Lake Helen leaders were set to vote Thursday on a mixed-use proposal that would bring a 120-room hotel, an apartment complex with 348 dwelling units, and a mix of restaurants to land near Interstate 4 and Orange Camp Road — the same property once eyed for a sprawling DeLand-area auto mall. The plan, which combines commercial and residential development, had not yet been approved heading into the meeting.
Property owners proposed the mixed-use development on the land along I-4 and Orange Camp Road, according to WKMG, which reported the proposal includes fast food restaurants, a sit-down restaurant, the 120-room hotel and the 348-unit apartment complex. The station's report notes the site was once proposed as the location of a major auto mall, a plan that was shot down in 2018.
From Car Dealerships to Apartments and a Hotel
The turnaround traces back to a nearly $100 million auto-mall development that I-4 Automall LLC proposed in 2018, featuring car dealerships and other commercial space, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. That same year, DeLand and Lake Helen reached agreement on some of the major issues tied to the project, the paper reported. The auto mall ultimately never materialized on Lake Helen's side of the border.
The current proposal would put apartments, a hotel and restaurants on the parcel, replacing the auto-mall vision with a mix of residential and commercial development.
A New Proposal for the Site
The property has moved from an auto-mall plan to a mixed-use proposal that includes apartments, a hotel and restaurants.
Residents Split Over Growth
Lake Helen residents hold differing views about the proposed development, and some worry it would bring too much traffic and threaten the city's small-town character, WKMG reported.
Not everyone shares that concern. Kenneth Smith supports the proposed development and said residents currently have to travel to DeLand or Daytona Beach for many restaurant options. Smith believes additional development could generate revenue for Lake Helen. Another resident, identified only as Mike, said he is not concerned about additional traffic and views growth as positive for the area.
With commissioners expected to weigh those competing views Thursday, the vote marks the latest turn for a property that has cycled through car dealership ambitions, a rejected housing plan, and a commission-approved compromise in just eight years. Whatever leaders decide, the outcome will shape a stretch of Lake Helen that has rarely stayed still since the auto mall idea first arrived.
