Another large housing proposal in Summerfield is now on hold as Marion County officials prepare to weigh multiple development requests tied to the same engineering firm (Tillman and Associates) and related property owners.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to continue both a proposed land use change and rezoning request for a 55-acre site located at 15700 SE 73rd Avenue, about 0.9 miles north of SE Highway 42. The applications were filed by Tillman and Associates Engineering on behalf of the Estate of Michael P. Couture, with Eva Couture listed as the personal representative.
The developer is seeking to change the property’s future land use designation from Rural Land (RL) to Medium Residential (MR) and rezone it from General Agriculture (A-1) to Planned Unit Development (PUD). Under current rural zoning, only one home is allowed per 3 acres. But if the PUD and land use changes are approved, the property could potentially allow up to 4 homes per acre—totaling more than 200 houses on what is now open land.
Although the county took no formal action at its July 15 meeting, the request was postponed at the developer’s request to align this project—referred to as the Coventry PUD—with a similar one nearby known as Picadilly PUD. Both are being reviewed by Growth Services and will now go before the Planning and Zoning Commission at the same public hearing on August 25.
According to a June 24 email from planning technician Jon Harvey, the applicants plan to revise their narrative to address county staff’s concerns and make the case for why the development should move forward. No site plans or specific home counts have been released, but based on Marion County’s PUD guidelines, the density could mark a dramatic shift for the area.
The project site sits within a pocket of remaining rural land in Southeast Marion County, where long-time residents have increasingly voiced frustration about traffic, overcrowded schools, and the fast disappearance of green space.
The next public hearing for both proposals is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on August 25, 2025, before the Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission.
South Marion County’s landscape is quickly morphing from wide-open fields to rows of cookie-cutter homes. Over a dozen large residential and commercial developments are either approved, under construction, or nearing completion. Inside Belleview city limits alone, projects like Bellehaven (1,003 homes), Autumn Glen Phases 1 and 2 (309 homes), Bennah Oaks Phases 1 and 2 (239 homes), and Kreb’s Corner (20 homes) are reshaping the local map. Outside Belleview city limits, even more growth looms — including the controversial Sandy Clay project (442 homes), the sprawling Sunset Hills development in Summerfield (324 homes across multiple phases), and Heritage Oaks (158 homes).
Altogether, more than 3,500 homes are planned or in progress across South Marion County.
