SANFORD, Fla. — The development planned for Eastern Seminole County, with more than a thousand homes near Chuluota, failed to pass at Tuesday's Seminole County Commission meeting, with a vote of 4-0.

The project called River Cross would be just west of County Road 419, east of the Econ River and north of the Orange County line.

And neighbors in the rural portion of Seminole County are opposed to the plan.

They have sent out emails and letters with a basic message: "Leave our wilderness alone."

That wilderness is 669 acres of undeveloped land.

The developers behind River Cross to transform the land into an area with: 600 single family homes, 270 townhomes, 500-multi-family units and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space.

Developers said there is a need in Seminole County, and they think people will both live and work in River Cross and it is in proximity to University of Central Florida will attract new industries here.

However, critics are concerned the development will harm the environment and disrupt their rural way of life and clog roadways.

"Traffic is dead still right now, so it's going to be way worse. I mean there's no way to get out of Chuluota as it is," said Save Rural Seminole County President Teddy Mello.

However, the River Cross planner says the plan is worth considering.

"Certainly no development has no traffic, but I think when you look in terms of where the population is trending, what the employments needs are going to be, tomorrow and years into the future, we think this is a plan worth considering," said George Kramer.

Both county staff and the county's Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the development, which requires the county to move the rural boundary.