The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce has tracked the progress of three important topics in 2020: Economic Recovery, the Orange Avenue Overlay and Single Member Districts. Here is the latest news on those topics and a summary of the December 9th City Commission meeting.

Economic Recovery Strategies
The Economic Recovery Task Force’s success in the last quarter of 2020 included implementing 30-, 60- and 90-day plans to boost sales, public safety and morale, which had suffered due to Covid-19 within the Park Avenue, Hannibal Square, Orange Avenue and Winter Park Village Business Districts. With an eye toward speed and discipline, they will turn their attention in 2021 toward strengthening the economic infrastructure to yield long-term benefits across all business sectors. Monthly Festival Weekend road closures will continue through April.
 
Orange Avenue Overlay District (OAO)
Commissioners continue to meet each Thursday following their Wednesday Commission meetings to learn from experts and build consensus on unresolved details of the OAO. The primary topics that remain unresolved are Floor Area Ratio (FAR) requirements and whether to include parking garages in FAR calculations. At today’s OAO Work Session, Jeffrey Blydenburgh will share an OAO Master Planning concept, and Bill Finfrock of The Finfrock Company will share the basic elements of building parking structures in Central Florida.
 
Single Member Districts
Replacing city-wide (at-large) elected representation with newly drawn, single-member district representation will not be on Winter Park’s March 9 Election ballot. The ordinance to amend the City Charter to allow this fundamental change failed to pass at the November 11th Commission meeting. Although it is no longer a topic of Commission discussion in the immediate future, Winter Park’s form of district representation will likely return next year for consideration.
 
Other Commission Meeting Highlights

• Capital improvements to Mead Garden and Ward Park totaling $2.8 million were approved and will be funded by borrowing internally from the Water Fund.
  • Mead Garden will benefit from improvements to outdoor lighting, parking and drainage; in Azalea Lodge, restrooms (per ADA compliance) and wedding party dressing rooms will be upgraded.
  • Ward Park improvements will include upgrading field turf and drainage, replacing sidewalks and upgrading restrooms (per ADA compliance).
• The revised Micromobility Ordinance was presented to the Commission for a new first reading. It includes standards for bicycles, electric bikes and scooters operating on sidewalks and bike paths in the downtown business districts, and restrictions on commercially owned/rented devices and general operating speeds.
• Discussion of City Administrative Policy improvements will resume at the January 13 Commission meeting.
• Strategic Planning discussions will be scheduled for Commission discussion.
• Changes to the proposed Pennsylvania Hotel will be taken to the Planning & Zoning Board for review.
• City staff will prepare reports on affordable housing, eminent domain and OAO accumulating expenses.
• Final Commission approval was passed for:
  • Amendments to the FY 2020 Budget
  • The annexation of seven lots on Kentucky Avenue
  • Allowing office zoned (O-1) buildings adaptive re-use of empty space (in empty bank lobbies, for example) for restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and similar food/beverage establishments to operate.