by Beth Kassab | Nov 10, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Commission tables decision on more incentives for Ravaudage
Commissioners questioned whether they should reimburse the mixed-use development for road, drainage and sidewalk improvements
Nov. 10, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Commissioners voted unanimously to table a request from the developer of Ravaudage for $300,000 in reimbursements for road, sidewalk and drainage improvements.
Mayor Phil Anderson said he did not have all the information he needed to make a decision.
“I think, normally, we use reimbursements as incentives to get something the city otherwise would not have,” Anderson said. “I’m not sure I understand the extent of the premium the city is getting in exchange for the provision being proposed.”
The Ravaudage development on the corner of U.S. 17-92 and Lee Road is already entitled to as much as $1.2 million over 10 years in city reimbursements for improvements to city right-of-way.
The new reimbursement request is tied to construction on sections of Lewis Drive and Bennett Avenue, which were annexed into the city in 2020 and so weren’t part of the original 2017 agreement with the developer.
Multimodal Transportation Impact Fees paid by businesses within Ravaudage is expected to raise more money than the reimbursement amount estimated at $301,327. Impact fees are paid by developers to cities or counties as part of the development approval process. The dollars are typically used to offset additional costs to local governments to be caused by the new homes or businesses such as police, fire, sewer or schools.
Developer Dan Bellows was in the audience, but did not address the commission.
Several commissioners cited the Whole Foods plaza and noted the developer in that case did not receive reimbursements for making road, stormwater and sidewalk improvements.
“I just think that the citizens and the government has been pretty generous toward this,” said Commissioner Todd Weaver. “If another developer came and asked for this, I don’t know if this commission would say yes to this.”
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 10, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Residents move commission to alter westside townhome project
Townhome developer willing to consider changes in light of residents’ concerns
Nov. 9, 2023
By Beth Kassab
In what appeared to be the brink of a victory for residents of the historically Black neighborhood in west Winter Park, a developer seeking to build 53 rental units of mostly townhomes will possibly reduce the number of units in favor of adding more single-family homes along the perimeter of the complex.
The change, requested by residents and members of the City Commission, is intended to make the development more compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
The possible concessions from Winter Park Commons came after more than a dozen residents spoke at the City Commission meeting, complaining that the scope of the two-story units would dwarf adjacent small single-story houses and would continue to erode the character of the neighborhood.
“We’ve lost a lot through changes already done in Winter Park and we’ve done the most changing,” resident Sheila Reed told commissioners.
Brenda Martin Smith, whose family has owned homes on Webster Avenue and Comstock Avenue for more than half a century, said the west side neighborhood would be hurt by additional traffic and the imposing façade of the multi-story project.
“Every day is playing Russian Roulette trying to back out of our driveway on Webster,” she said. “And because of the construction on Comstock of mega-million-dollar homes you can’t even drive down that street. We have borne the burden of Winter Park with these multiplexes.”
At the core of the debate before the Commission, though, are the zoning entitlements on the property the Miami-based developer bought from a Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 2019. The land is zoned R-3, which allows multi-story, multi-unit developments. Other nearby properties, including some that are currently single-family homes, have the same R-3 zoning, which means they too could be developed in the future.
“We met every single code requirement you have,” said Rebecca Wilson, a Lowndes attorney who is representing the developer. “And we’re being told only single-family is compatible with R-3 around us … It just seems unfair. It doesn’t mean we may not be able to make it work, but it does seem unfair that we have to do the single-family when across the street [there are apartments].”
There are two apartment complexes near the proposed development.
The developer had already agreed to replace some townhomes with single-family homes along Capen Avenue, as well as a list of other conditions when the commission granted partial approval to the project last month.
Wilson said it’s possible the project would reduce its size by two units and build detached single-family style homes along the perimeter, but would likely need variances on setbacks and the number of parking spaces to make that work financially.
Commissioners voted to table the matter to give the developer time to consider their options. They plan to bring it back for discussion at the next meeting in December.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 7, 2023 | Uncategorized
King statue moving forward at MLK Park
The installation known as “Ripple” by artist Andrew Luy is on track for a groundbreaking early next year
Nov. 7, 2023
By Beth Kassab
A larger-than-life-size statute of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. surrounded by concentric seating is undergoing final site design for MLK Park near the corner of Denning Drive and Morse Boulevard.
A rendering of the installation by New York artist Andrew Luy was approved by a city task force as well as an entity that represents the King family, according to a report to be provided to City Commissioners this week.
A groundbreaking is likely in early 2024. Commissioners approved the project, which will cost $450,000, in April.
The artwork known as “Ripple” is designed to show how King’s influence on movements for peace and equality continues to spread today. The bronze statue shows King’s hand outstretched in a characteristic gesture he made while speaking and is intended to “symbolize his calm, non-violent movement,” according to Luy.
Black granite memorial walls “with inscriptions of the former families that once lived on MLK Park and concentric seating is meant to be contemplative and reverberating,” according to the artist’s description.
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by Beth Kassab | Nov 3, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Ravaudage asking for $300k reimbursement from city
The mixed-use development is looking for a 50% reimbursement for improvements in newly annexed zones
Nov. 2, 2023
By Beth Kassab
The Ravaudage development on the corner of U.S. 17-92 and Lee Road is already entitled to as much as $1.2 million over 10 years in city reimbursements for road improvements and is now looking for an additional $300,000.
The new reimbursement, which will be up for consideration at next week’s City Commission meeting, is tied to improvements on sections of Lewis Drive and Bennett Avenue, which were annexed into the city in 2020 and so weren’t part of the original agreement with the developer.
Multimodal Transportation Impact Fees paid by businesses within Ravaudage is expected to raise more money than the reimbursement amount estimated at $301,327. Impact fees are paid by developers to cities or counties as part of the development approval process. The dollars are typically used to offset additional costs to local governments to be caused by the new homes or businesses such as police, fire, sewer or schools.
“It is anticipated that the planned fitness facility is likely to generate impact fees in excess of this amount,” stated a staff memo on the proposed agreement, apparently a reference to the newest type of development underway in Ravaudage.
The memo also stated that the agreement is the “final change” to the original 2017 agreement that specified up to $1.2 million in city reimbursements for road improvements at the development.
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by Beth Kassab | Oct 27, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Four-day work week for City Hall postponed
City Commission seeks more information on customer service impact
Oct. 27, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park City Hall’s plans to move to a four-day work week for many employees is on hold after Mayor Phil Anderson asked for more clarity on customer service standards.
The City Commission voted to table the change until next month.
City staff conducted a survey and 80% of employees are in favor of four 10-hour days versus the five-day traditional work week. Other cities such as Maitland and Casselberry already operate under such a schedule.
Under the new schedule, City Hall would still remain open five days with a staggered employee schedule.
The police and fire departments as well as the parks and recreation department would be excluded from the change, according to a staff memo.
The financial impact would be “minimal,” according to a staff memo.
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by Beth Kassab | Oct 14, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
Terry Hotard enters race for mayor against Sheila DeCiccio
The former mayor says he will challenge the current vice mayor in the March election
Oct. 13, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Former Mayor Terry Hotard said he will run against Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio for the city’s top elected post, driven to run by controversy over utility boxes that have appeared in the city right-of-way outside the Palmer Avenue property owned by Marc and Sharon Hagle, who are constructing the largest home in Winter Park.
“It’s a quality of life issue,” said Hotard, who served as mayor in the early 2000’s and worked for the company that became Duke Energy before he served as assistant director of Winter Park’s electric utility. “Once those boxes are put in place they will never move.”
He said the green boxes, which house electrical equipment, can fade over time and attract graffiti. He said the city’s own code mandates the boxes be on private property rather than on city-owned land.
Sheila DeCiccio talks with residents at a meet-and-greet event.
A spokeswoman for the city cited a different portion of the code, but said alternatives are being considered for the transformer boxes near the Hagle house, which is expected to be 40,000-square-feet on the shore of Lake Osceola.
“The city is researching a more aesthetically pleasing alternative for these public utility boxes including traffic signal cabinets,” said Clarissa Howard.
Hotard said he enjoyed his time as a city commissioner in the 1990s and then as mayor in the early 2000’s before he went on to serve as assistant director of the city’s electric utility.
“I feel like I have a little bit of gas left in the tank and I have something to offer,” he said of the upcoming race.
DeCiccio announced her candidacy earlier this month and highlighted infrastructure needs as one of her top priorities.
“We’ve made great headway, but there’s still a lot to be done to maintain the heart and charm of the city,” she said shortly after that announcement. “Hurricane Ian laid bare a lot of our problems such as pipes that need maintenance, brick streets that need attention. Infrastructure is the No. 1 issue and we can’t kick this can down the road anymore.”
DeCiccio, an attorney who has lived in Winter Park for more than 40 years, said water basin studies ordered by the current commission along with more bike paths and extending sidewalks will be key for the city’s future.
She had to resign from her commission seat in order to run for mayor. Her resignation will take effect in April 2024, at the time she would take over as mayor if elected to that job. As a result, there is also a contest to fill Seat 2 on the five-seat dais.
There are two challengers for Seat 2: attorney Jason Johnson and Stockton Reeves, who leads the Center for Public Safety, which helps local governments build new police and fire stations.
Reeves said one of his key issues is advocating for police officers and firefighters.
“That’s one of the things that kind of pushed me to do this,” he said, noting he wants to reassess the policies at the police department and fire department to make sure that officers can donate sick time or other benefits to each other in times of need.
Stockton Reeves
Reeves, who has served on a number of city boards and is now vice chairman of the Civil Service Board, grew up in Winter Park and has run for commission before, but was not elected. In 2018, he ran as a Republican against Democrat Anna Eskamani for the Florida House and lost.
In 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a public reprimand of Reeves after the Ethics Commission ruled that he violated financial disclosure requirements. Reeves said the matter was “the most technical of a technicality.”
Jason Johnson, who works in the Winter Park office of the Byrd Campbell law firm, is a first-time candidate who has lived in Winter Park for 13 years with his wife, Lori, and their daughter. He is chairman of the city’s Board of Adjustments, which rules on homeowner applications for building variances.
Jason Johnson, candidate for Winter Park City Commission, with wife, Lori, and daughter, Molly.
“My north star in all of this is to preserve the charm of Winter Park, but I’m also a rule-of-law guy and I recognize that landowners have rights and due process exists,” he told the Voice earlier this month.
Official qualifying for both the mayoral contest and Seat 2 does not end until mid-December.
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