Open Letter to Mayor & Commissioners
Keep It Green!
by Guest Columnist Charley Williams / August 6, 2021
I invite this commission to put on their long-range visioning glasses and gaze five to ten years into the future — though many would say that falls short of “long-range.”
Orange Avenue Overlay will evolve
In 2030 I envision Orange Ave. as a walking mall, with no cars but plenty of cafes and other dining options. In fact, the OAO could evolve into a second downtown. If large property holders move forward we could have a hotel with outdoor seating, food and music.
Should the Jewett holding be sold to a retail development arm, we could have an entertainment zone as an anchor. Time will tell. Significant property ownership transfers are already underway.
Evolution requires green space
These pressures bring into sharp focus the need for passive, quiet green space, not just for existing neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity, but also for the tenants of new condo and rental properties still in the planning phases.
Link in the Emerald Necklace
Let’s zero in on the 4.5 acres at Progress Point — a logical keystone in the evolving ‘green necklace’ of the pedestrian-bike trail that will connect Mead Garden with Denning with MLK, Jr. Park and beyond. Progress Point is the poster child for how that plan can emerge and blossom. It’s a brand identifier for our community.
What do citizens want on Progress Point?
The question now is on asset development of the Progress Point real estate. What do citizens want? We’ve heard references to retail space ranging from 7,000 to 13,000 square feet to upwards of 40,000 square feet—the size of a Publix. But none of these recommendations came from residents.
We run the risk of setting up an East End Market scenario, which often turns into a drive-by because there is overtaxed parking capacity and a plethora of ‘attitude’ signs from the neighbors warning against illegal parking.
Original purpose of Overlay was to benefit existing business
How do you control noise and congestion with a micro-brewery and rooftop live music after the sun goes down? Not to mention overflow parking and traffic pressures for the immediate nearby neighborhoods and parking displacement for the existing businesses on the avenue. Wasn’t that the original objective to begin with – to protect and benefit the existing businesses? Why the mission drift?
Are you putting residents first?
What’s now being proposed can totally change that neighborhood character. Is this what this Commission wants to be saddled with—when many of your campaigns promised to put residents first?
A 14,000-square-foot venue drives the need for more parking. Why do that? We have already identified parking as a priority service for existing businesses. Let’s address the needs of existing Orange Avenue businesses first, before taking any action on new development.
Test your assumptions with the voters
To date, the Commission has spent months putting crayon marks on a Progress Point master plan, but not once have they invited citizen input.
There is no other existing Winter Park park with a retail component within its boundaries.
How about a Pilot Program
One possible compromise would be to pilot the micro-retail experiment first with Cady Way Trail and Showalter Field to give cyclists, joggers and sports enthusiasts options for food and drink. There is a much larger park footprint to work with there.
How has this commission changed from the last one?
Many of us watched as two structures ate up 26 percent of MLK, Jr. Park and occasioned the removal of over 50 mature trees that provided much-needed shade. One result of that long and torturous fight was the demonstration of the will of the citizens to change the direction of the Commission. At least now, there is not a four-story office building with associated parking structure of equal size slated for Progress Point.
Keep it green!
But it’s time to swing the pendulum further. Keep what we have green and start looking for more future sources of open greenspace.
Agreed!
Thank you Charley for your wisdom.
I support the Commission’s final decisions on this matter as I trust that they will reach a compromise with the handful of people who are monitoring this property.
I support a small business (teeny tiny), however, I am NOT in favor of another Corrine Dr. East End Market type business as that store has greatly inconvenienced its neighbors with loud noise and inappropriate parking.
Keep the park in Winter Park.
There seems to be a strong preference by the citizens to see Progress Point transformed into a “gateway” park that will increase overall green space and enhance the esthetics of this key artery into the heart of Winter Park.
I don’t understand why the debate on the OAO is continuing? This section of Orange Avenue is redeveloping nicely within the existing zoning regulations. It seems clear that a few property owners will benefit greatly by having the rules changed to favor their plans. But, what do the general CITIZENS of WP have to gain from increased development, density and traffic?
If the City Commission (as opposed to the general citizenry) is bound and determined to increase commercial development, let’s look at the area between I-4 and 17-92. That section is already heavily commercial so let’s allow further development there, and in such a manner that enhances the overall character of Winter Park.
As I have mentioned,, the OAO area is a key gateway into central Winter Park and should be kept human scale, low density and green, consistent with the gem of Winter Park, which is Park Avenue. Let’s extend what has made Winter Park, Winter Park to benefit all the citizens and not just a select few.
Amen, William Deuchler.
Would you consider running for a city commission seat?
Thank you, Charley, for your bold advocacy. Your words are a timely reminder that available land is not “fungible”; it’s a rarity in our city.
Unlike our lakes- no office space, apartments, or hotels can ever set us apart from the ordinary.
Our commission has already rescued us from an Orange Ave Overlay which would have seen our panache decimated and our sense of place diminished. Residents won when they were elected.
Voices like those of the Chamber and WP Voter are already being raised to suggest that BIG development like a four story mixed use building and a massive, wrapped parking garage on Progress Point were exactly what we needed most at Progress Point. They suggest that park land is “red ink” on the balance sheet. I suggest the opposite is true.
Our commissioners must serve existing needs on the corridor, connect places and spaces, address traffic and be responsible $$ stewards.
But I am confident that they are good listeners. They possess the skills to make good decisions. They all want to leave the city better than when they found it.
I urge them to go as green as possible, exclude a garage at this time, and to carefully vet every inch of the built environment.
For those of you who would like to lend your voice to a greener Progress Point Park, join us and sign our petition—438 already have. Your voice makes the difference! Charley
http://chng.it/Zg45W9gD
The Winter Park that residents loved really ended during the 1980’s.
And it’s been all downhill since then.
What’s happening now is that the rate of Winter Park’s decline is accelerating.
This is due to the shift in power on the City Commission from “pillars of the community” to hacks for Orange County and the Chamber.
And these hacks always seem to hold a majority on the City Commission, no matter how “nice” they seem during their campaigns.
The only way the residents have ever actually won anything has been through yard signs.
Lots of yard signs.
The “NO DENSITY” yard signs during the Bradley administration are a case in point.
The beauty of yard signs is it makes it impossible for the City Commission to fool the residents that the residents support their nutty development plans.
When every sign in someone’s yard says “NO DENSITY” and there are no signs that say “WE WANT MORE DENSITY” it’s pretty obvious how the residents stand on an issue.
Why nobody has started a yard sign campaign for Progress Point by now is anyone’s guess.
But I suspect it has something to do with the residents trusting the current City Commission to do the right thing.
Which of course is preposterous, because the City Commission almost never does the right thing unless the residents shame them into doing the right thing through a yard sign campaign.
I say the more green space the better for our future and our grandchildren’s children. With the momentum of change in our country with Covid and the changes that resulted from that, I don’t understand who is going to fill these buildings since most people shop on Amazon now. When I’m on Park Avenue I don’t see people with store bags like we used to. People are just browsing and having lunch.
I have two real concerns:
1. Environment: Winter Park should be aggressive in pursuing/continuing efforts to plant trees, etc., to help stave off global warming. It would appear that climate change is impacting our environment more quickly than ever.
2. City Infrastructure: Regards to many ransomware attacks, just what has the City leadership done to thwart/minimize such attacks?? How prepared is the City computer networks/systems/training, etc.” What is the City POLICY/Plan (written) if victimized by such an attack??
Training City Commissioners is a lot like training your dog.
If your dog poops on the floor a lot, you have two choices.
You can say “NO” sternly when they do it, or you can smile and say, “Good doggie. I know you’re just doing the best you can.”
In case you hadn’t noticed, the City Commission has been pooping on the floor a lot lately.
Last year, they gave their final approval to allow construction to move forward on the new MLK Park buildings.
Residents said, “Good doggie. We know you didn’t want to do it but you ‘had’ to do it.”
Now Commissioners are pooping again at Progress Point.
Making their final steps towards approving massive development in that environmentally sensitive residential corridor.
And once again, many residents are saying, “Good doggie. We wanted a park, but if you want to build a 10,000 to 40,000 sq ft building there and cram as many people as you can in that part of town and give us a small patch of green and call it a park, we know you didn’t want to do it but that you ‘had’ to do it.”
So, next time the City Commission takes a great big poop on your floor, where’s it gonna be?
Maybe it’s time residents sent their City Commission to obedience school, because Commissioners apparently haven’t been very well trained.
Or maybe it’s that the City Commission has cleverly succeeded in training its residents to sit, or even to roll over and play dead, whenever Commissioners get ready to approve an obscene development project.
If so, the tail may be wagging the dog. And that’s never a good sign in a healthy democracy.
“The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim. An individual in a crowd is a grain of sand amid other grains of sand, which the wind stirs up at will.”
Gustave La Bon
“One reason I am running for mayor is to make sure we put residents first.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk1F04kOhkw
Phil Anderson
We have faith in our city Commissioners.
They stand for Residents First!
Hear ye Hear ye … residents say Park with Public Restrooms and keep the commercial breweries and coffee shops on Orange Ave. Can you see it, children playing, flowers and trees growing making a perfect backdrop where wedding and graduation photo shoots take place, and peaceful park benches for a moment of reflection. There are wonderful eateries and pastry shops on our famous Park Ave and soon to be our new Orange Ave. Let’s make Progress Point Park a peaceful place to celebrate life, health, green, and pass the Winter Park charm and legacy on to our next generation. Here ye here ye the residents voted – a Park good men and women of the Commission a Park!