Winter Park scraps Orange Avenue Overlay District weeks after approval
Winter Park commissioners voted to toss out a contentious plan that could remake a crucial corridor of Orange Avenue through the heart of the historic city with new, taller buildings.
The plan known as the Orange Avenue Overlay District was approved March 9 before the election of two new commissioners to the board.
The 4-1 vote on Monday night with Mayor Steve Leary dissenting means the likely end of a multi-year effort behind the proposal. A second vote to finalize the repeal is scheduled for April 13.
Leary tried to postpone the decision, but no other commissioners agreed.
“I think right now, given everything that we’re going through, given the opportunity for public comment, given exactly how long this took to put together, to do it during this time, I don’t think is appropriate,” he said at the meeting that was the first to be held via video conference to comply with social-distancing policies brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
It was also the first meeting for newly sworn-in commissioners Marty Sullivan and Sheila DeCiccio.
Sullivan said during his campaign that the potential traffic impact needs to be understood before the plan is finalized. DeCiccio, who was on the steering committee that helped form the proposal, said the cityowned property known as Progress Point should be preserved for public use.
At stake is the 75 acres from near Fairbanks Avenue to Westchester Avenue on Orange Avenue. Businesses like Foxtail Coffee, Buttermilk Bakery and Black Bean Deli have opened in recent years but city staff said there’s about 20 acres of underdeveloped land.
Through the overlay district, the city was aiming to make the area more walkable, set new architectural standards and increase open space.
After discussion over the city’s response to COVID-19, the meeting became heated over concerns about the timing of the last-minute agenda item. The public notice for the hearing was released Friday afternoon.
City staff have worked on the overlay project for years.
The process included 19 publicly advertised meetings, two work sessions by the planning and zoning board, 12 work sessions by city commissioners and “hundreds of hours” for individual meetings with anyone who wanted to provide input.
Commissioners heard criticism about scrapping the overlay plan from the majority of 68 residents who submitted comments online and by phone that were read by Assistant City Manager Michelle Neuner and spokeswoman Clarissa Howard.
“An emergency meeting called for the sole purpose of repealing a previously vetted, approved ruling during this time of a COVID-19 worldwide urgent situation is not the best use of everyone’s time,” said Beverly Waugh, who lives on Via Salerno.
DeCiccio acknowledged the “difficult” timing of the repeal ordinance but noted that the overlay version passed is set to go into effect April 16. Rescinding the ordinance requires approval at two readings.
Her goal, she said, is to “reintroduce the Orange Avenue Overlay that reflects the desire of our residents and ensures a fair resolution to the property owners who have worked so hard with us.”
Commissioners first voted in January to approve the overlay district during back-to-back marathon meetings, including one that lasted until 2:30 a.m.
Critics of the plan expressed concerns over drainage, green space, building heights, floor area ratio, limited parking and traffic.
Commissioner Carolyn Cooper has been pushing for a presentation of threedimensional models that would show how key properties might look and an expanded traffic study.
“I do not believe that in any way complies with our mission statement of maintaining the traditional scale and character of the city of Winter Park,” Cooper said of the current version. “I would be happy to find that sweet spot in the middle.”