ORLANDO, Fla. — On Tuesday evening, Orange County School Board members will vote to decide the fate of the historic Hungerford property in the Town of Eatonville.
If approved, the property would be sold to Dr. Phillips Charities to be used for commercial development to help boost the town’s economy.
But the deal has gotten a lot of pushback from Eatonville leaders recently.
Some Eatonville Town Council members expressed their concerns about a lack of transparency before the deal was announced and control over the land, which once housed a private boarding school for Black students in the segregation era.
What You Need To Know
The future of the historic Hungerford property in Eatonville is in the hands of the Orange County School Board
OCPS leaders will vote on whether to approve the sale of the land to Dr. Phillips Charities for development
The proposed land sale drew pushback from Eatonville town leaders, who claim there was a lack of transparency before the deal was announced
Eatonville council members open to discussions with Dr. Phillips Charities about how they can work together
The day before the controversial vote, the town’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) released a list of risks for the deal.
It claims there would be no guaranteed outcomes for what the land would be used for.
“Historically, land use and disposition decisions affecting Eatonville have too often occurred without meaningful local control, enforceable commitments, or long-term accountability, resulting in outcomes that concentrated risk and burden on the Town while benefits accrued elsewhere,” says CRA Executive Director, Michael Johnson.
If approved, the contract would give Dr. Phillips Charities the green light to purchase the property and build a town center that would include a history museum, an early learning center, a healthcare facility, and possibly even affordable housing.
The price tag for the property is currently set at $14 million. But if the charity meets the contract’s milestones, they will only have to pay $1 million.
Even though many town council members didn’t get their desired outcome, they’re open to discussions.
“This is the most valuable piece of property that we have in our town. We’re only 1.1 square miles in Eatonville, and that’s not a whole lot of land, but we want to make sure that we do the best in our potential to get what we deserve,” said Eatonville Town Council member, Wanda Randolph.
During the last School Board Work Session on Jan. 6, District 7 school board member Melissa Byrd told Spectrum News 13 that the focus now should be on Eatonville leaders working with Dr. Phillips Charities.
“The more collaboration we have, the smoother it will be, the more it will benefit the people of Eatonville if everyone can work together, so hopefully that will be what will happen,” says Byrd.
Some local business owners near the property have also expressed their support of the land sale, adding that it could boost the town’s tax base.
The final vote is scheduled to take place at the OCPS School Board Meeting, Tuesday at 5 p.m.