive southwest of the University of Central Florida. That community is scheduled to open in the fall.

Both will feature an amenity package that includes a swimming pool with cabanas, outdoor grilling stations, firepits and a dog park. The clubhouse features a community room, fitness center, beauty salon, library, theater, cards and crafts room and a mailroom with a package center.

The company will start construction in 2025 on The Mira and The Waters, side-by-side affordable communities in Apopka. The Mira would offer 312 workforce housing units while The Waters would be an age-restricted community with 180 units.

Quist said Dominium hopes to build the Goodman Road complexes at the same time.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.