A 220-unit apartment complex proposed along Lorraine Road would bring workforce housing to a stretch of single-family homes in Lakewood Ranch, and neighbors are fighting it.

Winter Park-based developer Hillpointe wants Manatee County to review the project, called Point Grand, under Florida's Live Local Act. The state law, revised most recently in June 2026 under Gov. Ron DeSantis, requires local governments to approve qualifying affordable housing projects administratively, bypassing elected boards and public hearings. At least 40% of units must be set aside as affordable for 30 years.

The law has helped add 3,171 affordable units across 23 properties statewide since its inception, according to Florida TaxWatch.

Hundreds of residents packed a required public workshop on Tuesday, July 28, many wearing red T-shirts. Members of the Azario Responsible Land Development Coalition, a nonprofit formed to oppose high-density development near the Esplanade at Azario community, turned out in force.

The room was packed.

Luzette Socash, who has lived near the site for more than two years, said the proposed 15-foot buffer between the complex and neighboring homes is far too thin.

"The 15-foot buffer that they're proposing — that is nothing, and I think people need to understand that and how it impacts the neighboring communities," Socash told WWSB.

Socash also raised concerns about traffic on the two-lane road and whether existing drainage infrastructure can handle the added load.

Greg Dunbar, another two-year resident, said the Live Local Act strips local control from the process. Jim Toolen said the project would destroy his neighborhood's quality of life. Howard Sosnik warned it could open a "proverbial floodgate" for additional high-density projects along the corridor.

Opponents said they are not against affordable housing but want future projects sited in areas with more space and larger buffers from existing homes.

Nicole MacInnes, an attorney representing Hillpointe, said at the workshop that Point Grand would provide housing for essential workers, police officers, nurses, and teachers.

Hillpointe is one of Florida's largest workforce housing developers, with roughly 8,700 units under construction and a nationwide pipeline of about 15,000 units across 45 deals, according to Multifamily Executive. The firm has a similar Live Local Act project underway in South Tampa: the 408-unit Pointe Grand Interbay on an 18-acre former industrial site, expected to open in June 2027.

The Point Grand project has not yet been formally submitted to Manatee County. Once it is, the county must review it administratively under the Live Local Act. If approved, Hillpointe has said construction could begin within months.

Residents who want to track the project can monitor filings through Manatee County Development Services.