If you can get past the law suits we are exposed to by Cooper’s master plan (the Comprehensive Plan) you may wish to consider the tone and substance of the plan and how it will impact our relationship with those who may consider investing in our city. Remember that Cooper is running for a seat on our City Commission based on her authorship and support for this plan, and that Tom McMacken has pledged his allegiance to this plan. The Cooper and McMacken plan, also embraced by Commissioner Beth Dillaha, prohibits almost everything and encourages almost nothing. It is this…
Category: Development
The Flawed Incompetent City Master Plan
Winter Park needs a master plan that DEFINES and ENCOURAGES redevelopment consistent with Winter Park’s character. Instead, Cooper has written and McMacken has pledged allegiance to a flawed city master plan that chases redevelopment away, and now they want you to agree this plan should not be changed. UPDATE: The Winter Park City Attorney on February 8, 2010 confirmed that Cooper’s Comprehensive Plan has down zoned a substantial number of properties and that at least one property owner has a valid and substantial claim against the city for a regulatory taking under Florida law. Click here to listen. In short,…
What to do? What to do?
The fighting in Winter Park over commercial redevelopment, “McMansions,” the commuter rail stop, and all things obstructionist and isolationist continues to take its toll on our willingness to face reality. While our tax base withers and our revenues fall Beth Dillaha, Margie Bridges, and Phil Anderson sit on our City Commission and spend all their time discussing conservation districts, historical districts, killing the commuter rail agreement with Orange County, the “Hometown Democracy” referendum, imposing super majority voting requirements, and applauding themselves for stopping everything in their path. A few months ago Bill Donegan, Orange County Property Appraiser, made a presentation…
Super Duper Too
November 22, 2009 See also: Super Duper, We Get What We Deserve, Recommendations…, Chamber of Commerce Opposes Charter Amendment #10 Tomorrow, November 23, 2009, our City Commission will vote on including a Charter Amendment in a voter referendum requiring a super majority vote of the City Commission to make changes to the Comprehensive Plan. Interested citizens should understand the implications of this proposed Charter Amendment. I encourage citizens to speak to the City Commission tomorrow at 3:30 PM to object to putting this amendment to a voter referendum. We already have super majority voting in the Charter that requires a…
Do We Live In Carmel, California?
I have spent time in Carmel by the Sea, California and it is a wonderful town. I would want Jack Rogers running their Planning and Zoning Commission if I lived in Carmel. Carmel by the Sea is bordered by the sea on the coast of California, 330 miles North of Los Angeles and 120 South of San Francisco. Carmel has a population of slightly more than 4,000 in a total area of 1.1 square miles. Carmel is located in Monterey County. The county has a population of slightly more than 400,000 people in a total area of 3,700 square miles….
Guess what I am?
October 26, 2009 You have to give Beth Dillaha credit. She certainly knows how to avoid the substance of issues and use her position on the podium to get the last word in to discredit those who would challenge the rightness of her limited policy and priority perspective. At today’s City Commission meeting she made note of one “professional blogger” as an example of the limited input the City has received after sending out 14,000 mailers announcing proposed Land Development Codes. She even managed to lop the “professional blogger” in with those who would comment about how dangerous the code…
Recommendations Regarding P&Z, Comprehensive Plan, and Land Development Code
October 26, 2009 TO: Mayor and City Commissioners – City of Winter Park RE: Recommendations Regarding P&Z, Comprehensive Plan, and Land Development Code The Planning and Zoning Commission has continued to impose significant increased restrictions for commercial and multi-unit residential properties within Winter Park in both the current approved Comprehensive Plan and proposed land development codes. Important elements of both the Comprehensive Plan and proposed land development codes are effectively designed to preclude, not incent redevelopment in our commercial and multi-unit residential zoned areas. As a result of many shortcomings, I have recommended that the City Commission constitute a new…
Time for change at P&Z
TO: Mayor, Commissioners, and Fellow Citizens FROM: Pete Weldon, 700 Via Lombardy I support neither unfettered private property rights nor unfettered government rights. The only property in Winter Park in which I have any interest is our family home. I continue to believe that the best city in Florida needs rational, experienced, and professional leadership. Our City Commission will be having a “listening session” during their regular 3:30 PM meeting this coming Monday, October 26, 2009 on the subject of building codes unanimously approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) on August 18, 2009. Four members of P&Z voted…
A Brief Conversation with Sara Whiting, member of the Winter Park Planning and Zoning Commission.
Sara Whiting sits on our Planning and Zoning Commission. I don’t know her well but I do know her as a thoughtful and serious person. Here is a recent email thread between us on the subject of the Comprehensive Plan. _______________________________________________ Peter, I embrace change, if it is for the better! The idea of 2.3 story maximum came from the citizen’s survey. Sun Trust is great, and look across the street- it has a 2 story building with a huge setback across Park Avenue from it. I think one thing that brings character to Winter Park is the personality of…
Let’s thank David Strong for his service and elect Ken Bradley Mayor of Winter Park
First, you need to know that I do not have and never have had any business dealings involving Winter Park commercial property. The only property I own in Winter Park is the home I live in. My only interest is the pursuit of rational, positive, and professional governance for Winter Park. If you take a minute to get past ethics issues, campaign misrepresentations, and propaganda you will see there is a fight going on in Winter Park that is unnecessary, expensive, and dangerous. The fight is between owners of property in Winter Park and a group of extremists led and…