SANFORD, Fla. — The Sanford commission has moved forward with approving a controversial development along the water front of Lake Monroe. 

It’s a piece of property that has attracted a lot of attention from residents over the past few months.

Nancy Groves has lived in Sanford for well over a decade and is concerned about how a proposed development will affect the area along the Lake Monroe waterfront.   

“People are very upset,” she said.

A majority of the city commission has now voted twice in favor of rezoning the property, which would lead to the construction of a new apartment complex.

“I think the community is feeling a little bit punched in the stomach about this project,” Groves said. 

The proposal for the four-story apartment complex would feature 80 units and sit on roughly three acres of land with a front row seat of Lake Monroe. 

“The site is too small for the proposed project, so that affects the parking, traffic and the utilities,” Groves said. 

The majority of the waterfront in the area is community space. Many people walk on the nearby path to enjoy the lake and nature.   

“We have to find a balance between, yes, we’re going to grow regardless of what we do — but we need to find the balance between preservation and growth,” Groves said.   

A lawyer for the developer said the project would bring more business into the downtown area. That lawyer also said a traffic study showed more cars shouldn’t be a problem and the plan does provide one and half parking spaces per unit. 

But Groves said she and fellow residents still aren’t on board with it. 

“It’s very frustrating for a lot of people in the community, and you are going to see some push back,” Groves said.  

The next step in the process is for the developer to present the site plan and renderings to the city. There’s no set date for when that will happen.