Comments

Excellent article by John Skolfield.

LSE
July 25, 2015

Well written John! I am with you 100%. Perhaps you would consider being on the HPB? You are a great asset to Winter Park. Thank you for all you do!

Carol Lotspeich
July 25, 2015

Thanks John for well stated opinion. Rational rather than emotional reaction is the way to go.

Quiet Neighbor
July 25, 2015

A very well written, thought provoking column.

Question:
What if the government told a resident that they must demolish their home and build a new 10,000 sq. ft. home in its place?
How would that be any different than the government telling a resident they they are prohibited from demolishing their home and building a new one?
Either way, it’s the government telling a property owner what to do with their property.
It’s fine to say that aesthetics are important. But be careful, because that train of thought cuts both ways.
If today we encourage the government to prohibit new construction, who’s to say that two years, five years, ten years from now, that same government won’t be telling us we must demolish and rebuild.
Winter Park is nice – precisely because we have limited what kinds of mandates government can force upon us. The more domineering government becomes, the less desirable a place Winter Park is to live, and the more likely that it becomes that the horrendous architecture referenced in the column will take over our city.
Leave well enough alone. No more ordinances. Let the building cycle run its course. The next recession (due within the next couple of years) will quiet building as it always has in previous cycles. Don’t worry. Winter Park will still be Winter Park – even with a few new homes.

Fred Macdonald
July 25, 2015

Right on, John. You have outlined the issue in a balanced, thoughtful manner.

Susan Mooney Alleman
July 25, 2015

Absolutely right John!! Quite frankly, having grown up in Winter Park, as a descendent of Dr. Henkel, you quite frankly have hit the nail on the head! To embrace and preserve history, while allowing the understated natural beauty of Floriida to shine through will continue to make Winter Park invaluable and priceless. A place I will always plan to come home to.

Sally Flynn
July 25, 2015

Thank you, John! Very well said. As I see Winter Park, we have already passed the stage of “water slipping under the door”. We have reached “the ankle height stage”. Will we the citizens, living here today, be wise and strong enough to put out the sand bags to stop the water rising higher before it is too late?

I certainly hope so! Of course the sand bags equate to a more meaningful Historic Preservation Ordinance.