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North – South Corridor Development

by | Mar 17, 2015 | Zoning and Development

North - South Corridor Development

Further Update and Clarification

The Voice received queries, both from readers and from the City, regarding the Transit Oriented Density Update published March 9. The report is a snapshot of this place at this time. The data gathered includes the north-south corridor along 17-92 and vicinity from Reagan Center (Flea World) to downtown Orlando.  The attached chart [click here] shows that the Voice understated the number of units originally reported.

Revised numbers include The ‘Yard at Ivanhoe,’ which has modified their plans from 585 to 630 apartments.  Three additional projects not included in the original tally are ‘SkyHouse’ – 320 apartments, ‘Artisan 420’ – 299 apartments, and ‘Citi Towers,’– 235 apartments.  It is important to note, projects that do not currently have a number of units assigned are placeholders for possible future development.

While every effort is made to confirm the accuracy of this information, by their nature, real estate transactions are always in flux.  Orange and Seminole county property appraiser records, construction company reports, architectural portfolios, real estate company announcements, company web sites, local and national media reports and design team participants all were sourced in the making of this story.

The Voice will continue to follow development along this corridor and will bring you periodic updates.

To comment or read comments from others, click here →

North – South Corridor Development

by | Mar 17, 2015 | Zoning and Development

North - South Corridor Development

Further Update and Clarification

 

The Voice received queries, both from readers and from the City, regarding the Transit Oriented Density Update published March 9. The report is a snapshot of this place at this time. The data gathered includes the north-south corridor along 17-92 and vicinity from Reagan Center (Flea World) to downtown Orlando.  The attached chart [click here] shows that the Voice understated the number of units originally reported.

Revised numbers include The ‘Yard at Ivanhoe,’ which has modified their plans from 585 to 630 apartments.  Three additional projects not included in the original tally are ‘SkyHouse’ – 320 apartments, ‘Artisan 420’ – 299 apartments, and ‘Citi Towers,’– 235 apartments.  It is important to note, projects that do not currently have a number of units assigned are placeholders for possible future development.

While every effort is made to confirm the accuracy of this information, by their nature, real estate transactions are always in flux.  Orange and Seminole county property appraiser records, construction company reports, architectural portfolios, real estate company announcements, company web sites, local and national media reports and design team participants all were sourced in the making of this story.

The Voice will continue to follow development along thiscorridor and will bring you periodic updates.

To comment or read comments from others, click here →

Transit Oriented Density

by | Mar 9, 2015 | Zoning and Development

Transit Oriented Density

See What’s Planned in Orange and Seminole Counties

 

As the mayor and commissioner hopefuls near the finish line, Winter Park mailboxes are stuffed to the gills with flyers and the buzz is one everyone’s lips. Winter Park readers awoke Friday, March 6, to a Sentinel story headlined, “Development  sits at core of Winter Park mayor race.”

Mackinnon Favors Re-development in WP

In this article, Cynthia Mackinnon told the Sentinel that she is “very much in favor of re-development in Winter Park . . . But we do not have to change the rules in order to attract high-end development.”

Leary Pushes Transit Corridor Plans

The Sentinel quoted Steve Leary as saying, “I’ve got experience managing development . . . and I’ve been the one pushing plans the transit corridor.”

The Winter Park Voice has teamed up with the Property Appraisers Offices of Orange and Seminole Counties to compile an update on construction currently in the pipeline for the aforementioned “transit corridor” – that is, 17-92 and vicinity.

See What’s Headed Our Way

The maps of developments that are coming our way were compiled by Kirt Thomas, CCF, of the Orange County Property Appraiser’s office, and Sara Hunsinger, Customer Service Project Specialist of the Seminole County Property Appraiser.

For links to the Orange County and Seminole County maps, click here :

[ ORANGE] and [ SEMINOLE] 

 

10,000 Apartments Planned

The maps show that in the two counties combined, there are more than 10,000 apartments either planned or already built in the 17-92 corridor between Flea World/Reagan Center and Downtown Orlando. This is the “transit corridor” that is being pushed by Mr. Leary, whose campaign has been generously fueled by development dollars. Click the link below for campaign finance reports.

Nearly Half the Projects Are in Winter Park

The Orange County map shows that 18 projects – close to half – are located in Winter Park. Of those, ten are residential, representing approximately 700 units.

The rest of the units, both north and south of Winter Park, will eventually shelter people who will drive through Winter Park. They will likely begin driving through Winter Park about the time I-4 begins its lengthy, “Ultimate” reconstruction.

 

Special Election 2015 Section in The Voice


To see full candidate profiles, interviews, filings, positions on various issues and other stories as they are published, click on the “Election 2015” button >  

Campaign Treasurer’s Reports can be found on the City of Winter Park website at http://cityofwinterpark.org/government/city-info/election-info/financial-reports/. 

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P&Z Nixes Assisted Living Facility

by | Dec 9, 2014 | Zoning and Development

P&Z Nixes Assisted Living Facility

Building Too Big for the Pumpkin Patch

On December 2, the Planning & Zoning Board met before a standing-room-only crowd of St. John’s Lutheran Church parishioners and other Winter Park neighbors to hear the application of Sentio Investments LLC to build a 73,000 square foot Assisted Living Facility (ALF) on 1.88 acres fronting 17-92. The vacant acreage hosts the Halloween pumpkin sale each year and is known locally as the Pumpkin Patch.

St. John’s Faces Hard Times

In recent years, St. John’s has fallen on hard times financially and is facing the necessity to sell the adjacent land facing Hwy 17-92. According to City Planning Manager Jeff Briggs, the ALF proposed by Sentio, “per square foot, for the property it’s on, would be the largest building, at 90 percent floor area ratio, [on the entire Winter Park section of the] 17-92 corridor.”

Winter Park resident Wendy Anderson, President of the St. John’s Church Council, told P&Z that the church has “a very large mortgage which we frankly cannot afford. If we cannot sell this property, there is a good likelihood that St. John’s will close its doors.”

“No More Monsters”

Many residents of the Mead Gardens community were present to oppose the project. One concern was the amount of cut-through traffic, which would be added to traffic already clogging the area as a result of commuter rail and the density of development along both 17-92 and Denning. Another concern was the sheer size of the proposed building, which far exceeded anything currently allowed under the existing zoning.

Using the location to build a facility for assisted living and memory care did not pose much of an issue. Though church spokesmen said the use would be compatible with the mission of the church, they acknowledged that the proposed ALF was a for-profit enterprise and was in no way faith-based.

Residents Speak Out

Winter Park resident Sara Brady spoke for many of her neighbors when she stated that while they were not opposed to development or to the church selling the land, “We want smart, compatible development.” 

P&Z Denial Unanimous

When the chairman closed the floor for public comment, P&Z Board Member Peter Weldon spoke first.  He said he respected the situation in which the church found itself. However, “What’s before us is not the condition of the church,” he said, but questions of land use policy. He stated that he would not be opposed to a similar project at that location, but one that was much smaller. “I’m going to vote no,” he concluded.

Board Member Tom Sacha pointed out that over preceding months, P&Z has set a precedent with other developers who came before them asking to put large structures on land previously zoned for low-density single family dwellings. P&Z has denied those developers on grounds that if they acquired land with a particular zoning, the new projects should fit within the existing zoning. Sacha, too, voted against the Sentio proposal.

The rest of the board members followed suit, and Sentio’s request failed on a unanimous No vote.

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Change in Development Rule Likely

by | Nov 21, 2014 | Zoning and Development

Change in Development Rule Likely

Downtown Core and Wetlands at Risk

 

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Comes now a tale, wonky and dry as a bone, about a seemingly simple piece of bureaucracy that could forever alter the face of Winter Park. You may want to wade through these words to find out how Monday’s vote could affect the city.

 

Rules Change Proposed for Downtown & Wetlands Development

City commissioners appear poised to change the rules for approving buildings in wetlands and in the core of downtown. A commission hearing at 3:30 p.m. Monday will consider eliminating the current requirement of a 4-1 super-majority vote to allow downtown and wetlands development, reducing the requirement to a simple majority of 3-2 votes.

The proposed change may appear minor compared to votes on looming projects such as the huge Ravaudage development. Arguably, however, it could have long-term effects.

Vote Requirement Change from 4-1 to 3-2

If it is approved, developers who want to build three-story buildings downtown would need to win over only three commissioners instead of four. The same would hold true for someone wanting to build in the city’s floodplain between Lake Sue and Lake Virginia and those north of Lake Maitland. The current city commission often votes 3-2 in favor of development, with Mayor Ken Bradley and Commissioners Steve Leary and Sarah Sprinkel voting in the majority.

Historically, Winter Park has held the line on tall buildings and wetlands construction. The super-majority requirement was a safeguard to ensure that proposals for downtown and wetlands developments have broad community support.

City Staff: Change Would Bring ‘Consistency’ 

Most of the current commissioners, however, have little love for 4-1 votes. It stripped most of them from its books after City Attorney Larry Brown issued an opinion that they conflicted with the city charter. Brown said a better way to handle concerns about development would be to word land-use policies more strongly. No such stronger language is under consideration, however.

Left on the books at the time were the requirements for 4-1 votes dealing with wetlands and downtown. Brown said those conditional-use votes did not conflict with the charter. But at the October 13 commission meeting, City Planner Jeff Briggs said their removal would bring “consistency” to the code.

Cooper: “There May Be Times a 4-1 Vote is Desirable”

Most commissioners said they liked that idea, but Commissioner Carolyn Cooper opposed it because she said there may be times a four-vote majority is desired. As a compromise, Commissioner Tom McMacken proposed toughening those reviews by increasing the number of public hearings required from one to two. 

P&Z Shoots Down McMacken Compromise

The Planning & Zoning board, however, on October 28 unanimously recommended against that change. Advisory board members said two hearings would run “counter to the city’s desire to streamline the development review process” and would delay some requests. 

 

Mayoral Candidates: Lukewarm Toward Super-majority Votes

In interviews with the Voice, neither Cynthia Mackinnon nor Commissioner Steve Leary, the two candidates in the current mayoral race, expressed enthusiasm for super-majority votes. Mackinnon noted they “are relatively rare,” but added she was “not in favor doing a bunch of piecemeal changes” related to land use before the city finishes its upcoming visioning process. “To me, the best approach to any changes in the code is to finish the visioning first,” she said.

Commissioner Leary dismissed the idea that a simple majority vote could make it easier for development to occur in wetlands and downtown. “It’s never as simple as, if you’re doing this, you’re making it easier,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s going to be an issue.”

Monday’s vote is the first of two. The second and final hearing on whether to eliminate the super-majority vote is likely to be held in December.

 

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Westsiders Win Fight for Low-Density

by | Oct 10, 2014 | Zoning and Development

Westsiders Win Fight for Low-Density

Developer Abandons High-Density Plan — Offers Single Family Homes Instead

A Winter Park icon, the Mt. Vernon Inn, will close its doors forever on November 1. Long beloved by locals as a place to gather in the morning for breakfast or in the evening for drinks, the Red Fox Lounge will be replaced by three upscale restaurants boasting a combined total of 590 seats.

Rather than hotel rooms, the new establishment, to be known as The Luxe, is slated to have 53 apartment units with rents of $3,000 a month, according to the developer, Unicorp National Developments president Chuck Whittall. At a projected 223,940 square feet, the Luxe will be more than double the size of the Mt. Vernon and will require Unicorp to request a sort of hybrid zoning – a blend of the existing commercial C-3 zoning and a “planned development” category known as PD-1.

If the city grants it, this will be the first PD-1 zoning in Winter Park. A planned development is one that combines residential, retail and commercial establishments and is generally characterized by a high level of density.

Unicorp Needs Upzoning to Build The Luxe

Unicorp’s Chuck Whittall, who will be developing The Luxe if his deal to purchase the Mt. Vernon Inn goes through in early November, is entitled to ask for this blended zoning. The Winter Park City Commission, however, is in no way obligated to grant his request.

The issue is slated to come before Planning & Zoning on November 4, and then before the City Commission on December 8.

Unicorp: 7 Parcels on 17-92

Mr. Whittall has amassed an ambitious amount of real estate along Highway 17-92. In addition to Mt. Vernon/Luxe property, Whittall has Lakeside Winter Park, home to Trader Joe’s, Gardens at Ravaudage, the Fleming’s Steak House property, the former Wazzabi property, the Cold Stone Creamery / Math building and Winter Park Terrace, the former site of Starbuck’s – a total of seven holdings.

‘T.O.D.’ Hits 17-92

What we may be seeing is one example of Transit Oriented Development (TOD), which was described in a regional study created between 2007 and 2010 by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, entitled “The East Central Florida 2060 Plan.”

The East Central Florida region includes 68 cities in six counties – Orange, Osceola, Volusia, Seminole, Brevard and Lake.

2060 Plan: ‘Stop Urban Sprawl’

Creating a model by projecting current development patterns into the year 2060, the Planning Council found “a less than desirable and consumptive outcome that promotes sprawl . . . including irreversible damage to our environment and economy.”

The 2060 Plan is an attempt to avoid “development [ in ] the most critical ecosystems, [ promote ] denser growth in transit planned corridors, and [ to redevelop ] existing urban centers.”

East Central Florida boasts one lone corridor, comprised of three parallel arteries – 17-92, a portion of I-4 and SunRail. According to the 2060 Plan, “Aligning transportation and land use is essential to the success of corridors. The 17-92 corridor will be a transit oriented development that “feeds” SunRail . . . .”

  ECF 2060 Plan

“Transit Doesn’t Work Without Density.”

Transit Oriented Development is described in the 2060 Plan as, “. . . a strategy to manage growth by planning for ‘moderate to high density development, located within an easy walk of a major transit stop, generally with a mix of residential, employment, and shopping opportunities.”

Fred Milch, Transportation Planning Manager at the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, told the Voice, “Transit doesn’t work without density.”

Orlando Area Apt. Construction Jumps 56%

Chuck Whittall is not the only developer who has jumped on this bandwagon. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the current pipeline of apartment construction activity in the Orlando metro area is the highest in the state.

It has gone from 3,640 starts in the second quarter of 2013 to 5,685 in the second quarter of 2014.

Listed below are developments — planned, under construction, or completed — along the Maitland-Winter Park-Orlando portion of the 17-92 corridor. Together, they represent 2,253 apartments, 63 townhomes and an estimated 1.4 million square feet of commercial and retail space – all worth in excess of $500 Million.

Florida Hospital Promotes TOD

Winter Park Mayor Kenneth Bradley’s employer, Florida Hospital, has been at the forefront of TOD promoters. In a letter dated May 12, 2011, Florida Hospital President and CEO Lars Houmann wrote to Governor Rick Scott, “Florida Hospital will work cooperatively with businesses and municipalities all along SunRail to enhance ridership and development.”

Mayor Bradley announced today in the Winter Park Observer that he would not seek another term as mayor. His current term expires in March 2015. Noting the sacrifices involved in holding public office, Bradley said, “I’ve done what I feel like I came to do.”

  FL Hospital Letter

No Gain Without Pain

Metroplan Orlando’s Executive Director Harry Barley is optimistic about the prospects. “This is an important regional corridor,” said Barley, “and it will fit with our regional vision for growth.” But the transition to TOD does not come without a price.

In Winter Park’s immediate future, 17-92 congestion and declining SunRail ridership are on a head-on collision course with the looming six and one-half-year reconstruction of I-4. According to one developer, “It’s going to be painful.”

SunRail Ridership Plummets

If the objective of TOD was to get us out of our cars and onto a train before I-4 construction began, that effort has failed.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, SunRail ridership has steadily declined. For example, Florida Hospital’s Health Village is a huge mixed-use complex that exactly fits the “Florida 2060” model. It has approximately 17,000 employees, their own rail stop which was financed by the hospital, and a subsidy for employees who ride the train to work.

In August 2014, the Florida Hospital stop had an average of 181 SunRail riders per day.

  Sentinel SunRail Story

No Coordination Among Corridor Cities

Asked if anyone was addressing the cumulative impact on the infrastructure along the corridor, Central Planning Council Executive Director Hugh Harling confirmed that all this new development falls within the jurisdiction of the local municipalities.

He said, “Each city operates independently.” And officials in Maitland and Winter Park, who asked to remain unnamed, said that each city is concerned with its own piece of the pie and that there is virtually no coordination among them.

They confirmed that there is no regional person or organization responsible for regional coordination or oversight.

Regional Vision vs. Local Vision

Clearly, there is a vision plan already on the books – and has been since 2010.

TOD is barreling down the tracks straight at Winter Park, and it seems to be arriving way ahead of schedule. It may be very difficult for the City of Winter Park to embark on a local visioning process without being overtaken by the regional juggernaut.

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