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Did Oviedo Mall break ground on apartments at the old Macy's within six months of August 2022, as its development director said?

The Roadmap Reckoner · Oviedo Mall, Oviedo, Seminole County, Florida (the old Macy's building) · last checked 2026-10-21

Verdict	PENDING, OVERDUE (by about 3 years and 8 months)
Promiser	Oviedo Mall (Kevin Hipes, its Director of Development, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando)
Place	Oviedo Mall, Oviedo, Seminole County, Florida (the old Macy's building)
Promised	About February 2023 ("groundbreaking could take place in 6 months", FOX 35 Orlando, August 1, 2022; the six months are the reporter's paraphrase and the word is "could")
Delivered / status	Not delivered as of October 21, 2026: no groundbreaking, site development order or building permit for the apartments appears in the City of Oviedo records read. A demolition application (26-599) filed September 16, 2026 reads "APPROVED". Hipes's July 2026 date: construction "early 2027"
Last checked	2026-10-21

Verdict: PENDING, OVERDUE, by about 3 years and 8 months. On August 1, 2022, FOX 35 reported that Oviedo Mall's Director of Development, Kevin Hipes, said the mall planned to demolish the old Macy's building and build 400 luxury apartments, and that "groundbreaking could take place in 6 months" [C1, C1b]. The six months are the reporter's paraphrase of Hipes, and the word is "could" [C1b]. This entry reads it as a stated timeline, which puts the groundbreaking at about February 2023. No groundbreaking, site development order or building permit for the apartments appears in the City of Oviedo records read up to October 21, 2026 [C15, C25]. A demolition application for the old store, number 26-599, was filed on September 16, 2026 and reads "APPROVED" [C23, C23b]. In July 2026 Hipes gave a new start of early 2027 [C19b].

Last checked: October 21, 2026.

The promise. Demolish the old Macy's building and build 400 luxury apartments; groundbreaking about six months after August 1, 2022 [C1, C1b]. No completion date was given in 2022 [C1].
Where it stands. No record read shows the old store demolished: the application to demolish it reads "APPROVED", and the permit records read list no inspection [C23b, C23c]. No building permit for the apartments appears in the applications read [C25, C25b].
The new dates. Hipes, July 2026: construction "early 2027" and leasing by "early 2028" [C19b]. That is about four years after the date in the promise.
The scope. 400 apartments in 2022; 425 units in the city's August 2022 approval; 360 units in its December 2023 approval; "up to 400" units and $125 million in July 2026 [C1, C9, C14, C19c].

The promise

FOX 35 Orlando, "Part of Oviedo Mall to be demolished to build luxury apartments", August 1, 2022 [C1]:

"Oviedo Mall’s Director of Development Kevin Hipes says they plan to demolish the old Macy’s building and build 400 luxury apartments, making this property a mixed-use" [C1]

"Kevin says groundbreaking could take place in 6 months." [C1b]

The story's page declares an edit on August 2, 2022, a few hours after publication. The earliest Wayback capture, taken August 2, 2022 at 07:08 UTC, before that edit, carries both sentences above word for word [C1e]. That capture itself declares an earlier edit, about 86 minutes after publication, so the earliest words read are from a version already edited once [C1f].

Timeline

January 6, 2020. The City Council adopted a state-required amendment to the mall's development order. It allowed 250 unrestricted and 175 age-restricted apartment units and 124 hotel units, and said "The 180,000 GLA structure located on Parcel 12, Tract 3, shall be demolished." [C3, C4, C4b] One city staff report numbers the resolution 3861-20 and two others number it 3867-20 [C3, C3b, C3c].
December 6, 2021. The Council adopted Ordinance 1714 for the 15.48-acre Parcel 12C, 5-0. Hipes, then titled Oviedo Mall Development Director, asked that the item be tabled over parking [C5, C5b, C5c].
August 1, 2022. The promise [C1, C1b]. That evening the Council adopted Resolution 4222-22, which merged the 250 and 175 units into 425 multi-family units [C9, C10]. The applicant's engineer told the Council "Due to COVID the entire development team dropped and a new development team took over who only do multifamily development." [C10b]
February 20, 2023. The Council adopted Resolution 4303-23 for 328 multi-family units on Tract 4, owner Oviedo Fund LLC [C11, C11b, C12].
December 4, 2023. The Council adopted Ordinance 1739, 4-0, for 360 units on about 15.48 acres [C14, C16b]. The staff report says "The Project will be developed as a single multifamily residential phase." [C14b] A staff slide listed "Site Development Order – not yet submitted" [C15]. A speaker from Picerne Development Corporation stated that "the entry is the same as the one Macy’s is currently using" [C16c]. The minutes record a speaker from Lowndes Law Firm as "representing the applicant" [C16d].
February 6, 2025. News 6 wrote "Hipes is still waiting on construction to begin on a housing project at the former Macy’s property." [C18] The store was closed under a "future development" sign [C18b].
July 20, 2026. Spectrum News 13 reported that the developer for Phase 1 "will likely obtain a demolition permit within the next 90 days", that construction will begin in early 2027, and that leasing is planned by early 2028 [C19, C19b].
September 10, 2026. Application 26-548 was filed at 1700 Oviedo Mall Blvd: a "COMM ALTERATION" valued at $130,000, for "New Mall Entrance East", contractor PICERNE CONSTRUCTION CORP, owner OVIEDO MALL HOLDING LLC [C20, C20b, C20c]. It was in "EPLAN REVIEW" on October 21, past an estimated completion date of October 9 [C20b, C20d].
September 16, 2026. Application 26-599 was filed at 1400 Oviedo Mall Blvd: "DEMOLITION OTHER (OTC)", valued at $790,000, 90,000 square feet, owner THE OASIS AT OVIEDO LLC, contractor "SAMSULA DEMOLITION" [C23, C23b]. Its status is "APPROVED" [C23b].
Day 90 after July 20, 2026. The 90 days in Hipes's July statement ran out on October 18, counting from July 20. The demolition application had been filed on day 58 and was approved [C19, C23, C23b].
October 21, 2026. Of the building-permit applications filed from June 23 to October 21, 2026 (numbers 26-1 to 26-894), 26-599 is the only demolition, and none is a new residential building at the mall [C25, C25b]. Applications filed before June 23, 2026 are not covered by that count [C25b].

What changed, and why, in the record's own words

The start. The promise put the groundbreaking at about February 2023 [C1b]. Hipes's July 2026 statement puts construction in early 2027 [C19b]. No city record read states a construction date at any point. The four approvals of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 set none [C3, C5b, C10, C16b].
The demolition permit. Hipes said the developer would "likely" get one within 90 days of July 20, 2026 [C19]. Application 26-599 came in that window and is approved [C23, C23b]. The status "APPROVED" does not settle whether a permit has been issued:
- Of the 875 applications in the sweep of those filed from June 23, 2026, 406 read "PERMIT ISSUED", 297 read CLOSED and 52 read APPROVED; the APPROVED ones include applications filed as early as June 30, 2026 [C25; the sweep file].
- The application's fee page says "No fees payable online for this application." [C23e]
- The records read do not say what APPROVED means for 26-599 [the trace].
Which building. The permit record for 1400 Oviedo Mall Blvd lists "BURDINES/DRESSING ROOMS" and a 2005 wall-sign permit that carries "FEDERATED DEPARTMENT" in its Contractor/Other Name column, beside the sign contractor [C24, C24b]. No record read names Macy's at that address, so that 26-599 is the old Macy's is an inference [the trace].
The owner. THE OASIS AT OVIEDO LLC is not among the owners named in the city's 2021 and 2023 records: for Parcel 12C, Marc Hagle, Omall Development LLLP and Oviedo Mall Holding LLC [C5, C13], and for Tract 4, Oviedo Fund LLC [C11b]. The LLC's name appears on the demolition application [C23]. The records read do not say who the LLC is or whether the parcel was sold [the trace].
The scope. 2020: 425 units and a hotel [C4]. 2022: 425 multi-family units and the hotel [C9]. 2023: 360 units in one phase [C14, C14b]. 2026: Spectrum wrote that the city "approved construction of up to 400 high-end market-rate apartments" on the Macy's site, with a second phase of about 325 units on 14 acres on the west side of the mall [C19, C19c, C19e]. The 2023 staff report says 360 [C14].
Why. The only reason for a change in the records read is the engineer's 2022 statement about the development team [C10b]. No record read gives a reason for the late start [the trace].

What it cost

The promise gave no cost [C1].
Phase 1. Spectrum wrote, in its own words and not as Hipes's, that crews will replace the Macy’s building with "the new $125 million apartment development" [C19c]. The only figure Spectrum gives as Hipes's is for Phase 2: "over $100 million" [C19f]. No city record read states a project cost [the trace].
Dollar figures in city records. The demolition application's valuation is $790,000 [C23]. The entrance application's is $130,000 [C20]. A separate March 2, 2026 city contract for the Oviedo Mall Blvd and Dovera Dr intersection is $121,000, with a $12,100 contingency, $133,100 in all; the record read does not tie it to the apartments [C22].

What is still open

Whether the demolition permit has been issued, and whether work has begun. The permit system lists no inspection and the status is APPROVED [C23b, C23c]. No site visit was made.
The 90,000 square feet. The demolition application's size is half the 180,000 square feet the 2020 development order says "shall be demolished" [C4b, C23]. The footprint of a store could differ from its floor area, but this entry did not establish that [the trace].
The Phase 2 parcel. The 328 units on Tract 4 in 2023 are close to the "325 units" Hipes gave for Phase 2 [C11, C19e]. The 2023 staff report places Tract 4 on the east side of Oviedo Mall Boulevard, and Spectrum places Phase 2 on the west side of the mall. This entry does not say they are the same parcel [C11b, C19e].
The 2021 and 2023 ordinances. The 2023 staff report says the property's zoning was still the 2015 plan and "must be amended" [C13b]. Ordinance 1714 had been adopted in December 2021 [C5b]. The records read do not explain the difference.

What this entry did not check

County deed and appraiser records, and the state corporate registry for THE OASIS AT OVIEDO LLC. The registry refused a scripted request [the trace].
The recorded PUD agreements attached to Ordinances 1739 and 1773, which are image-only scans that were not saved [the trace].
Permit applications before June 23, 2026, which use an older number format and were reached only through address searches capped at 50 rows [the trace].
The February 16, 2026 Community Redevelopment Agency agenda, which did not download, and three sets of Local Planning Agency minutes that were not read [the trace].
The mall itself. No site visit was made.

Sources

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