370-acre former orange grove in Groveland sells for $4.6 million

A 370-acre plot of land located on East Dewey Robbins Road north of the Florida Turnpike and east of U.S. Highway 27 in Groveland has sold for $4,609,250. The land, which was once a profitable orange grove, is Comprehensive Land Use Planned for up to 740 residential units and a village core under the city of Groveland’s Hamlet designation.

Trevor Hall and Tommy Pinel of Colliers represented the seller, Loma Linda Corporation. Daryl M. Carter of Maury L. Carter & Associates, Inc. represented the buyers, EPC Holdings 1009, LLC and EPC Holdings 1010, LLC.

“We’ve worked with this seller for more than 10 years and helped them take the land through the Abandoned Grove Initiative process after more than six decades as a profitable orange grove," said Trevor Hall, Executive Managing Director, Colliers. "We also worked with the city to change the comprehensive land use plan and annex the land into Groveland, which more than doubled the value of the property.”

Groveland, located in Lake County 30 miles west of Orlando, recently approved a revised Future Land Use map geared toward preserving its natural and agrarian landscape. The 370-acre property was annexed into the City of Groveland in July 2020 under the “Hamlet” future land use designation.

The city defines a Hamlet as a settlement within an agriculture or natural setting with three zoning districts – a small Hamlet Core with retail, office, and attached housing; a Hamlet Center with smaller lot housing; and Hamlet Edge with larger lot housing. Half of the land must also be set aside for open space such as community gardens, agriculture, solar farms, or other passive uses.

The city has also planned for walkable Towns and Villages that connect residents to Groveland’s natural habitat.

The 370-acre property is located four miles north of the planned Villa City, a 2,500-acre mixed-used development that will add nearly 5,600 homes to the city of Groveland. Villa City also has plans for retail such as grocery, restaurants, drug stores, banks, entertainment, and medical office space.

Mattamy Homes also recently purchased a 132-acre plot of land for a 430-home subdivision in the area.

The property is also located just south of the new 1088-acre, 2,932-unit proposed Whispering Hills development and the 147-acre, 449-unit Hodges Reserve development along Dewey Robbins Road. Both projects were recently annexed into the city of Leesburg.

“The City of Groveland is trying to recreate itself as a destination city, and these developments will play a pivotal role in the future of the city," said Tommy Pinel, MAI, Director, Colliers. "With these developments, Groveland is starting to push north and Leesburg is pushing east, putting development pressure on this area. The growth of this area makes this land very desirable for future development and made this a great fit for the buyer.”

Currently, the land is zoned for agricultural use with a cattle tenant in place.

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