Oakland approves commercial center plan

More commercial properties are planned for Oakland.

The Oakland Town Commission approved the second hearing and second amendment to the development agreement for Oakland Commercial Center, which includes Oakland Exchange Office Park. The property is owned by RaceTrac Inc.

The amendment pertains to lots 5 and 6 of the planned development, located on the southwest corner of Remington Road and Southern Railway, and more specifically the location of the dumpsters and the impacts from traffic.

The developer has agreed to increase landscaping with an enhanced plan around the dumpsters. Jimmy Crawford, representing the applicant, JW2 Development LLC, also presented a traffic study that “confirms insignificant impact of proposed traffic,” according to Sarah Mastison, contracted town planner.

Oakland resident Anne Fulton said she doesn’t think the traffic study is a fair representation of the traffic in the area because one study was done during the summer when children aren’t in school and traffic typically is lessened and the other study was conducted in 2020 when folks were on lockdown during the pandemic.

The proposed second amendment also increased the maximum office space from 30,000 to 37,184 square feet; revised the plan and design to accommodate 12 smaller, single-story buildings instead of fewer three-story structures; eliminated the internal landscape buffer between the two lots; and denied the increased size of the monument sign from 32 to 42 square feet.

Oakland’s Appearance Review Board and Planning & Zoning Board both previously unanimously approved the proposed office building designs, and the Town Commission followed with a unanimous approval.

HARVEST DISTRICT BUILDING PROPOSED

The commission approved the design for the proposed mixed-use building submitted for the Harvest District, a 5.2-acre tract in the town’s Urban Corridor owned by New Horizons Investments LLC at 15551 State Road 50.

The applicant redesigned the original building façade and added brick to keep with the character of Oakland.

In March, commissioners approved a planned development and development agreement for the project, which called for a maximum of 72 multi-family dwelling units, a maximum of 48,000 square feet of commercial and retail, and a maximum of three stories.

CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE

At least every 10 years, the town must appoint a Charter Review Committee of five residents to review and, if necessary, amend or revise, the town charter, which is the town’s foundational document. The committee will meet regularly for eight months and submit any suggested changes to the commission no later than Oct. 1.

The Vose Law Firm will be assisting the Charter Review Commission through this process.

The town is seeking residents interested in serving on the committee. Members might be required to attend weekly or monthly meetings, so having a flexible schedule is important.

Applications and guidelines are available at bit.ly/3BuxZMU. Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected] or in person at Town Hall, 220 N. Tubb St., by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Commissioners will go through the applications, and each will recommend someone; the official appointments will be made Jan. 28.

For questions, contact Elise Hui, assistant town manager/town clerk, by email or at (407) 656-1117, Ext. 2110.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

• The Oakland Town Commission heard a presentation from the Lake Apopka Natural Gas District regarding its Energy Choice Initiative. The program seeks to guarantee an energy future that includes a mix of energy, besides electric, that best serves the local communities: natural gas, renewable natural gas and hydrogen. LANGD delivers natural gas to more than 29,000 customers in a 21-square-mile area of West Orange and South Lake counties.

The town of Oakland already has natural gas lines in place along West Colonial Drive.

In the presentation, the LANGD representative said families in new communities are not being given the choice of natural gas so the idea is to approach developers and offer incentives. LANGD hopes municipalities will adopt an ordinance that requires developers to pay for and install natural gas mains as part of their development agreements so residents have a choice. The cities of Apopka and Winter Garden passed their ordinances this year, and Clermont was expected to pass it this month.

• Bill Ungaro, a resident on East Henschen Avenue requested action on his dirt road.

“The dust down there is choking us to death,” he said. “It was supposed to have been paved a long time ago, and it was never paved.”

Town Manager Andy Stewart said town has experimented with different materials and likely will return to Henschen with more asphalt milling but will apply it differently. He said he will provide an update at one of the January 2025 commission meetings.

• Commissioners approved the consent agenda, which included authorization to enter a contractual agreement with ATL Disaster Recovery for emergency debris removal services, as well as permission for the town to serve alcoholic drinks during Oakland Heritage Day Jan. 25, 2025.

• Elected officials approved the contract with Altumint for the operation of a school zone speed enforcement program. The enforcement will take place only during school hours and not on the weekends.

“These cameras will not replace the police officers,” Police Chief Darron Esan said. “If there’s a crash on (Highway) 50 and both officers respond, we still have the ability to monitor the speed limits at the school.”