Despite a recommendation from city staff to approve it, Winter Park Planning & Zoning Board members unanimously agreed Tuesday to delay a decision on a proposal to redevelop a block on the south side of West Fairbanks Avenue.
Board members spent almost two hours discussing a the Fairbanks Crossing project for land at 860 W. Fairbanks Ave. The property is owned by Roger W. Holler III/DI Partners LLLP, an entity tied to CrossMarc Services, a commercial real estate advisory firm in Winter Park. Z Development Services of Orlando and Frank Hamner, a Winter Park attorney, were at the meeting representing the owner.
The project calls for construction of four one-story buildings totaling 29,760 square feet of space for retail and restaurants on 4.22 acres of land that’s the former location of Holler Orlando RV. The land is bordered by Fairbanks to the north, South Denning Drive to the west, Holt Avenue to the south and South Capen Avenue to the east.
In recent years, the city has sought to transform the corridor into more of a mixed-use neighborhood. It has explored a reduction in certain impact fees and other incentives that could ignite more development in the area.
Board members were generally supportive of the project, but expressed concerns about traffic and parking — and how it might exacerbate to the problem. The board plans to revisit the project in an April 28 work session with the goal of having an up-or-down vote in its regular May 5 meeting, sending it to the City Council for consideration.
Chairman Jason Johnson said he understood concerns of fellow board members and the public, but stressed that it’s a complicated traffic area and he’s unsure it’s incumbent on the property owner to solve the problems.
A page from plans for Fairbanks Crossing, which would rise on 4.22 acres of land at 860 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park. The project would bring 29,760 square feet of space for retail and restaurants on land that’s the former location of Holler Orlando RV. In recent years, the city has sought to transform the corridor into more of a mixed-use neighborhood. (Plan from Z Development Services/Winter Park)
“I’m generally in favor of the project,” Johnson said. “I appreciate the fact it’s not being maxed out in terms of its density, they’re not coming in seeking variances on parking, they’re offering to overpark the space.”
He said the developer’s contributions — including donation of some frontage along Fairbanks to allow for future traffic improvements — mathematically offsets the traffic impact it’s expected to generate.
The board plans to ask for minor architectural enhancements to the front of the building, which members felt was too flat. They also wanted additional pedestrian, or potentially parking, considerations on Holt Avenue.
Allison McGillis, city planning director, told GrowthSpotter on Wednesday that Holt currently has a sidewalk on the north side with two lanes of traffic but no delineated on-street parking — although people still do it.
The board added a condition for approval requiring the project to make that into dedicated on-street parking with striped spaces and bump-outs for trees between some spaces, McGillis said. The board provided some flexibility for them to return with the best plan, she said, because delineated parking spaces might not be the best option for Holt — that could be a wider sidewalk with a larger pedestrian buffer.
Harmen told board members the goal for the project has always been about what can be done with the property to make a good, sustainable development and address the city’s needs in that area. Three things always came up for the area: parking, trees and stormwater, and the city’s desire for a left-turn lane on Fairbanks, he said. The plan provides 199 parking spaces, and the code requires 175.
“Even though we can go to three stories, we’re at one story. Even though we can underpark this spot or park to code, we’re overparking,” he said. “The direction that was given in the development of this from day one was do something that’s code compliant, satisfies the city’s needs, and seeks the least number of possible variances we can seek.”
This map shows the location of the planned Fairbanks Crossing development in Winter Park and its relation to other businesses and attractions in the city. The project calls for construction of four one-story buildings totaling 29,760 square feet of space for retail and restaurants on 4.22 acres of land. (Image courtesy of Winter Park)
About a dozen members of the public addressed the board about the proposal. Although none expressed outright opposition, they conveyed traffic and parking concerns similar to those of board members.
Vicky Quintanilla, who lives on a corner lot at North Kentucky Avenue and South Denning facing the west side of the property, told the board of her safety concerns relating to traffic.
“I used to be a runner, and I was hit by a car while running, and I stopped running, and that was one of my passions,” Quintanilla said, adding that cars have come onto her lawn.
Brian Barnard, who lives on North Kentucky Avenue about 350 feet west of South Denning, called the traffic on Denning excessive and unsafe.
“What’s interesting about Winter Park is that at the end of the day, it gets busier, because everyone is coming into Winter Park because it’s so popular,” Barnard said. “So we’ve created this devil. And I’m not saying I don’t want this project, I just want us to be a little bit thoughtful.”
McGillis told the board she would forward ideas from the public — such as using retractable bollards — to the city’s transportation team.
She told GrowthSpotter that although traffic isn’t under the purview of the planning board, she’s reaching out to Public Works about traffic concerns as they relate to the project.
“There might need to be more studies that need to be done, I don’t know the last time we’ve assessed traffic in that area (or) done counts,” McGillis said.
Although it’s a separate project on the other side of the street, the same developer owns 805, 801 and 771 West Fairbanks and 555 South Capen, and is building a one-story building there. The plan is for 26,210 square feet of commercial space with about 106 parking spaces for a mix of retail and restaurant tenants. The city approved the project in 2024, and it’s currently going through the permitting process.
Brian Bell can be reached at bbell@orlandosentinel.com. Have a tip about Central Florida development? Email Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.