HORIZON WEST

It's All Happening

The boom continues in West Orange's bustling planned community.

Before the 28,000-acre Horizon West community was home to thousands of families, the land was home to thousands of acres of robust citrus groves. In the 1980s, a series of freezes devastated the groves, forcing much of the citrus production to relocate to a warmer climate in South Florida. As a result, conversations to develop the area where the former orange groves were located began. However, this enhanced concerns about urban sprawl, because the existing land-use regulations in the rural area only allowed one house to be built per 10 acres.

So, landowners met to devise a plan. This led to them working with Orange County leaders to begin developing a master plan for the area in 1993.

The owners — Horizon West Inc. — hired VHB MillerSellen to prepare the Horizon West sector plan, which included the project concept, design standards and a planning overlay. The county approved this framework on June 5, 1995.

The objective of the plan for Horizon West was to avoid suburban sprawl through the creation of a more sustainable growth management approach. The community reflects the principles of garden cities and new urbanism, ensuring new development will contribute to maintaining a sense of place, environmental protection, excellent architectural design and quality pedestrian environments and community spaces. Early on, the influence of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities model led to the preliminary design of independent, self-sustaining villages. At buildout, the goal of Horizon

LOCAL LEADER

Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson Horizon West stands on what was formerly citrus groves. After the devastating freezes of the 1980s destroyed the area’s citrus trees, local leaders created a master plan for the area. Horizon West was conceived as a community that would center self-sustaining, mixed-use villages around elementary schools as the focus of each community. Still growing, the Horizon West community is civically engaged and community-focused. Horizon West Fest. This celebration of all things Horizon West brings the community together for a day of fun in the sun, complete with kids’ activities, local vendors and businesses, food and live entertainment.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

n Orange County Administration Center, 201 S. Rosalind Ave., Orlando n Cable/internet: Spectrum, (407) 2912500; DIRECTV, (866) 906-2621; DISH, (844) 306-7067; AT&T, (866) 817-0776; CenturyLink, (877) 862-9343; EarthLink, (844) 903-3107 n Power/electric: Duke Energy, (800) 700-8744 n Fire: Orange County Fire Rescue, (407) 8369000 n Police: Orange County Sheriff’s Office, (407) 254-7000 n Trash: Orange County Solid Waste, (407) 836-6601 n Utilities (water/ sewer): Orange County Utilities, (407) 836-5515

SIGNATURE EVENTS

Hamlin St. Patrick’s Day Block Party. This community event features live music, performances from Irish dancers and bagpipers, local vendors, food and beverages.

Venardos Circus. With the exception of 2020, Horizon West has become an annual stop for the traveling Venardos Circus. Creator Kevin Venardos already has announced it will return to the area from Nov. 14 to Dec. 4, 2022. Flavor Fest Horizon West. This festival provides an immersive experience to enjoy a fusion of food, culture and arts along with a live music performance. The festival will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.

Bears Who Care OctoBEARfest 5K Fun Run and Walk. This annual event offers a healthy and family friendly opportunity to either — virtually or in-person — run, walk or jog for Bears Who Care. Proceeds provide teddy bears and books to children in the community who need them. This year, the event will take place Sunday, Oct. 23.

NOTABLE NAMES

n Arthur George Hamlin was an attorney who came to Florida in the 1880s, grew citrus and eventually developed the Hamlin orange, for which the Hamlin community is named. His legacy will be cemented into Horizon West through A.G.’s Market — a forthcoming food hall — named in his honor.

n Randy June, a land developer, has developed more than 15,000 lots. He was born and raised in West Orange.

n Don Phillips and his wife Diane’s “Story” family had been a part of the area's citrus industry since the 1930s. He owned hundreds of acres in Horizon West.

n Phil C. Peters Road is named after Phil C. Peters. Peters moved to Winter Garden at age 6. His father, a citrus grower, taught him everything he needed to know about the citrus business. Peters was a member of the Florida Citrus Commission in 1938 and 1939. In 1931, Peters was named manager of the Winter Garden Citrus Growers Association. During the next 32 years, led its development, earning a reputation for quality fresh fruit. Peters was one of the founders of the Winter Garden Citrus Products Cooperative in 1943 and later became its vice president. And, for 25 years of his life, Peters was a director of the Florida Citrus Exchange. West is to create a village development pattern while preserving large quantities of open space, as well as using public/private partnerships to help provide community amenities and public infrastructure.

Horizon West’s design sections the community into six villages — Lakeside, Bridgewater, Town Center, Village F (Seidel area), Hickorynut and Ovation. Horizon West villages typically include two to four neighborhoods and are set up around the community schools and parks. Each has a center that provides community shopping and services.

Lakeside Village is located in the easternmost portion of Horizon West and surrounds the Reams Road area, right behind Magic Kingdom. Village F, one of the more central portions of Horizon West, also backs up to Magic Kingdom. The Village of Bridgewater is located at the northeast portion of Horizon West, and Ovation Village sits at the southernmost area. Hickorynut Village hugs the western side of State Road 429 and gives way to the Town Center, commonly referred to as Hamlin. The Town Center is designed to be the largest commercial area and is surrounded by dense residential neighborhoods.

Horizon West is considered one of the fastest-growing master-planned communities in the nation. In total, the community has been approved for 40,282 units, making the projected population at buildout 100,705. Although it comprises just 4% of Orange County, the area has been responsible for more than half of the building permits pulled countywide in the last couple of years. Not much has changed over the years regarding the original plan for Horizon West; however, the speed at which it has been growing was unprecedented.