Talks continue on potential hotel in downtown Winter Garden

Winter Garden residents shared their thoughts regarding a potential boutique hotel downtown.

By Eric Gutierrez
| 4:36 p.m. August 29, 2018

West Orange Times & Observer
News

The possibility of a hotel coming to downtown Winter Garden drew many residents into the Winter Garden commission chambers during the Aug. 23 commission meeting.

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Winter Garden Finance Director Laura Zielonka led a workshop to go over the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19. The general fund for the next fiscal year totals $38,819,161, which is $3,161,195 more than the prior fiscal year. The proposed budget also includes a tentative millage rate of 4.5, which is a 0.25 mill increase from the current millage rate of 4.25. The increase would help make up for expected loss revenues that could result from a change in the state constitution later this year. Additionally, the proposed rate still can be changed at later budget meetings. The next budget hearings will take place during the Sept. 13 and Sept. 27 meetings.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a recommendation to promote Stephen Graham to the position of Winter Garden’s chief of police.

City leaders voted unanimously to postpone two ordinances that pertain to wetlands within the city. Both ordinances were scheduled for second reading at the meeting. However, they have been postponed to an unknown date pending review of the ordinances by the state. Ordinance 18-24 proposed an amendment to a policy of the future land-use element and also proposed to amend policies of the conservation element of the city’s comprehensive plan. Ordinance 18-25 proposed changes to the city code of ordinances dealing with wetlands, wetland jurisdictional limit determinations, wetland buffer yard requirements and uses allowed in wetlands.

Commissioners approved the second reading of three ordinances pertaining to a 1-acre property located at 1220 E. Story Road. Ordinances 18-26, 18-27 and 18-28 respectively pertain to the annexation, future land-use designation and rezoning of the subject property.

The property is annexed into the city and zoned city I-1 light industrial and warehousing district.

City leaders also approved the second reading of Ordinance 18-33, which rezones a 1.95-acre parcel at 1200 E. Plant St. from C-2 (arterial commercial district) to CAPUD (character area planned unit development). The approval allows for the development of a new, two-story, 25,000-square-foot commercial building, described as the West Orange Healthcare District CAPUD.

Commissioners approved the second reading of an ordinance to change section 118-1310 of City Code to provide that the construction or installation of storage building fewer than 160 square feet as an accessory building does not require submitting building plans.

City leaders approved an amended and restated Oakland Development Interlocal Agreement with the town of Oakland. The commission also approve the second amendment to the developer’s agreement for the Oakland Park Planned Development. The amended and restated interlocal agreement states that the City of Winter Garden will provide sewer and reclaimed water services for up to 295 single-family homes in the planned development, among other stipulations. Additionally, the amendment to the developer’s agreement for the Oakland Park PD makes the developer’s agreement consistent with the amended and restated interlocal agreement.

After hearing from some of those residents, city leaders voted unanimously to move forward with exploring the opportunity of building a hotel in downtown Winter Garden at 8 N. Highland Ave. City Manager Mike Bollhoefer emphasized this is just the beginning of the process and that the developer will still have meet certain criteria for the proposed hotel.

“This meeting tonight is not to talk about approval to approve a hotel,” Bollhoefer said “We’re nowhere close to that.”

He later added this is just the beginning of a long process, which includes community meetings at later dates.

Bollhoefer said one of the reasons the developers chose the city is because they have ties to Winter Garden. He added the developer will be having designers and planners visit the area and design the hotel to match the character of downtown.

“They design it to be part of the community,” Bollhoefer said. “The reason they chose this site is (because) … their design and their style of hotel fits in the middle of the city. That’s why they chose this site as opposed to other areas.”

Although he supports building more hotels in the city, Mayor John Rees said he would prefer the hotel be built elsewhere.

“I think I said last meeting this is not the first site I would pick (for a hotel),” Rees said. “There’s a couple of other sites … but having said that, I think for years, we’ve needed a hotel in Winter Garden.”

Michael Lanza is the owner of the Edgewater Hotel. He said he is concerned over the proposed hotel’s potential impact to the downtown’s historic identity.

“The impact of the historic district of the proposed building — that’s our concern,” Lanza said. “A major concern that we have is losing the identity of the historic district in all of the new construction. … Overall, we don’t want to see us possibly lose our federal designation as a historic and our historic identity in the process.”

Wes Catlett-Miller is a member of the board of directors for the Garden Theatre. He spoke in support of the proposed hotel because it poses an opportunity to increase tourism, which would bring more money to local businesses.

“I’ve seen the economic impact that the people and the tourism that comes into Plant Street brings to the town,” Catlett-Miller said. “When I look at a boutique hotel opening up … I see economic impact.”

During the Aug. 9 meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to allow city staff to draft a letter of intent expressing interest in the possibility a building a boutique hotel at 8 N. Highland Ave. The city currently owns the building at the proposed site. The city also would have contributed $15,000 toward design costs. City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said staff will no longer be drafting the letter or contributing the money for design costs. The action taken by the commission at the Aug. 23 meeting replaces the action take at the Aug. 9 meeting.

“This hotel would generate for downtown $3.8 million in benefits … from additional revenues,” Bollhoefer said.

A representative speaking on behalf of the developers said they do not wish to comment on the project at this time because it is “still in its infancy.”