WINTER PARK, Fla. — Winter Park’s long-planned effort to fix one of its most congested intersections is now officially moving forward, and that means a major change for a local arts landmark.
What You Need To Know
City of Winter Park purchased the Austin’s Coffee property as part of a decades-old redevelopment plan
Officials say the land is needed for traffic improvements, flood mitigation, and future park space
Austin’s Coffee is relocating down the street after raising money through community support
The new location was delayed due to permitting, but weekly community events will return
For more than 20 years, Austin’s Coffee & Film sat just feet away from the intersection of Fairbanks Avenue and Denning Drive. But after the city purchased the property for $5.5 million, the coffee shop was given notice to relocate to make way for a major infrastructure project.
City Manager Randy Knight said the move has been decades in the making.
“This area is part of our Community Redevelopment Agency,” Knight said. “Back in the mid-90s, part of that CRA plan was to eventually acquire this property along here. It took us 25-plus years to get here.”
Officials say the project focuses on correcting traffic backups caused by the current intersection design.
“People that want to make a left turn off of Fairbanks to Denning…if they’re not there at the time of the left turn signal, they back up 50% of the traffic flow because the cars behind them have to wait,” Knight said.
But the city says traffic isn’t the only reason for the property purchase. The land will also give Winter Park room to improve flood mitigation in the area and build a future public park, two key elements Knight outlined in his broader vision for the site.
Inside Austin’s Coffee, the news hit hard.
Assistant Manager Bobby Barnett said the team initially panicked when they learned they would need to leave their longtime home.
“We freaked out, and then we pulled ourselves together and we started trying to see if we could get an extension, which really wasn’t on the table,” Barnett said. “So after we gave up on that, we started raising money to relocate. We started a GoFundMe.”
Barnett says the cafe, known for poetry nights, jazz sessions, comedy shows and other community events, isn’t just a coffee shop, but a home to multiple arts communities who’ve grown up inside the space.
Austin’s isn’t shutting down; it’s moving. The shop is relocating just down Fairbanks Avenue to a larger space that supporters helped secure through the nonprofit “Friends of Austin’s.”
New President and Director Richard Whitmer says the team is eager to reopen, but construction has taken longer than expected.
“The permitting processes are taking a little bit longer than we originally estimated,” Whitmer said. “We were told it was going to take 5 to 6 days. Now it’s taken almost two weeks.”
He says the new location will still host all the community events Austin’s is known for and much more. “All of the community events that we hosted will still be happening every week,” Whitmer said. “And it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.”
The city is currently working with FDOT on design plans for the intersection, which would include new dedicated left-turn lanes and reconfigured sidewalks. There is no finalized timeline yet.
Once design and funding are approved, the project would reshape one of Winter Park’s busiest corridors, and the land Austin’s Coffee once occupied will play a major role in making it possible.