OVIEDO, Fla. – If you live in Oviedo, you’ve probably noticed the city is changing—quickly. More traffic, more construction, and more people.
But is all this growth necessary? And can anything be done to slow it down?
It turns out, Oviedo doesn’t just wake up one day and decide to add thousands of new homes. The city follows state guidelines based on population projections from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) at the University of Florida.
News 6 asked Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek whether it’s possible to stop the growth.
“Not legally,” she said.
BEBR estimates Oviedo will gain 16,000 new residents over the next 20 years. That means at least 6,000 new housing units — whether residents like it or not.
To add 6,000 homes, you must go up.
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Dr. Teresa Correa, Oviedo’s Development Services Director, said the high-density housing growth will take place in four key areas: New Downtown, Old Downtown, near the Oviedo Mall, and the big patch of farmland on west Mitchell Hammock.
Longtime residents say they miss the quiet, small-town feel of Oviedo.
“I think a lot of people just see their small town changing, and they don’t like it,” said Melissa Washburn, an Oviedo resident. “They don’t like all the traffic and all that.”
But many neighbors said the growth is inevitable.
“For me, as I think about raising my kids, I’m excited about the opportunities,” said Kristin Moore, who grew up in Oviedo. “But sometimes, I think we can pause here and contain it a little bit.”
With more people comes more cars, more schools, and a higher demand for utilities. And while some residents may wish they could wave a magic wand and freeze Oviedo in time, most recognize that’s not realistic.
“I don’t think we should stop growth,” said Washburn. “I just think it needs to be done right. They need to make sure the infrastructure can handle it.”
