HORIZON WEST

Before the 28,000-acre Horizon West community was home to thousands of families, it was home to thousands of acres of robust citrus groves. But in the 1980s, a series of devastating freezes decimated the groves, forcing much citrus production to relocate to warmer climates in South Florida. This led to the pressure to develop the former orange groves. It also enhanced concerns of urban sprawl because the existing land-use regulations in the rural area only allowed one house per 10 acres.

So, the owners of the orange groves met up to come up with a plan. This led to them working with Orange County leaders to begin developing a master plan for the area beginning 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 intent of the plan for Horizon West was to avoid suburban sprawl by creating a more sustainable approach to growth management. Early on, the influence of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities model led to the preliminary design of independent, selfsustaining villages. At full buildout, the goal of Horizon 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

n Orange County Administration Center, 201 S Rosalind Ave., Orlando n Cable/internet: Spectrum, (407) 291-2500; DIRECTV, (866) 906-2621; DISH, (844) 3067067; 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) 836-9000 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 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.

Hamlin St. Patrick’s Day Block Party. This fun, free community event features live music, performances from Irish dancers and bagpipers, local vendors, food and beverages. Takes place at 14111 Shoreside Way, Winter Garden.

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. 10 to 28, 2021.

amenities and public infrastructure.

Horizon West’s design sections the community into six villages — Lakeside, Bridgewater, Town Center, Village F, Hickorynut and Village I. Each village has or will have a centralized commercial space, schools and parks. The village pattern is intended to promote connectivity between uses and to be more pedestrian-friendly and increase walkability. Villages typically include two to four neighborhoods and are set up around the community schools and parks. Each one has a center that provides community shopping and services, as well as parks and recreation, to surrounding neighborhoods. They also feature townhouses and apartments above stores and retail offices to enhance housing diversity and density.

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 Village I 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.

Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson Because much of Horizon West is unincorporated Orange County, Commissioner Nicole Wilson is the county representative for Horizon West. Wilson is a licensed attorney and was elected to the County Commission in 2020. Email her at district1@ocfl.net.

n Arthur George Hamlin. 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.