The Cottages on 11th will feature just 27 homesites in Mount Dora, a historic city named by Southern Living magazine in 2021 as one of the South’s Best Small Towns. Homesites — mostly 50 feet wide — are priced from the $200s with homes priced starting from the $600s. “We wanted to do a very nice, well-appointed, custom-home community with timeless architecture that fits in with the character of Mount Dora,” says developer Tom Lightsey. In keeping with the homey ambiance, most homes — excluding the few lakefront lots — will feature rear garages with alleyway entrances. Buyers will select from four pre-approved builders — who had not been announced at press time — and pick from styles that include Coastal, Craftsman, Cape Cod, Florida Farmhouse, Spanish Colonial and Victorian.
A HOMEY COMMUNITY IN ONE OF THE SOUTH’S COOLEST SMALL TOWNS
The Cottages on 11th (cottageson11.com) will feature just 27 homesites for a new niche community in a historic city named by Southern Living magazine in 2021 as one of the South’s Best Small Towns, according to developer Tom Lightsey.
Serendipity smiled on Lightsey about a half-dozen years ago. He and development partner, Dennis Casey, were exploring parcels of land in Mount Dora when, to twist a popular phrase, preparation met luck to create opportunity.
That neighbor, as it happened, was also a land broker who had the listing for the property that Lightsey and Casey would eventually buy to build their newest community.
Since 2015, the duo had been searching for just the right tract, including a parcel owned by the Mount Dora Christian Academy. It was former orange grove acreage donated by the Edgerton family, longtime residents and community leaders dating back to the early 1900s. From Lightsey’s perspective, the land was the “nicest, largest piece close to downtown.”
Lightsey had, in fact, asked about the property previously. But, until that chance introduction, nothing had happened. After talking a bit, the broker pulled Lightsey aside and told him to call because the school might be ready to make a deal.
The sale of that prime 10.9 acres — on a hillside overlooking Lake Dora — to Lightsey’s Florida Realty and Development Group was finalized in 2018. Three years later, The Cottages on 11th is set be a small but charming neighborhood with homesites — mostly 50 feet wide — priced from the $200s and homes priced from the $600s.
Buyers will select from four pre-approved builders — who had not been announced at press time — and pick from styles that include Coastal, Craftsman, Cape Cod, Florida Farmhouse, Spanish Colonial and Victorian.
The specific location is on 11th Avenue between Old U.S. Highway 441 and Helen Street near downtown. Site development work, such as land grading, installation of underground utilities and road work, started in May. Those roads could be in place by August. The marketing for homesite sales began in July, while the construction of custom homes — with no models — will start this fall.
Meanwhile, the target market for prospective buyers is empty nesters — not to exclude families, of course — with smaller homes that require less yard maintenance. The first residents are expected within a year, and the community could be built out within 24 to 36 months.
That’s the quick scan of The Cottages on 11th. The longer view is represented by the lengthy resumés of both Lightsey and Casey.
Lightsey, a native Floridian, has more than 35 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate brokerage and development. He formed Colony Realty Group in 2000, and in 2010 established Florida Realty and Development — the two operating companies he uses for residential development, sales and marketing.
Casey, a graduate of Rollins College, has 30-plus years of real estate development and brokerage experience. Collectively, the duo has been involved in the development of than 3,500 lots in Central Florida. For their Mount Dora project, Lightsey and Casey wanted something distinct — something classic, not cookie cutter.
“We wanted to do a very nice, well-appointed, custom-home community with timeless architecture that fits in with the character of Mount Dora,” says Lightsey, who graduated from the University of Florida with bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1982 and obtained a real estate broker’s license a year later.
Lightsey and Casey also sought to be good stewards of the land. The development-approval process was slow, finally completed in late 2019. “City officials and what they have there is precious to them,” Lightsey adds. “So, they’re always very concerned about any type of new development. We had to get everyone to understand that this is a very high-quality project.”
The cost of infrastructure was substantial, says Lightsey, and the landscaping will be lush throughout the neighborhood. More than one-third — 37 percent, to be exact — is reserved for open space. Also, the developers donated one acre of lake frontage to the city for a park that could eventually be used as an area trailhead.
In keeping with the welcoming ambiance, most homes — excluding the few lakefront lots — will feature rear garages with alleyway entrances. “As you drive down the street [in the community], you won’t see garages; you’ll only see the front of homes,” Lightsey notes.
Early work already has made a difference, says Carroll Jaskulski, who as project manager now is the person most responsible for the plans becoming a reality.
Says Jaskulski: “Several people have come to me since the project was approved and basically just said: ‘We’re really excited about this now, and we’ve come to believe that what it’s really going to do is increase our property values.”
Jaskulski lives in Mount Dora and plans to remain “for the rest of my days. So, that speaks to the fact that I’ve wanted to be involved with this, and expect to be proud of it as part of my Mount Dora legacy.”
A legacy community? It looks that way so far.
Says Lightsey: “To be able to acquire this property, we understand how important this is to everyone — the school, the city, the folks who end up purchasing there and to ourselves. We’re very excited about it. We want it to be another premier community.”