Now, many worry the initiative approved Monday will undermine those preservation efforts.<\/p>\n
What will change?<\/p>\n
Right now, any change to the exterior of a building in a historic district requires a certificate of appropriateness.<\/p>\n
The certificate ultimately gets approved by the City Council. But first, it must be recommended for approval by the Historic Preservation Board. City staff say that review step from the citizen board creates too many challenges for developers looking to invest in Orlando\u2019s downtown core.<\/p>\n
The three-year moratorium approved Monday will pause that requirement for a certificate of appropriateness. It will also temporarily hand off the preservation board\u2019s authority to the Appearance Review Board, which does not take historic preservation into account. The ARB reviews development proposals for other buildings located downtown but outside of the historic district.<\/p>\n
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City of Orlando<\/p>\n
Some 80 buildings sit within Orlando\u2019s Downtown Historic District, including nine locally-designated historic landmarks.<\/p>\n
More \u2018predictability\u2019<\/p>\n
David Barilla heads up the city\u2019s Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelopment Agency. On Monday, Barilla said property owners seek more \u201cpredictability\u201d from the city\u2019s review process so they can make effective investments in the city\u2019s downtown core.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know the best way to preserve buildings is to have them activated and not be vacant and left to deteriorate over time,\u201d Barilla said.<\/p>\n
Several developers urged city commissioners to approve the ordinance on Monday, including Brian Wilson. He owns a mid-rise brick building at 1 S. Orange Ave, originally built in 1913. Wilson said redeveloping the structure was a \u201cnightmare,\u201d and that, given the choice, he wouldn\u2019t go through the city\u2019s existing review process for historic buildings again.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Wilson wound up feeling satisfied with the final product, he said. \u201cMy building is beautiful. I\u2019m thrilled with the way it turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n
But to get to that point, Wilson and his partner spent more than $1 million to meet what Wilson characterized as \u201cunnecessary\u201d demands from the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want money invested, you need to be able to have a series of objective realities that people know going in: of what’s going to be allowed, not allowed, so they can see if it’s worth doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Molly Duerig<\/p>\n
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Central Florida Public Media <\/p>\n
The Bumby Hardware Building on Church Street was built in 1886.<\/p>\n
History at stake<\/p>\n
Planning Division Manager Jason Burton said the goal of the moratorium is to revitalize buildings in the Downtown Historic District.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is not demolition of buildings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But many who spoke in opposition of the ordinance took issue with that framing, including District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan.<\/p>\n
Sheehan argued in a presentation Monday that demolition would be a likely outcome of the ordinance, which she urged her colleagues to reject.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess what? If you don’t have historic preservation, you will have demolition. That’s just how it works,\u201d Sheehan said. \u201cHistoric preservation stops demolition. That’s what historic preservation does.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Molly Duerig<\/p>\n
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Central Florida Public Media <\/p>\n
The Old Orlando Railroad Depot on Church Street was built by Henry Plant and dedicated in 1890, according to the city. <\/p>\n
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