ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — SunRail is still months away from being in service, but some residents in Altamonte Springs are already raising concerns.
Homeowners near the SunRail station on Ronald Reagan Boulevard are worried they'll be pushed out of the neighborhood by developers. But Eyewitness News discovered the county is making an effort to protect long-time residents.
"I was raised in that church, I was born in a house where that empty field sits there," Altamonte Springs resident Cora Snead said.
A lot has changed in the east Altamonte Springs neighborhood Snead grew up in. But the biggest change so far is right at the end of her street -- the entrance to the SunRail station.
"We don't mind folk coming in and having a decent life, but we just don't want to be forced out," Snead said.
It's a concern she shares with the 500 or so other homeowners in the 15 neighborhoods that surround the SunRail station. Construction is almost done, which means investors will soon buy up the land around it.
The county is about to launch a $135,000 study to see what kind of projects could go up without displacing hundreds of people.
"Put the zoning in place so that people know up front that the canvas is set so that they can go in a community and can develop it per the wants and needs of the community. So we're not putting a high rise in the place where a high rise shouldn't be," Seminole County Commission Chairman Bob Dallari said.
The study will also look at whether there's enough affordable housing in the area for anyone who does get bought out. Most homes in the area are worth about $50,000 and they've been home to generations of families. Snead feels she can't put a price on that.
"I have been here all my life. I will be here until the day I'm rolled away," Snead said.
The county said its using grant money to pay for the study.
WFTV
