by Beth Kassab | Jan 18, 2024 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized, Zoning and Development
In close vote, P&Z board approves Rollins faculty housing project
Neighbors slam proposed architecture and say parking is inadequate
Jan. 18, 2024
By Beth Kassab
A proposed 48-unit apartment building to serve as workforce housing for Rollins College faculty and staff skidded out of a Planning & Zoning Board meeting with new conditions attached after an onslaught of complaints from residents at the nearby Douglas Grand condominiums.
The board voted 4-2 to recommend approval to the City Commission, which will consider the project next week. Jim Fitch, Vashon Sarkisian, Alex Stringfellow and David Bornstein voted yes with the added condition of restricting the number of parking passes per unit based on the number of bedrooms as well a requirement that Rollins help add on-street parking along Welbourne Avenue. Melissa Vickers and Warren Lindsey voted no.
Residents who live in the Douglas Grand and elsewhere said the project would add too many units to their neighborhood without adequate parking. Several people criticized the proposal’s architecture, wood frame construction and questioned the impact of what they called “subsidized housing” on their own property values.
Some who spoke accused the city of bowing to any request made by Rollins.
“I think we can agree this evening that if any other developer walked in to staff’s office and made a request for double units and only 77% of required parking with a noncompatible building, I think we can all agree that never would have made it to your agenda,” one speaker said. “But here we are tonight.”
Rollins President Grant Cornwell defended the project as central to the liberal arts college’s mission of providing students an intimate and quality experience with faculty and staff integrated into campus life.
He said younger, tenure-seeking faculty can’t afford to live in Winter Park and commute times can be an hour.
A rendering shows a faculty and staff apartment project proposed by Rollins College.
“This emerged as a way to fill a need,” he said. “Especially by younger faculty and a generation where they would like to get rid of a reliance on cars and walk to work and shopping.”
City code would typically require 124 parking spaces for the development as proposed: 2.5 spaces per unit plus four spaces for the coffee shop and bookstore. But Planning Director Jeff Briggs said the city has allowed other nearby projects to build just two spaces per unit because of the availability of on-street parking and the potential to add more on-street parking. As a result, the staff endorsed Rollins’ plan to build 97 spaces for the project.
The college is partnering with developer Alan Ginsburg on the one, two and three-bedroom units. The site along New England and Welbourne avenue is currently home to buildings known as the Dan Hunter apartments, for the mayor that developed them. Those units, which are already owned by Rollins and house graduate students today, would be torn down to make way for the new buildings.
A coffee shop and bookstore are included in the design as part of the city’s long standing rules for developing New England Avenue with a retail focus aimed at making the street attractive to pedestrians.
Rollins representatives said they would be willing to forgo the retail space in favor of a common area for residents if that was more desired by the city or neighbors.
As part of its agreement with the city, Rollins would commit to maintaining the units as faculty housing for a period of at least 20 years, a decrease from the 30 years that was in the original staff report.
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by Beth Kassab | Jan 13, 2024 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized, Zoning and Development
Updates on Rollins dorm, leaf-blower ban and Live Local Act
Angst over electric leaf blowers doesn’t stop ban set to start in July
Jan. 11, 2024
By Beth Kassab
Despite reservations over the logistics of enforcing a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, the City Commission passed a rebate on electric version of the devices as the prohibition is set to take effect this summer.
The $50 rebate available to residents in the form of a credit on their utility bills is intended to help ease the transition.
But commissioners expressed concerns over how landscape companies would make the move.
Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio said she’s heard from landscapers who note they work from early in the morning until the evening with few breaks.
“They want to know about battery use,” she said. “What is the cost of the battery if they can’t recharge?”
Gloria Eby, director of natural resources and sustainability, said the city is working to prepare resources on cost comparisons and battery life.
“It becomes an upfront cost … with industry, you can’t discount that fuel has its cost,” she said. “When you do a comparison on fuel to upfront battery, then the investment is 10 months to a year, and you’ve paid off that battery cost.”
Mayor Phil Anderson noted that the ban was first enacted in 2022, but the city pushed the pause button on enforcement for 30 months until July of 2024 to give people time to prepare.
“We were really intentional about saying this was intended to allow people to make transition over a 30-month period,” he said. “I’m not sure how effective that wait period has been? … As a realist my guess is most people have not done this conversion and most contractors have not done this conversion.”
He urged city staff to take a lighter approach to enforcement with perhaps warnings and education before launching into fines.
City Manager Randy Knight said the intention is to educate residents and companies before any fines are issued.
“We don’t plan to drive around looking for violators, but we know we will get calls from people and will dispatch people immediately,” he said.
At the same meeting, Commissioners approved the plans for a new 300-bed dormitory on the Rollins College campus and observed a moment of silence for Rita Bornstein, a beloved former president of the college, who died last week.
Commissioners also approved an ordinance to help block abuse of the state’s Live Local Act when it comes to new projects billed as affordable housing.
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by Beth Kassab | Jan 12, 2024 | City Commission, Library, News, Uncategorized
Proposals for old library building fail again
The highly visible building off Aloma Avenue will remain vacant indefinitely as the City Commission considers what to do next
Jan. 12, 2024
By Beth Kassab
For the second time in a year, a proposal to transform the old Winter Park Library building on New England and Aloma Avenues has failed because of financial concerns.
City Commissioners voted 3-1 on Thursday against moving forward with the only plan that qualified for public discussion: a concept known as SOAR that billed itself as a space and science museum and learning center. Todd Weaver cast the dissenting vote.
Commissioners expressed concerns over the financial feasibility of the plan, which proposed to rent the building from the city under a long-term lease.
The decision lands the city back at the same position it found itself in a year ago — uncertain about the future of the building left empty when the new Winter Park Library on Morse Boulevard opened at the end of 2021.
Last year commissioners ended an exclusive deal with a developer to transform the old library into co-working space that also featured a café and event space.
A few months later, the commission opted to ask for another round of proposals for the site with a potential focus on workforce housing and providing workspace to local nonprofits. Only two proposals came in after commissioners pondered out loud during summer budget hearings about whether they should just sell the building to raise revenue instead. Ultimately, only the proposal for the museum met the qualifications for public discussion.
Spokeswoman Clarissa Howard said the next steps are likely to be discussed at an upcoming Commission meeting, though a date has not yet been set.
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by Beth Kassab | Jan 12, 2024 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
Wide gaps in campaign fundraising so far for mayor and commission seats
The first financial reports show who is winning the money race so far as the first candidate debates approach
Jan. 12, 2024
By Beth Kassab
The first fundraising reports for the period Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2023 are in and show two candidates bringing in cash at a far faster pace than their opponents.
Jason Johnson, an attorney and candidate for Seat 2 on the City Commission, has raised more than $24,000, the most of the five candidates in two races. He loaned about $1,600 of his own money to his campaign.
Stockton Reeves, the executive director at the Center for Public Safety, has raised about $6,300, including $3,000 he loaned his own campaign, and Winter Park High School teacher and coach Craig Russell, who is also running for Seat 2, has raised about $700.
Meanwhile, Mayoral candidate and current Commissioner Sheila DeCiccio raised $15,000, according to the filing. Her opponent, real estate school owner Michael Cameron, reported $310 in contributions, mostly in the form of his own contributions to himself.
With the March 19 election just over two months away, the public candidate forums are quickly approaching. The Winter Park Library will hold the first one for the Seat 2 candidates on Jan. 22. A second for the mayoral candidates will be held Feb. 8. The events are free and open to the public.
The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce will host a forum for all five candidates on Feb. 7, which is also free and open to the public.
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by Beth Kassab | Jan 9, 2024 | Uncategorized
City Hall to close and today's meetings canceled ahead of storm
Tornado watch is in place until this evening
Jan. 9, 2024
By Beth Kassab
With a storm and high winds expected in Central Florida this afternoon, Winter Park City Hall will close at 3:30 p.m. and meetings scheduled for today are canceled.
The Planning & Zoning Board scheduled for 6 p.m. today will now be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17. The board was set to consider a proposal from Rollins College to build a three-story, 80,000-square-feet project with 48 units of faculty and staff housing.
The project slated for the corner of New England and Virginia Avenues is an attempt by the college to provide workforce housing close to campus. It also includes a coffee shop and a book store.
Today’s Civil Service Board meeting will be rescheduled for a date not yet announced.
The Winter Park Community Center will remain open until 6:30 p.m. for after-school care only.
The city expects normal operations to resume on Wednesday, according to a news release.
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