ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County is exploring the idea of a massive park for the Horizon West area that would span roughly 225 acres – 11 times larger than most other regional parks.
The land is near State Route 429 and New Independence Parkway.
The county has now given the green light to a master planner to explore what residents want, how the space would be used and where the funding would come from.
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The land, which is owned by Orange County and the city of Orlando, was part of a project to help recharge the area's drinking water supply. Now a park could be coming to the land.
While the details need to be worked out, Commissioner Betsy Vanderley said amenities could include an amphitheater, trails and a dog park.
“You don't have the opportunity as a community to plan a 225-acre park very often,” Vanderley said. “I'm certainly excited about people and their input and what they want to see here.”
Vanderley said the county will also explore a possible partnership with a private entity to pay for the project and oversee the park.
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“Hopefully they'll keep some of the nature and won't take it all away,” said Rhonda Finkel, who recently moved to the area. “I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it could bring a lot of good stuff for the residents here.”
People who live in the area have seen the area boom with new homes and busy roads.
“Hopefully they do think about how that's going to affect the traffic as well, especially with all the homes they're building in the area,” Finkel said.
There are no estimates yet for how much the project could cost.
Approximate location of the proposed park:
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