For those aroused by the constant political harping of Commissioner Carolyn Cooper on the subject of Winter Park development and density, please know the following. Carolyn Cooper VOTED TO APPROVE the three story 86,600 square foot CNL office development at Denning and Morse Blvd. on June 11, 2012. (see page 15) Carolyn Cooper VOTED TO APPROVE the four story 105 unit senior apartment development at Denning and Canton on December 10, 2012. (see pages 13-14) Carolyn Cooper VOTED TO APPROVE the 35,500 retail/restaurant (Trader Joes/Shake Shack) development on 17/92 at Morse Blvd. on February 25, 2013. (see pages 8-9) Carolyn…
Category: Development
Support Planned Development
Ms. Cooper is at it again, sending out incomplete and misleading emails, trying to motivate opposition and stoke fear about anything that might result in change of any kind in Winter Park. You know, those evil, profit seeking developers want to ruin Winter Park!!! Let’s get serious. Planned Development adds value for all Winter Park residents. The commission will reconsider on Monday, June 9 changes to the comprehensive plan that modify exiting “Planned Development” (PD) rules. Come to the meeting and speak your mind. A PD in our context offers owners of commercially zoned property* an opportunity (not a right)…
Swap Realities: Risk, Return, and Judgment
November 18, 2011 I received the following message from Winter Park City Commissioner Steve Leary today and thought many citizens would welcome his detailed view of the facts and circumstances surrounding the city’s recent approval of a land swap of the State Office Building property at the corner of Morse and Denning (SOB) for the Progress Point property (PP) located on Orange Avenue. As with many city decisions, this one has its share of disagreements and controversy. While some seek to exploit controversy to engender resentment and foment discord, others are focused on serving our long term interests with respect…
Get On Board the Sun Rail Opportunity
July 1, 2011 Today the Governor of Florida gave the go ahead for the Central Florida Sun Rail commuter rail system. Sun Rail has been an extraordinarily contentious political issue in Winter Park over the past several years. For all the contention, Winter Park is the only political jurisdiction to be served by Sun Rail that held a popular vote on the project, and we voted to support it. Various Winter Park city commissions have carefully considered our city’s specific obligations under the Sun Rail agreement with Orange County. Last year, these obligations were materially clarified and agreed to by…
Urban Planning Lecture March 16th at Rollins
March 9, 2011 Bruce Stephenson of Rollins College contacted me about an upcoming lecture I thought may be of interest to some readers. Andrés Duany will be discussing planning and civic organization on March 16th at 7:00 PM in the Bush Auditorium at Rollins. Click here for a preview of the lecture. Regards, Pete Weldon
Whose money is it?
February 2, 2011 On January 24th three of five Winter Park commission members voted down a proposed 50 year commercial lease on the five acre parcel of land owned by the city at the corner of Denning Avenue and Morse Boulevard. The short form of this long story is that two commissioners wanted you to steeply subsidize a 50 year lease of city owned land in order to “refurbish” a dilapidated building that utilizes 60 percent of the land’s capacity, to “retain” a long time employer who offered an unenforceable commitment to stay in Winter Park, and to “save” trees…
Who Owns the Risk?
September 27, 2010 To: Mayor and Commissioners, City of Winter Park, FL Subject: Who owns the risk? – or- What does Winter Park have to look forward to if Amendment 4 passes? I write to encourage unanimous support for the 2010-2011 city budget you preliminarily approved at the meeting of September 13, 2010. While there are important concerns about the wisdom of recommending spending increases for projects of personal interest to certain commissioners who also recommend decreasing previously established benefits for city employees, overall, your instincts are to be encouraged and applauded. Each of you deserves praise for the unanimous…
Just a Thought
SUBTITLE: When Reality Meets Righteous Nonsense May 28, 2010 Dear Mayor and Commissioners, I urge you to re-read the writings linked below in light of expected material reductions in assessed values recently provided by the Orange County Appraiser. Wes Hamil has already provided you with the estimated impact of these reductions on our 2010-11 operations as follows: ****************************************************************************************** From: Wes Hamil Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 11:34 AM To: Randy Knight; Michelle del Valle Subject: Property tax numbers We received our “best estimate” numbers from the Property Appraiser this morning. Our overall valuation decreased 10.4% while the valuation in the…
Attention Winter Park Commercial Property Owners
April 20, 2010 It is my understanding that Winter Park commercial property owners have until May 14, 2010 to question the impact of the city’s Comprehensive Plan on their property values and uses. Changes have also been made in the Land Development Code for both commercial and residential properties that warrant your review as a property owner. As a result of the severe restrictions and controls added to the latest Comprehensive Plan several property owners are requesting a “Tolling” agreement with the city that extends this time period for appeal and review by one year on a property by property…
For those interested in the facts….
The most important issue in the recent election (both for new city commission members and charter amendments) was the future of our Comprehensive Plan and thus, our city. I repeatedly pointed out the flaws in Comprehensive Plan. Interestingly, the first City Commission meeting following the election included proposed Comprehensive Plan changes from city planning staff (recommended by the city attorneys) to many of the prohibitions and other elements of the Comprehensive Plan I previously expressed concerns about. This list is by no means complete but it is a beginning toward restating our Comprehensive Plan in ways that may encourage compatible…