A local development team led by David Del Monte is planning to build townhomes and apartment communities in Central Florida with frames made of steel. The company, Orlando Steel Framing, purchased a 9.3-acre site in Davenport in early 2021 for $1.1 million and a 6.3-acre site in Sanford in September for $600,000. Del Monte said the company is not using wood at all in its projects, which offer a number of benefits, including being built to last longer, immune to high-wind hurricanes, and pesky termites. The Davenport project consists of 129 front-loaded townhome units that will be available for purchase. The Sanford project consists of three, three-story residential buildings with a total of 90 one-bedroom units and 30 two-bedroom units. The apartments will be surrounded by a surface parking lot with 306 spaces. On-site amenities would include a walking trail, playground, and dog park. A pond located behind the clubhouse will feature a boardwalk and covered gazebo. The Sanford project joins a number in the pipeline for the city, including:
- A 305-unit community on a 20-acre stretch of land along the north side of St. Johns Parkway where it intersects with Rhinehart Road.
- A 277-unit apartment community near Lake Monroe within walking distance of downtown Sanford.
- A 320-unit community called Story Sanford.
- A 352-unit luxury community called Afton Palms.
- A mixed-use project with 420 apartments and 2.2 acres of commercial space called Tuscany Village. Del Monte said he expects steel-framed homes to pop up more frequently across the Sunshine State. He’s already working on delivering more.