A massive new development coming to Lake County is promising to be more than just rooftops.
Wellness Way aims to transform the area into a hub for high-tech, high-wage jobs while emphasizing health and fitness.
The 15,000-acre development is being built southeast of Clermont and west of S.R. 429 near Lake Louisa State Park. It’s been in the works for more than a decade and will significantly change the once-rural area.
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Southern Hill Farms owner David Hill gave News 6 a tour of his 120-acre property along Schofield Road. His popular U-Pick farm was nothing but a dead orange grove when he bought the land 25 years ago, but it’s now full of blueberries, strawberries, peaches and seasonal vegetables.
“We have three 40-acre blocks between Schofield Road and Five Mile Road,” he said. “This was out in the middle of nowhere. You could see nothing but rolling hills. No one ever came this way, ever.”
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Hill’s family-owned farm will soon have thousands of new neighbors as Wellness Way takes shape. Even before the nearly 20,000 homes are built, though, he’s already seeing major changes.
“A lot of cars now,” Hill said. “When Schofield was a dirt road, and we’d have our Fall Festival sold out, the cars would be kind of like that coming to the farm. Now they’re like this every waking hour.”
Lake County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida and now has a population of around 400,000. Leaders expect to add around 75,000 new residents by 2030 with Wellness Way serving as a major catalyst.
While the majority of homes in the community still need to be built, the county and state have been working to shore up infrastructure. Lake County’s executive director of economic growth Mary Ellen Stern admits it’s been a difficult process.
“Part of the challenge is the vastness,” she said. “Until recently, we haven’t had a road network that’s been needed for growth and development. We haven’t had the infrastructure, like water, sewer, etc.”
One of the more anticipated transportation projects is S.R. 516, also known as the Lake-Orange Connector, which will connect S.R. 429 to U.S. 27. The 4.4-mile expressway will also have a charging lane for electric vehicles.
“When you’re driving your electric vehicle, it will charge the vehicle in the charging lane as you’re driving,” Stern said.
Construction on S.R. 516 is expected to start in the next few months with a goal of being finished by 2027.
Back at Southern Hill Farms, the owner now has more to watch than just his crops sprouting from the ground.
“You lose the farm ambiance, but we’ll get used to it,” he said. “It’s progress. It’s not just coming, it’s here. It would be foolish to try and run from it, so we’re going to embrace it as best we can.”
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