by Beth Kassab | Aug 19, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Bank of the Ozarks could sell land, move to Ravaudage
The 2-acre site on Orange Avenue would expand Seven Oaks Park as private land trust offers $500,000 to help with purchase
By Beth Kassab
For Winter Park Commissioner Marty Sullivan and others who advocate expanding the city’s greenspaces, the nearly 2-acre vacant lot owned by the Bank of the Ozarks at the corner of Orange Avenue and Denning Drive could make or break a long-range vision for connecting the city’s park spaces.
If the city buys the land, a triangle-shaped parcel bordered by Seven Oaks Park on the west and Winter Park Tennis Center and Azalea Lane Playground on the east, a much larger plan to connect to Mead Gardens and reshape that stretch of Orange Avenue takes shape, Sullivan said.
“We have one shot at securing two acres of greenspace, which has tremendous value to the citizens and, studies show, tends to increase the value of surrounding properties,” Sullivan said. “The alternative is a three-story commercial building that would also hinder future transportation improvements on Orange Avenue … Having this greenspace … — this will be in the best interest of the citizens of Winter Park and that’s who I’m rooting for.”
But a deal hasn’t been easy. And is still uncertain.
The Bank of the Ozarks, which purchased the land from another bank in 2018 for $4.3 million and planned to build up to a three-story 80,000-square-foot branch office there, rebuffed an earlier offer of $6 million from the city.
Recently, though, the Arkansas-based bank, which operates 240 offices in eight states, signaled it may be willing to sell.
An alternate site for the bank at Ravaudage, the mixed-use development by Dan Bellows at the corner of Lee Road and U.S. 17-92, appears to be the game changer.
A donation of about $500,000 by the trustees of the nonprofit Winter Park Land Trust could also make a difference as city commissioners work to determine how they can pay for a number of projects that, so far, aren’t included in the budget. The contribution signifies how important the Land Trust believes the property is for the city’s future, said Steve Goldman, a local philanthropist and chairman of the Winter Park Land Trust board of trustees, who also supports the Winter Park Voice.
The Ravaudage land is in play, according to a city of Winter Park spokeswoman, who noted the “city, Ozarks and Ravaudage would all have to come to an agreement to make this work.”
A counteroffer from the bank also asked the city to waive all transportation impact fees at the new site, a value of about $267,000, and to waive about $60,000 in title fees and doc stamps on top of the $6 million sales price, according to an outline provided by the city.
The negotiations come as the City Commission is attempting to balance next year’s budget. The Ozarks acquisition, plus an estimated $2 million worth of improvements to the property, represents $8 million on a list of 20 projects totaling $18 million that the city doesn’t have budgeted over the next five years.
“How do we pay for it? That’s what it comes down to,” said Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio.
Commissioner Todd Weaver said he supports the purchase and using the city’s rainy day fund or reserves for a portion of the cost because of the benefits the land would provide not only in terms of new greenspace, but also underground stormwater retention and the flexibility it would bring for road and rail line improvements along Orange Avenue.
“It’s just the right thing to do because we end up paying it on back end [for stormwater runoff] by remediating nutrient loads in our lakes, because that is where it will all end up,” he said.
Mayor Phil Anderson, who expects the matter to come before the commission in September, said he did not want to comment on whether he supported the purchase until then.
An updated budget document noted timing “is an issue,” because the potential closing date on the bank property is just four months away in December. The document noted the sale of the property could be funded by borrowing from the city’s reserve fund, issuing a bond or financing the acquisition through the sale of other city property.
At a recent meeting, City Manger Randy Knight noted that the old library as well as a portion of the tree farm could be sold to raise dollars for other projects.
Commissioner Kris Cruzada said he is open to the idea of selling the old library if it makes financial sense and leads to the acquisition of another valuable public asset.
“It’s a tradeoff,” he said. “The useful life of the [old library] building may have fulfilled its purpose and we’re trying to build a much more robust park at the Orange Avenue Overlay area.”
But Weaver said he did not support putting the old library up for sale because the city has a request out to developers right now to submit concepts for the property.
“I’m very reluctant to put the old library on the table just for trust reasons,” he said. “We put out an RFP, and several nonprofits are working hard on that. That’s just not my first choice.”
Image courtesy of the Orange County Property Appraisers Office.
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by Beth Kassab | Aug 12, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
How will Winter Park pay for future? Here are three options
Sale of the old Winter Park Library could be back on the table as commissioners mull large infrastructure needs
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park commissioners heard an overview from City Manager Randy Knight about how they might pay for big-ticket items such as transportation improvements, flood control and new fire stations in the coming years, though the immediate consensus seemed to be that there is not enough time to prepare a bond referendum for the March 2024 ballot.
That means the earliest voters might be asked to approve taking on more debt for city projects would be 2025 unless the commission opts for a special election or off-cycle mail ballot.
Mayor Phil Anderson noted that the city is contemplating about $100 million worth of transportation projects, including SunRail, sidewalks and road improvements, on top of about $20 million in flood and stormwater control, that are left without funding after Orange County voters rejected the penny sales tax last year. Another estimated $10 million will be needed for new fire stations resulting from increased demand from the mixed-use Ravaudage development and potential new annexations near Interstate 4.
“These are big things that need big plans,” Anderson said at the Wednesday meeting. “That’s really why we have asked Mr. Knight to come forward with different options. I don’t know if any are ripe for a bond issue in March.”
In addition to a bond referendum, commissioners could also opt to raise property taxes, a move they weren’t willing to make during a recent debate about next year’s budget.
More likely is the extension and expansion of the Community Redevelopment Agency, a special district that siphons off a portion of tax revenue increases to reinvest back into the district. But that change must be approved by the Orange County Commission before the CRA sunsets in 2027. City staff said it’s difficult to estimate how much a new CRA would generate in additional revenue until the boundaries are settled.
Finally, Knight noted that the commission could decide to sell the old library property on New England Avenue or the city’s tree farm to generate more cash. In a discussion earlier this year, commissioners voiced opposition to selling the old library and instead issued an RFP asking developers to come forward with new ideas for the property by Nov. 30.
But there are some early indications that opinions about selling the old library could be changing. Commissioner Marty Sullivan asked Knight if the RFP, which asked for proposals by Nov. 30, would prevent such a sale, and Knight said commissioners could cancel the RFP if they were so inclined.
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by Beth Kassab | Aug 1, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Winter Park wants to grow its downtown redevelopment district
A public meeting will be held Monday for residents to hear more about the new CRA plan, which will ultimately need county approval
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park wants to extend the borders and lengthen the lifespan of its Community Redevelopment Agency, a move that could provide a major revenue boost for public projects within the special district’s boundaries.
The city will host a public workshop on the plan on Monday at 5:30 p.m., at the Winter Park Community Center, 721 W. New England Ave.
Three major commercial corridors — Lee Road, Fairbanks Avenue and a larger section of Orange Avenue — are the targets of the expansion as outlined by a public-facing city web page devoted to seeking public input about the plan. Orange County Commissioners must sign off on the expansion of the CRA’s borders as well as its extension beyond 2027, when it is scheduled to dissolve.
CRAs require county approval because they siphon increases in property tax revenue from land inside the special district from general county funds so that it can be reinvested into projects within the CRA.
CRA revenue totaled $7.1 million last year, according to city documents, and would surely grow along with the size of the district.
Recently, commissioners have discussed the potential expansion of the CRA as a way to fund everything from transportation projects to purchasing more park land.
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by Beth Kassab | Aug 1, 2023 | City Commission, News, Uncategorized
Transportation draft plan focuses on pedestrians, cyclists
Projects include enhancing trail system, planning for an elderly population
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park City commissioners want to create an “emerald necklace” of greenspaces, bike paths and trails that connect the city’s major parks and link regional trails such as Cady Way as well as improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety near schools and for an aging population.
The priorities emerged at a recent work session as the commission discussed the draft of a Transportation Master Plan that includes $141 million in projects over 20 years to improve traffic, parking, bike paths and sidewalks. Top goals outlined in the draft include preparing for the needs of a growing aging population, autonomous vehicles and promoting mass transit such as SunRail.
How the city will pay for the projects, estimated at a cost of about $7 million each year is still unclear after voters turned down a county-wide sales tax increase for transportation needs. Potential sources of revenue include a proposed extension of the Community Redevelopment Agency, state or federal grants or multi-modal transportation impact fees, city staff said.
The plan, a tool expected to help city staff have a better chance at securing grant funds, is expected to come before the City Commission for formal approval in the next month or two.
A few interesting nuggets from the plan include:
- An official bike map. The city plans to create a map for cyclists that can help users better understand how trails are connected and the safest ways to cross major corridors.
- A ticketless valet system. This idea calls for valet stations in busy areas like Park Avenue where shoppers and diners can drop off their cars. Instead of a paper ticket, however, they will receive a link and can use the link to retrieve their car from any point inside a designated area. That means a shopper who starts on the the north end of Park Avenue could make their way on foot to the south end and have their car brought to them there rather than returning to the valet station. This is one of the concepts being tossed around as a way to use technology to improve parking and reduce traffic in busy areas.
- A real-time parking app. In another attempt to make parking more manageable without spending an estimated $18.5 million on a new downtown parking garage, a parking app would track and predict where spots are available using cellular data. Drivers could look up availability near their destinations via an app created specifically for the city.
- Brick streets with more pavement and fewer bricks. The concept, which includes a photo of a street from Lakeland, calls for an extended concrete curb gutter pan — or flat surface next to the curb — that is wide enough for a bicycle or stroller path. Such a design allows more room for pedestrians without removing mature landscaping that often gets in the way of sidewalks along brick streets and without the maintenance associated with bricks.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 27, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
Commission mulls asking voters to approve more debt to pay for flood prevention
Winter Park Playhouse, Bank of the Ozarks purchase remain in limbo while the City Commission works to balance $200 million budget
By Beth Kassab
As they attempted to balance the city’s budget, Winter Park City Commissioners on Wednesday floated the idea of asking voters to agree to take on more debt for three new programs — flood prevention, upgraded public safety buildings and the acquisition of more park land. The city’s more than $200 million budget has a shortfall of at least $30 million for projects desired by the commission.
The first of the bond referendums, which will ask voters to approve borrowing money for specific purposes, could show up on the ballot as early as March 2024, though a specific timeline is still unclear.
Mayor Phil Anderson indicated a top priority is repairing and enhancing the city’s stormwater management system, which was overtaxed with severe flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
“Our residents want to have a really good flood prevention system,” said Anderson. “We’ll probably have to come forward with a capital bond issue for $20 million worth of stormwater improvements.”
But the city is still awaiting consulting reports about what kind of work needs to be done and how much it will cost — a process that is likely to extend into next year.
Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio expressed frustration that commissioners are being asked to assign dollar figures to projects without yet knowing the true costs.
“It’s hard for me to work on the budget without having an engineering report on stormwater,” she said. “I don’t have a clue what figure to plug in … I’m frustrated because I don’t know where to go from here.”
Anderson suggested the city begin by prioritizing $2 million for work in various neighborhoods that city staff already know is critical.
DeCiccio noted that up to $14 million is set aside in the city’s Community Redevelopment Area fund to buy the Post Office — a purchase the city has sought for years in order to expand Central Park, but without success because the U.S. Postal Service is not interested in selling. With the CRA set to dissolve in four years if Orange County does not approve an extension, that money could be used to fix flooding problems on the west side of the city or other priorities, several commissioners agreed.
Commissioners will devote a public meeting in August to specifically hash out the CRA budget.
For now, they remained non-committal on other items such as setting aside money to help the nonprofit Winter Park Playhouse find a new home or the acquisition of the Bank of the Ozarks property on Orange Avenue to expand Seven Oaks Park.
Commissioners left the dollar figure next to the Playhouse line item blank in hopes that $4 million or more from Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax would come through, though staff noted it could be well into 2024 before the county approves grants of that size for local arts and culture groups. The local theater is set to lose its current lease on Orange Avenue next year.
The board also discussed whether to purchase the vacant land owned by the Bank of the Ozarks to augment the new Seven Oaks Park and some expressed support for a special bond referendum to raise money to help the city acquire more park space.
No decision was made and it’s still not clear whether a purchase of the Ozarks land is possible or if the owner, who refused the city’s first offer, wants to sell.
“My crystal ball is cloudy,” said Commissioner Marty Sullivan, who has tried to orchestrate a deal on the property in recent weeks.
The other large unfunded project on the city’s wishlist of capital projects also remained up in the air: a new $18.5 million downtown parking garage.
Anderson suggested transportation fixes, specifically $700,000 in technology enhancements, could negate the need for more parking and a new garage. He said commissioners will know more about that after the Transportation Master Plan is discussed.
Commissioners also expressed interest in acquiring property on S.R. 436 near the 7th hole of the Winter Park Pines Golf Course, which the city bought last year, to provide space for a restaurant along the lines of The Taproom at Dubsdread. The popular eatery at the city of Orlando’s Dubsdread Golf Course in College Park appears to be the inspiration for how Winter Park envisions developing the golf course and adding another revenue stream to the mix.
“For it to be first class like the Winter Park 9, then it’s going to need that property,” said Commissioner Todd Weaver, who zoomed into the meeting from a sailing trip.
The owner is asking about $2.6 million for the property.
“This could make a lot of money,” DeCiccio said. “Could we get a business case on this?”
City Manager Randy Knight said staff will bring back more details for review.
When it came time to set the city’s property tax millage rate, Sullivan and Weaver made a brief attempt to raise the millage by a quarter mill or about $75 a year for the owner of a house with a taxable value of about $300,000.
“We’ve been diving into how much money we’re going to need and it looks like either we are going to have to cut some things we really feel we need or we’re going to have to raise the millage rate,” Sullivan said, adding the move would allow the commission flexibility between now and when the final budget is adopted in September.
But Anderson, DeCiccio and Commissioner Kris Cruzada said the millage rate should stay the same, particularly after Knight reminded the group that it recently approved higher fees for residents for everything from park services to stormwater to garbage collection.
“We raised our user fees,” Cruzada said. “I don’t know if we want to go double-barrel and also raise the millage … The Fed raised interest rates another quarter point today. If we move forward to bond, it’s going to be a higher interest rate. It’s a reflection of the time we are living in and residents and homeowners are feeling it. I just want to be sensitive to that.”
DeCiccio and Anderson noted that strong property values along with new construction to be added to the tax rolls will continue to boost city revenues while keeping the millage rate the same — at least for the time being.
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by Beth Kassab | Jul 22, 2023 | Uncategorized
Winter Park arts groups wait on tourist tax grant decisions
Orange County Commission may spend more of the bed tax on arts next year, but some groups in limbo for now
By Beth Kassab
Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday will likely accept the report of a special task force on the Tourist Development Tax, effectively setting the stage for a months-long showdown over which local groups such as Rollins College, the Winter Park Playhouse, the Park Avenue District, Crealde School of Art and the Bach Festival Society will receive a share of the money and how much.
But first, county commissioners must decide how much of the tax — a 6% levy on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals that brought in more than $330 million last year — should go toward grants for arts and cultural organizations.
The hard numbers along with the formal application process could bring a dose of reality to some of the more than 50 organizations that proposed nearly $4 billion worth of projects in recent months to the TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force.
“There was no barrier to wild euphoria in sending in those interest indicators,” said Fred Winterkamp, the county’s fiscal and business services division manager who is set to retire in a few weeks.
The TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force is recommending significant increases to the two organizations that dole out arts dollars, but even if those changes are approved by the County Commission there still won’t be enough for everyone who submitted an “indicator of interest” form. Proposed increases include:
- The TDT Application Review Committee (ARC), which contributed to the new Winter Park Library and Events Center, has not received new funding since 2018. The task force is recommending ARC receive between $60 million and $100 million over five years and increase the individual grant cap to $20 million from $10 million. The ARC roster includes representatives from across the county, including Jennifer Anderson, a marketing and sales executive who is married to Winter Park Mayor Phil Anderson.
- Orange County’s Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council was formed in 2005 and receives 3% of the first four cents of the six-cent tax each year. The task force is recommending the amount increase to 5% of the first four cents and that grant caps increase from $500,000 to $2 million. In the past these dollars have helped a number of groups and projects in Winter Park. For example, a grant helped make the bathrooms at the Capen House compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act after the house was floated across Lake Osceola and moved next to the Polasek Museum as an events venue.
If the commission accepts the task force’s report on Tuesday, Mayor Jerry Demings said last week that the board will schedule work sessions to determine the dollar amounts that would go toward each of the grantor committees, which also includes the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. From there, the committees would meet to lay out a process for groups that want a piece of the pie.
Winterkamp said the process for ARC would likely extend into spring 2024 to give organizations enough time to learn the process and prepare their proposals.
That could leave some organizations that are trying to plan next year’s budgets in limbo.
For example, the Winter Park Playhouse is trying to determine if it will have enough money to construct a new home before the beloved small theater loses its lease on Orange Avenue next year.
The Winter Park City Commission has discussed potentially allowing the theater to build on public land or even purchasing its current building, though no decision has been reached as the city is attempting to balance its own budget.
The Playhouse told the task force in May it is seeking $6 million toward an $8 million project to develop and construct a new theater. The Playhouse has received about $600,000 from TDT grants since 2013 to help with operating costs.
An architectural rendering shows the exterior of a new Rollins Art Museum.
Other Winter Park organizations seeking TDT grants, according to task force documents, include:
- Rollins College Art Museum is seeking $10 million toward the construction of a new $30 million museum. The college said it had already raised $17 million toward the project that city commissioners approved in April. The art museum said it has received more than $700,000 in TDT grants since 2017 to help fund exhibits and marketing.
- Crealde School of Art is seeking $125,000 to expand classroom space on its main campus. The longtime Winter Park institution attracts students from across the region and beyond and said it has received previous small TDT grants to support exhibitions and other programming.
- Park Avenue District Inc. is seeking $300,000 for a marketing campaign to promote the city’s central shopping and restaurant corridor. The district has not received any TDT funding in the past.
- The Bach Festival Society is asking for $225,000 toward a $600,000 marketing campaign in key U.S. and international markets. Bach Festival has received $1.2 million in previous TDT grants since 2013.
The potential expansion of TDT dollars devoted to arts and culture comes amid an unprecedented effort by the task force to push county leaders to use TDT money for pressing local needs beyond tourism marketing and the Orange County Convention and other big venues like the Amway Center, which have always received the bulk of the revenue.
Other communities across Florida and the nation, including the Florida Keys, use bed taxes to help provide more accessible housing, public transportation and other demands that often come when regions are reliant on the tourism industry and the tens of thousands of low-wage workers who keep it running.
The task force voted in favor of seeking a change in state law to expand how TDT revenue can help the local community and devoting an extra cent to the cause, but Mayor Jerry Demings has not expressed support for the change.
At a meeting last week of the Tourist Development Council, which oversees the tax, Demings said the tax has provided extra dollars that have relieved pressure on other pieces of the county budget so that the general fund can address housing and other needs.
“One thing that I know is that our commission is absolutely committed to addressing the social challenges that we have as a community,” Demings said. “… Because we do have the blessing of this TDT if has historically relieved pressure on some of the other revenue streams that we have to be able to address social challenges … the homelessness, crime-related issues, treatment for the mentally ill to the housing crisis that we have.”
The commission’s action scheduled for Tuesday means the board accepts the task force’s work, but does not automatically equate to an endorsement of its recommendations.
Additional dollars devoted to local arts and culture groups would undoubtedly benefit more local people, but the groups applying for the grants must still show how they contribute to drawing tourists in order to receive the grants.
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