Also on the agenda: More Christmas lights, canal murals, town architect
The City Commission will consider several measures to maintain or enhance Winter Park’s aesthetic
May 16, 2024
By Beth Kassab
The City Commission on Wednesday will consider how to add to the annual Christmas display in the Central Business District.
The $300,000 proposal from the Park Avenue District includes $200,000 from city funds and another $100,000 from fundraising by the district, according to a staff memorandum. About $100,000 is already included in the upcoming city budget.
A sample mood board for the additions includes lots more lights, magnolia flowers and oranges and immersive light experiences such as archways.
Commissioners will discuss the proposal and give guidance for the next steps.
Canal murals
The Public Art Advisory Board will ask for direction on a proposal to commission artists to paint murals along the Chain of Lakes’ canals, a well-known attraction on the Scenic Boat Tour.
One of the canals that connects the Winter Park Chain of Lakes can be enjoyed by passengers on the Scenic Boat Tour.
The idea would be to add the art along the sides of the Venetian-style canals that connect the city’s famous lakes.
Still to be determined are the logistics and price of such an installation. A staff memorandum estimated the cost at about $20 to $30 per square foot for the concept that came from the city’s Natural Resources and Sustainability Division.
City commissioners will discuss their appetite for the project.
Town architect
Should the city hire an architect to help ensure developers are keeping new buildings compatible with the old?
Commissioners will consider whether to put such a position out to bid on Wednesday as the group also makes appointments to a new advisory group that will help set design standards for Winter Park’s commercial areas.
“Compatibility is crucial to preserving the charm of Winter Park,” a staff memorandum reads. “The City has facade guidelines
for our most important architectural corridors (i.e. Morse Boulevard, Orange Avenue, and the Central Business District) but approving designs that are “compatible” with the existing buildings and the community vision is often challenging.”
A town architect would assist planners in determining whether a development proposal works within the existing neighborhood. No cost information was provided in the memorandum.
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Town architect- is a city dentist, city doctor, city plumber, city builder, city vet, city minister, city lawyer, city planner- oops we already have that- far behind? We are a city of many different people with various ideas, taste and beliefs- and the very last item any of us need is someone telling us how to live our lives, paint our houses much less design our abodes. Please stay out of my house and stick with governance.
City architect, murals on the canals? Bad ideas! Code enforcement for current codes, natural Florida landscaping, much better ideas to work on.
I agree. No murals on the canals.
I totally agree.
Keep our canals natural…we do not need murals along them.
Just enjoy the beauty of the trees, plants and flowers in bloom!
I would have to agree with this one. I like murals in business area very much though.
I agree with JR King
The canals are lovely in their natural state. Murals are not needed.
I so agree, nature is the best provider of art.
I totally agree.
What in the world? Can’t comprehend murals on the canals being a good plan. Natural is the best idea. Enjoy the fauna and wildlife!
Only green art along the canals. The city should master plan, plantings and landscapes that enhance the canals sub tropical paradise. No synthetic turf within 50 feet of canals. Require approved plantings along canals. If they are private property provide incentives. Money well spent.
S. Sprinkel, If a town architect would have been able to prevent the Adjaye library design you voted through, I am all for it. This was a design that not only broke the bank but produced a building at odds with aesthetic of the park and our town’s historic character. Overlooking the cracked concrete floors and the power outages when lightning strikes (don’t take the elevator!), I would be supportive of anyone and anything that could offer added protection from our worst moments of weakness (insanity) and financial excess. The question of whether commercial structures should be allowed in residential neighborhoods as we are seeing happen at 916 Palmer is somewhat thornier than regulating commercial corridors and public buildings. But this is a step long overdue.
Murals on the canals?? Really? I’d much rather take in the natural beauty of the lakes, canals and foliage than be distracted by something un-natural. Bad bad idea.
A major attraction of the boat tour is the natural beauty
of Florida plant life, not some man made interpretation of life and nature. Save that for the museums.
We don’t need any artwork along the canals to distract people from the beauty of the natural landscape. There is sufficient human artistry in the loveliness of the houses beside the canals.
More overhead for a few at the expense of the many. I hope citizens remind our commission members of the meaning of the word fiduciary.
No murals on Venetian canals!
I agree with J R King…please keep our canals natural..we do not need artificial beauty added to the canals.
Keep it natural. As a city we are so fortunate to have such natural resources in Winter Park.
I think everyone would agree to focus more attention and funding to fix the streets and flooding.
Please no murals on the canals. I could not believe what I was reading when I read this was being proposed. Such a bad idea and the opposite of what is most wonderful about the chain of lakes.
Instead of spending money for public art on the canals, the city needs to repair the canals!!
The thought of spending money on canal murals is alarming to say the least!
What about the concept of spending funds to fix decaying wood canal wall caps & structure instead of wasting money on canal murals?
The Public Art Advisory Board has ” jumped the shark ” on this one! Just say NO on this City Commission!
If we have money to burn in the budget on canals let’s offer free flowering landscape along the edges to the homeowners. At least the beauty would be natural, perennial and not look like the side of a building offering hip fusion tacos.
If a city architect would have saved us from the behemoth pink building now screaming at us on Morse (new money screams old money whispers) then I’d be all for it. I suspect however the city architect would find the luxuriously expensive yet somehow incredibly sterile and spartan design tres tres tres cool and neoteric.
Please no murals on the chain of lakes canals! They will destroy the natural beauty of the canals which are a very rare attraction Winter Park offers to visitors and residents year round!
If the chain of lakes canals infrastructure needs repairing spend the funds for this.
This article needs some clarification regarding the murals. I am on the PAAB and we are not proposing to have murals painted along the sides of the canals. Rather, the creative idea is to have a mural under one of the bridges of the canals. Would love for you all to attend Wednesday’s meeting and hear our full presentation.
Hi everyone. Some clarification regarding the canal murals in this article. The board is not proposing painting the actual sides of the canals but rather one of the bridges that goes over the canals. 🙂
This was my real fear. Please. No murals in the canals. Period. Especially under the bridges. That was the only place that made sense as a surface suitable for painting. Please no!
If it’s the Palmer Ave bridge with the pink flamingos painted on 40 years ago, PLEASE update. Great idea.
I agree about updating the hard to see pink flamingo walls of the Palmer bridge, but disagree on paintings under any bridges.
I think a responsible, ethical and knowledgeable architect to keep the developers in line with Winter Park’s “look” is a good idea to discuss. I do not wish us to have any more buildings that look like the outside of our new library.
I like the Library and Events Center. You don’t. Congratulations it’s called art and it’s subjective.
Anderson had 3 years to explore hiring a “city architect.” He chose not to and in his presentation, he harkened back to 1999. Charm. Surprised he didn’t use his beloved word cloud.
What he masked in innocuous language by invoking Charleston, and Boston, and Carmel is that he said it wouldn’t impact homes. Don’t believe it folks. As the first speaker in public comment said, he’s building a modern home. It may not be “charming” but it’s his home.
The people who want a City Architect also wanted to tell you what kind of leaf blower you can use. It sounds innocent. Only 3-4 times a year, and only on our major roads. What this is, is the final overreaction to Adjaye. In order to get anything built, you have to pass numerous residential boards and an elected Commission. What we don’t need is an unelected bureaucrat deciding what is art. Reject this terrible idea.