Commission will consider workforce housing, other ideas for old library site
by Beth Kassab / February 11, 2023
Winter Park Commissioners this week ended exclusive negotiations with a prominent real estate firm to redevelop the old Winter Park Library and appeared poised to consider workforce housing or other residential units on the site instead.
The 4-1 vote (Commissioner Kris Cruzada was the only dissent) to terminate an agreement with Harbert Realty for the 1.75-acre site valued at about $6 million also effectively halted the commission’s vision to repurpose the building into co-working space along with other uses, including a possible café and room for public events.
Damien Madsen, a managing director at Harbert, pleaded with commissioners to continue the agreement and attempted to negotiate new terms such as a new amount for the ground lease on the property controlled by the city and city oversight over the building leases.
“We put a lot of time into this effort abiding by the deal that we were given,” Madsen said, noting that the city outlined terms such as reusing rather than demolishing the old building and retaining city ownership. “We followed the rules. Based on those rules you set for us, this is the proposal we can give you.”
But commissioners expressed reservations about those parameters now.
“What the commission is grappling with is the use the city really wants for this building,” said Commissioner Sheila DeCiccio of the property at 460 E. New England Avenue across from Rollins College that was left vacant when the new Winter Park Library and Events Center opened in 2021.
Commissioner Marty Sullivan said more ideas need to be considered.
“We did not properly put down our ideas for that building,” Sullivan said. “It makes me uncomfortable that we’re having second thoughts about that. It’s hard to admit I made a mistake and rushed my own thinking of where to go with that property.”
He said he has been approached by other interested Winter Park developers, who have suggested alternative uses such as turning the property into workforce housing for city or Rollins staff, who often can’t afford to live in the city where the median home price in the fourth quarter of last year was more than $860,000 in the 32789 ZIP code, according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. The median price for the Orlando region was about $350,000.
Mayor Phil Anderson said he had heard about a potential concept by developer Alan Ginsburg related to workforce housing on the site, but had not discussed it while the city was in an exclusive arrangement with Harbert.
Ginsburg, a well-known local philanthropist who has developed a number of residential projects, including student housing across from the University of Central Florida, did not return a phone call or emailed questions about the concept.
Sullivan noted that the response time for the initial RFP won by Madsen’s group might have been too short, and that given time, other parties have expressed interest in re-developing the building.
Madsen suggested that commissioners could subsidize existing units in the city to create workforce housing options rather than build new units from scratch.
LaWanda Thompson, a resident and advocate for the historically Black community on the city’s west side, said she attended a meeting years ago about what should become of the old library and there was broad consensus among residents that co-working space would be most beneficial.
“I remember my personal request as a citizen from the Hannibal Square community was that there be some re-enfranchisement for businesses of color that need business space,” she said. “I hope that includes space for minority businesses like myself.”
At the start of the discussion Madsen asked to delay a vote on ending the agreement because of questions over whether Commissioner Todd Weaver had resigned and if his participation could cast a cloud of uncertainty over any decision made at Wednesday’s meeting.
Weaver sent a mass email out on Feb. 3 to announce he is “stepping down,” but at Wednesday’s city meeting argued the email did not constitute a resignation and said he planned to stay in his seat. The commission is set to decide whether he can do so at a special meeting next week.
After voting to end Madsen’s agreement with the city, Weaver launched into a PowerPoint presentation he prepared that featured the image of a dinosaur fossil, though it was unclear what he was driving at.
“Darn it, I’m tired of Winter Garden and Tavares pulling over on the cool factor on Winter Park,” Weaver said in a rare admission that other cities were gaining on Winter Park’s regional reputation as a go-to place for dining and strolling. “This is an opportunity to get back on the cool train.”
Image credit City of Winter Park
People can watch the video of the City Commission meeting on the City website and see what everyone said.
This is not the 1950’s when people had to depend on journalists to tell them what happened.
The only value these columns have is the comments and if you’re not going to publish anything but boring comments, don’t expect people to bother to look at the website.
This is the 2020s when people are unduly influenced by the questionable veracity of propaganda under the guise of journalism.
This is the second article in a row you stated that Weaver said he is stepping down in an email.
Please show us a copy of the email where Weaver says HE IS stepping down.
The only email anyone has seen from Weaver. with the words “stepping down” have them in the SUBJECT LINE, by themselves, and nowhere else.
I think workforce housing is a great idea and it would be a benefit to the community for teachers to fill the spaces.
Welcome Beth Kassab, excellent reporting here. Put on your army boots, however, WP is a tough town. You are a great writer, always have been. WP is fortunate to have your skills and intellect..
Finally, For residents’ sake, I am happy the Commission decided to open up the market to other investors and their concepts. Do not prohibit interests based on Randy Knight’s shenanigans. Ugh
A realtor should not be advising our Council on renovations. That’s what got us in trouble in the first place.
The library is and has been extremely controversial. Playing the good-old-boy card and allowing exclusive rights to friend won’t sit well with voters who felt they were burned by past commissioners.
Thank you for hitting the restart button Mayor and fellow Commissioners. You’ll figure it out.
Just once it would be wonderful for the owners of this property (i..e. the taxpayers/residents of WP) to come out ahead of the developers. That includes Alan Ginsburg, Harbert or any other prospective buyer or lessee of the property. Winter Park is in outstanding financial condition. WP does not need to monetize this building to survive. Creativity and an inflexible requirement that more than a mere handful of persons benefit from the end use are essential.
I would hope that we can get the maximum benefit for the community. Some questions we might ask:
1. Is the building financially salvageable?
2. How many residents of Winter Park would benefit from a each proposal?
3. Should it become green space until a future use becomes obvious?
4. Can it be swapped for a privately owned land that would be beneficial to both the residents and the other person?
5. What is missing from Winter Park that this space could serve (such as fossil museum, leaf blower free zone, inexpensive place for small businesses with small storefront, etc).
Let’s generate ideas and look at what would work for the greater good of the city!
Let’s see. The Booby Trap is long gone. We only have one axe-throwing bar in our City. And, of course, no more miniature golf with dinosaurs at the intersection of Park Avenue and 17-92. Isn’t it time for more diversity and inclusion in our WP businesses? The sky’s the limit here. Let’s look to our past for inspiration!
The Good Intentions Paving Company, Inc.
Workforce housing is a mistake. It is using a multi-million dollar real estate surrounded by multi-million dollar homes to build affordable housing when everyone knows that the automobile is required to travel around central Florida.
Disney (Reedy Creek Improvement District) does not provide affordable housing for cast members. The only people to benefit are developers who get federal subsidies and tax breaks for their mythical good intentions.
Cabrini-Green in Chicago is affordable housing that quickly turned into a slum while the developer built his/her mansions in Lake Forest.