Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is scoping out a location in rural northeast Lake County for a satellite campus where it could train drone pilots and test autonomous flying vehicles.

The new facility would be about 50 miles from the main college campus in Daytona Beach, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

Kim Schmale, the owner of Deep Woods Ranch in Paisley, has applied to the county to rezone 119 acres north of County Road 42 to allow the development. The property currently has a private, unpaved airstrip, but the college would upgrade it to a paved facility that meets Federal Aviation Standards for the new campus.

The plan includes the construction of a 10,000-square-foot auxiliary hanger plus two additional maintenance hangers. It also features a 2,500-square-foot classroom building with a breakroom and vending area. The site would also include a training facility for drone pilots and a separate autonomous vehicle and AI testing facility, according to the application.

 

In the project documents, attorney Tara Tedrow described the campus as a low-intensity use that complies with the existing Comprehensive Plan and future land use.

“ERAU’s intended use of the subject property aligns with the County’s special and substantial community interest uses and activities which are necessary and desirable,” Tedrow wrote.

ERAU earned a first-place ranking as the most innovative school this year by U.S. News & World Report. The college, which leads the nation in training professional pilots, issued the following statement about the proposed Lake County expansion.

“As Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University continues to grow, we collaborate with local communities to identify areas for future growth and development potential. While current plans in Lake County have not been solidified, we are exploring a number of opportunities. We will work closely with the community on any plans for future expansion.”

ERAU currently maintains two U.S. campuses in Daytona Beach and Prescott, Arizona, and provides training courses at U.S. military bases through its Worldwide Campus program. The university also has an Asia campus in Singapore and offers online classes. School enrollment across all campuses topped 32,000 last year, with 8,755 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the Daytona Beach campus.

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The Deep Woods Ranch property is surrounded by the Ocala National Forest, and the concept plan shows a potential building for the U.S. Forest Service south of the runway.  It also reserves two future development sites of 7.4 acres and 7.6 acres on either side of the runway.

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