LEESBURG, Fla. — The Leesburg City Commission on Monday voted 4-1 to reject a proposed multifamily neighborhood that some residents and county commissioners had considered a potential danger.

A developer had submitted a request to build Anglers Cove off U.S. Highway 441 and Anglers Avenue.

Deidre Griffin, a lifelong resident and mother of two who lives nearby, is probably breathing a little easier.

“We’re looking at 208 occupants and up to 141 cars —  that is quadrupling the vehicles that will be coming in and out,” said Griffin, who had fought the proposal because of safety concerns.

“This is my community; this has been my community for 9 years," she said. "It’s next to a (age) 55-and-up community.”

Currently, the roadway to get in and out is very narrow and is connected to a busy commercial parking lot.

“This is where you have to slow down because people turn this turn very tight," Griffin explained. "And as you see, there’s not a lot of buffer. We have manholes that are here. It’s very hard to determine how to widen this. That’s why the ideal approach is to have the developer meet with the community to decide how we’re going to go about this.”

While this property is in unincorporated Lake County, it’s being annexed by the city of Leesburg. She said she had talked with both the Leesburg County Commission and the Leesburg City Commission.

Lake County commissioners agreed with Griffin. In a 7-0 vote, they agreed with her, writing a letter to the city recommending increased traffic safety, like widening the road and better pedestrian connections.

“I don’t want someone who bought some property not be able to develop their piece of property that they purchased," Griffin said. "I don’t want to do that at all. I definitely believe they should have their investment and their return on investment on their property. But at what cost? The cost of public safety? They get to do what they want to do? So their property rights outweigh my public safety?”