ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando city commissioners voted 4-2 to approve a moratorium that would bypass the Historic Preservation Board’s certificate of appropriateness to redevelop in the downtown historic overlay district.
This proposal has caused a lot of controversy, as many residents and preservationists say the community only learned about it days before the first reading earlier this month, and they believe many of the historic buildings downtown are now at risk of demolition.
Nearly 150 people filled council chambers, with many asking for time to share their opinions on the vote.
The ordinance won’t go into effect until August 10, and that adjustment was actually made to comply with a 30-day notice requirement by the state’s Division of Historic Resources. The division sent a letter to the city threatening the loss of funding should this ordinance pass.
According to Mayor Buddy Dyer and the city attorney, the stipulations of the letter don’t apply to this particular ordinance, so it still passed.
“My concern is that the ordinance this council adopted decades ago was written for a different time and a different downtown. Today, it just makes it extraordinarily difficult to produce the housing, investment, economic activity and downtown vitality that residents consistently tell me they want to see,” Orlando Commissioner Roger Chapin said.
“I care about these buildings that have been here much longer than I have been, and I had hoped would be here long after I live, and I’m deeply distressed by this decision. I do not think it’s going to be the silver bullet that everybody thinks it’s going to be, and as a historic preservationist, I’m appalled, horrified, and very disappointed,” Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan said.
The vote means that at least one commissioner had a change of heart following the original 6-1 vote from the first reading back on June 8. That change came from District 6 Commissioner Bakari Burns.
Commissioners made it a point to reiterate that any demolition plans would still have to go before the historic preservation board after a developer receives all the proper permits and is ready to start construction.But opponents of the plan say the move would come at the cost of protecting historic buildings in downtown Orlando.
The city has six historic districts where a certificate of appropriateness is needed from the city’s Historic Preservation Board before improvements to buildings can be made.
However, under the moratorium, that requirement would be paused. Instead, the Appearance Review Board would be responsible for reviewing construction proposals for 36 months. Permits to demolish buildings would still require a review by the Historic Preservation Board.
A first reading of the moratorium ordinance was held during a City Council meeting on June 8. Commissioners saw a presentation from staff about historical preservation and the temporary moratorium.
It listed nine historic landmarks within the downtown district — including the Orlando Railroad Depot building, the Beacham Theater, and the Kress building.