Winter Park & Maitland

[AmIReal]

So remember when Enzian had plans to grow and raised several million dollars through fundraising to do so, then changed their minds... Yes, I actually know there was a lot more to that story, but the whole thing was handled really poorly and I'm a little bitter.

Anyway, they're back. Not as big, but still those Maitlanders are not quite on board with comments from city staffers like, "a motion was made to deny the request on the basis that there was “insufficient evidence to determine that the proposed change would not potentially have an adverse impact on the surrounding residential properties,”...

Sure, it's not really NIMBY until it effects me and I absolutely try to think about their neighbors, but hey, it could be a strip club instead of a bunch of Rollins literature school grads hanging out there.

https://www.growthspotter.com/news/retail-dining-developments/gs-news-enzian-theater-second-screen-attempt-number-two-20200130-bp2dasdz6naivfexeeztjk64ea-story.html

 

 

[prahaboheme]

On ‎1‎/‎28‎/‎2020 at 6:42 PM, JFW657 said:

Sooooooooo ugly.

Shades of the 1964 World's Fair revisited.

I hope they plant some trees around it to soften the appearance a bit.

Shades of the Jaymont block revisited?

I think its pretty cool.

[dcluley98]

I like the design as well, and hope they still incorporate the space between the buildings and above the  buildings into the lake  as an overall cohesive   campus. 

I want to see the library look  out upon and blend into the lake with the park and public walk interspersed and activating the whole thing. 

Prolly let the guy that has 'Sir' before his real name tell us how we should proceeed, however.  . . 

Edited January 31, 2020 by dcluley98

[JFW657]

I'll have to wait and see how it blends in with its surroundings, but I still think it's a cold, uninviting, ill-conceived design and the choice of location is equally ill-conceived.

Here's a few more renderings...

Maybe if they use more of an earth tone color and put plenty of trees around it like in the above view, it might look OK.

I still question the location, though.

[cwetteland]

It looks circa 1964.

[prahaboheme]

It looks to be more conceptual than a realistic depiction of the final design.

[Urban Mail Carrier]

I think the city is trying to connect 17-92 & Morse to Downtown Winter Park. Morse Avenue is already a corridor of businesses. Placing the library there at the MLK site is an opportunity  to merge an urban must (library) with an urban park. Not to mention Denning has been converted into a bike - pedestrian friendly street. Meanwhile on Fairbanks ave Rollins college is slowly increasing its presence from Chase ave to just past Orange ave. Winter park will have 2 solid arteries extending its downtown to 17-92(Orlando ave)

Edited February 2, 2020 by Urban Mail Carrier

[JFW657]

Looking at some of the interior renderings and noticing the scale of the arched glass to everything else, it occurs to me that what we seem to be bypassing in our overall discussion of this project, is that only one of the buildings, the smaller one, is going to function as the library. 

The larger one will be the events center.

Which brings me to the question: what about possible future expansion needs?

Will this building be big enough to meet the needs for the next 50 years or longer?

Looks like there's an upstairs level, too.

 

I was wondering about tgat, what with the lack of 2nd floor windows.

I guess enough natural light will get through the top of the arch to not turn it into a gloomy, flourescent dungeon.

[spenser1058]

Winter Park is essentially as big as it’s going to get based on its culture,  tradition and politics, plus the fact that it’s largely built out. It has had one of the most stable populations in OC over the last several decades. About the only direction it can grow is west along the Lee Road or W. Fairbanks corridors and there has been little interest in doing so. That’s quite different than places like Apopka and Ocoee (one WG mayor once observed Ocoee was so aggressive about expanding that they put their city limits signs on wheels and he had to go out every morning and push them back).

Winter Parkers have also aggressively campaigned against increasing density so I don’t see a population change coming from going vertical.

As to the library, they should have consolidated with OCLS years ago but the natives are rabidly opposed. Unless they have a dedicated library tax, it’s not likely to grow, either.

As a result, I think the facility is likely to meet the city’s needs for the next 50 years with little difficulty.

Edited February 2, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

More on the Enzian Forever project, Round II:

https://bungalower.com/2020/02/05/enzian-still-wants-a-second-screen/

From Bungalower 

[jrs2]

Not sure if anybody posted on this yet, but Atrium Management of Lake Mary is looking to develop the Henderson on Lake Killarney boutique hotel directly to the south of Hillstone just off Orlando Ave.  The City of WP had a meeting on in late 2019.

[spenser1058]

Purchase of New York Ave. post office moves forward in typically contentious Winter Park fashion:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-post-office

From The Daily City 

More about the Orange Avenue Overlay District:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-orange-avenue

From The Daily City 

[spenser1058]

A restaurant and patio on the ground floor of the old Florida Gas building at Orlando and Orange Ave.? There’s a lot of glass and high ceilings so it could be quite the experience:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-orange-avenue

From The Daily City 

[codypet]

18 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Purchase of New York Ave. post office moves forward in typically contentious Winter Park fashion:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-post-office

From The Daily City 

More about the Orange Avenue Overlay District:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-orange-avenue

From The Daily City 

Oh what an idiot!  He honestly thinks he has the postal service over a barrel because they have to pre-fund their pensions and therefore optically it looks like the postal service is a losing operation?   Ridiculous.  The Altamonte Springs post office didn't sell during the Sunrail construction, and the Oviedo Post office is still sitting there as federal land as well.  Both now rent locations around the corner, but still own the land of the old post offices.  Post office doesn't want to sell.  They don't have to.  

[Urban Mail Carrier]

No other organization in the country pre-funds their pension for employees who do not exist. Worse yet the post office has asked for those funds to cover those losses but the federal government has already spent the money. In other words the post office is a piggy bank.

[spenser1058]

New hotel planned for Hannibal Square in WP:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-hotel

From The Daily City 

[popsiclebrandon]

17 hours ago, jrs2 said:

Not sure if anybody posted on this yet, but Atrium Management of Lake Mary is looking to develop the Henderson on Lake Killarney boutique hotel directly to the south of Hillstone just off Orlando Ave.  The City of WP had a meeting on in late 2019.

Adam Wonus won't be done til he makes all parts of Orlando uglier.

[codypet]

11 hours ago, Urban Mail Carrier said:

No other organization in the country pre-funds their pension for employees who do not exist. Worse yet the post office has asked for those funds to cover those losses but the federal government has already spent the money. In other words the post office is a piggy bank.

I feel ya man.  I'm not in the postal service but I'm beside myself on how its portrayed as a money loser when its really a product of congress's idiocy.  

[AmIReal]

1 hour ago, popsiclebrandon said:

Adam Wonus won't be done til he makes all parts of Orlando uglier.

I'm not a big fan of it, but the appearance seems to fit into the so called New England aesthetic the Parkites so love.

The locals seem universally opposed to it- traffic, infringement on neighborhoods, appearance, etc but these 2 proposed hotels bring a lot of revenue to the City and will likely go forward. 

https://www.hendersonhotelwinterpark.com/renderings/v4jwkld4lq0b47lalxkklioyuzg98m

[popsiclebrandon]

1 minute ago, AmIReal said:

I'm not a big fan of it, but the appearance seems to fit into the so called New England aesthetic the Parkites so love.

The locals seem universally opposed to it- traffic, infringement on neighborhoods, appearance, etc but these 2 proposed hotels bring a lot of revenue to the City and will likely go forward. 

https://www.hendersonhotelwinterpark.com/renderings/v4jwkld4lq0b47lalxkklioyuzg98m

I hadn't seen any renderings, was just going off his horrible work in the Milk District. I like the design but not in that location. Makes no sense to do this look on 17-92.

[smileguy]

29 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

I'm not a big fan of it, but the appearance seems to fit into the so called New England aesthetic the Parkites so love.

The locals seem universally opposed to it- traffic, infringement on neighborhoods, appearance, etc but these 2 proposed hotels bring a lot of revenue to the City and will likely go forward. 

https://www.hendersonhotelwinterpark.com/renderings/v4jwkld4lq0b47lalxkklioyuzg98m

Room availability in WP is also atrocious.  Unless you can book months in advance and pay top dollar, you can't get into The Alfond many months of the year. The new rooms in Ravaudage and  Alfond expansions will help, but the area needs more hotels. 

[spenser1058]

@smileguy, I think you’re totally right. Over the years the Mt. Vernon Inn had expanded to include several wings and then it just disappeared.

We got the Alfond but it just replaced the Langford.

There was a Holiday Inn at Lee Rd and 17-92 that was torn down.

That doesn’t even include all the mom and pops along 17-92 that went away in WP and that were torn down for doctors ‘ offices closer to AdventHealth. We also lost the huge HoJo with the big fruit bowl that’s now a Home Depot over at I4.

It stands to reason we really need rooms over there.

[jack]

4 hours ago, codypet said:

I feel ya man.  I'm not in the postal service but I'm beside myself on how its portrayed as a money loser when its really a product of congress's idiocy.  

It is not just the pensions, a huge driver are the money losing routes. But they are not going to drop rural areas to become profitable.  It is a (quasi) government agency. 

[prahaboheme]

16 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

New hotel planned for Hannibal Square in WP:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/winter-park-hotel

From The Daily City 

The charm of WP (in my opinion) has always been that its uniquely not Floridian. 

Seems lately that WP is reversing that by going full-on Florida.  This rendering of the hotel could be dropped into any city from Miami to JAX.

[Urban Mail Carrier]

 

23 hours ago, jack said:

It is not just the pensions, a huge driver are the money losing routes. But they are not going to drop rural areas to become profitable.  It is a (quasi) government agency. 

Yes u are right it is a Quasi government agency just like Amtrak.