Bicyclists curse Sugarloaf Mountain — but they also love it and hope a 2,555-home subdivision doesn’t snatch away its scenic views and daunting challenges.
Sugarloaf, the highest peak in peninsular Florida, attracts hundreds of cyclists each weekend who brave its 300-plus foot slope and is a critical piece of south Lake County’s bicycle-race and triathlon niche. The Great Floridian Triathlon, Lake’s most iconic race, features three treks by bicycle to the top of Sugarloaf.
“I’m very disappointed that the big dollar has come in and is going to change the cycling community out there,” said Tracy Draper, an avid cyclist and director of the Mount Dora Bicycle Festival. “There is no way that it won’t impact us.”
About 50 people attended a Minneola City Council meeting last week about proposed changes to the megadevelopment, which had its origin in the late 1980s and was contested for years before finally winning approval. The proposals are a signal that the development — stalled by market conditions and the economic downturn for years — may be closer to reality than ever.
With that heightened prospect, many are voicing concerns about road placement and stressing the need to maintain bike-friendly conditions around Sugarloaf Mountain.
Orlando attorney Cecilia Bonifay, who has worked on the project off and on since the beginning for multiple law firms, described various changes to the building plan as well as the inclusion of a 4-foot bike lane on winding County Road 455, which snakes through the area. A roundabout at County Road 455 and Mountain Club Drive — one of the development’s key roads — also interrupts a favorite route of area cyclists.
Bonifay also outlined additional trails in the expansive subdivision.
“Those cyclists were [at meetings] back in the ’90s,” Bonifay said. “Everybody recognized this area because of the unique topography and terrain and that should be a component to this.”
Originally slated as a golf-course community, the development has been recast to focus on outdoor living. The property still maintains space for a school, which could be shared with another mega property slated for development, the Hills of Minneola. That development, south of Sugarloaf, was approved in 2006 and will bring about 4,000 homes to the area.
The combined communities could more than double Minneola’s population of 10,000.
Often-heated debate over the potential for residential development in the far-flung corner of Central Florida began more than 25 years ago.
The Sugarloaf project first received approval from the state in the mid-’90s, despite opposition from environmentalists hoping to conserve the scenic, rural land. More battles continued before the development ultimately won an OK. The land changed hands in 2002 when a team of eight investors purchased the property for an undisclosed price.
Prior to that, Lake County declined to purchase it for $25 million, or about $18,000 per acre.
In 2007, Minneola annexed the site. Developers hoped to receive services including water, fire protection and law enforcement from Minneola, and city officials eagerly anticipated the spike in the tax roll the development would bring.
But for cyclists, their primary concern is safely riding the slopes of Sugarloaf. They fear the proposed bike lane is only a Band-Aid for a development they expect to put a damper on the county’s valuable sports-tourism franchise.
Kameel Abdurrahman, who runs a cycling fitness company, brings clients to Sugarloaf Mountain multiple times weekly and hosts monthly cycling events in the area. He said he believes the development will affect his business and events for which south Lake is known.
“I might now have to move that somewhere else,” Abdurrahman said. “[Cyclists] are looking for low traffic and safety, and now that’s a huge concern.”
Minneola Mayor Pat Kelley cautioned that without changes in the plan to benefit the cycling community, fitness enthusiasts may choose other places to train and cycle, which would have a negative ripple effect on local restaurants and other businesses that benefit from the tourism dollars cyclists bring.
“It’s not just a cycling issue,” Kelley said. “You could impact the economic growth … and it’s very important that Minneola knows that the decisions we make here could impact Clermont, and that’s not being a good neighbor.”
Kelley said it could be years for construction to begin in earnest. Two homes have been built so far. Bonifay said more building likely won’t happen until a new Florida’s Turnpike interchange in Minneola is completed in about two years.
Remaining hot-button issues for the council to settle include hearing from Lake officials about road placement and from School Board members about where they want the school included in the plan. Council members will meet again Tuesday in a workshop to debate the issues before the changes are voted on Jan. 19.
Cyclists hope their voices are heard when it comes to improvements that could keep Sugarloaf Mountain a viable destination for cyclists and runners.
“What we really have to focus on now is to figure out how we can work together to make this the best we can,” Draper said.
rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5927