Lake Helen considers new development proposal for land once eyed for DeLand auto mall

A piece of property along Interstate 4 and Orange Camp Road that was once proposed as the site of a major auto mall could have a very different future.Property owners are now proposing a mixed-use development that would include fast food restaurants, a sit-down restaurant, a 120-room hotel, and an apartment complex with 348 total dwelling units.The proposal is bringing renewed attention to an area that was at the center of a development fight in 2018, when plans for the DeLand auto mall were ultimately shot down.Now, residents are weighing in on what should come next — and they’re not all on the same page.Some worry the development would bring too much traffic and threaten the small-town character that makes Lake Helen unique.Resident Chris Lumley is among those opposed.“There’s all of the additional car traffic. The city is not set up. It’ll ruin the city,” Lumley said.Lumley believes the area should remain less developed and argues that projects of this scale belong in places that ar