ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Commissioners voted Monday to approve a new development process that could reshape the future of Orlando\u2019s downtown.<\/p>\n
The plan will pause longstanding rules around developing in the downtown historic district for the next three years.<\/p>\n
Commissioners voted 4-2 to greenlight the proposal, with Commissioners Patty Sheehan and Barkari Burns voting no.<\/p>\n
The new process entails temporarily pausing the need for a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board for renovations or demolition of historic buildings. Instead, the Appearance Review Board will have that authority for the next 36 months.<\/p>\n
The city says during the pause, Downtown Design Guidelines will be used to review projects rather than the Secretary of Interior Standards for Historic Preservation. <\/p>\n
According to city leaders, those standards have limited the redevelopment of structures located within the district. <\/p>\n
The city says change is necessary because the current process has made it difficult, costly, and unpredictable to invest in historic buildings. <\/p>\n
Critics say the change will make it easier to demolish historic buildings and argue that historic preservation is being used as a scapegoat for broader issues affecting downtown Orlando. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe moratorium is temporary, but the changes are forever,\u201d said Scott Sidler, former Historic Preservation Board Chairman, \u201cOnce the wrecking ball swings downtown, no future council can ever vote that building into existence.\u201d<\/p>\n
In total 32 speakers weighed in as council considered the proposal Monday. <\/p>\n
Local developers and investors said the current development process was so burdensome that some projects were not even making it to the Historic Preservation Board for review. They said the changes were necessary. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy belief is that our current process generally needs an overhaul. Just because code and process have been written for years doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t need an overhaul,\u201d said Ryan Young, an architect and developer who founded Interstruct Design + Build. <\/p>\n
Prior to the vote, Commissioner Patty Sheehan asked the commission to delay a decision. <\/p>\n
She stated the Historic Preservation board has rejected zero applications from the downtown district in the past 5 years and said more proof was needed that historic preservation was delaying development. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m deeply distressed by this decision. I\u2019m appalled, horrified and very disappointed,\u201d said Sheehan. <\/p>\n
Sheehan stated the changes were happening too rapidly, with 45 years of preservation policy being overhauled in a process that unfolded with limited time for public review. Sheehan tried to make the case that commissioners should slow down and study the issue further, citing cities such as Savannah, Georgia a model for how historic preservation can enhance tourism. She also shared that multiple historic buildings could be threatened by the policy change. <\/p>\n
\u201cHistoric preservation stops demolition. That\u2019s what historic preservation does,\u201d said Sheehan. <\/p>\n
The vote in favor of the process change comes after the state\u2019s division of historical resources warned the move could put the city in \u201cbad standing\u201d and ineligible for grant funding. <\/p>\n
The letter stated that any proposed amendments to the local historic preservation ordinance would need to be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Officer for \u201creview and comment at least 30 days prior to the date scheduled for adoption\u201d <\/p>\n
The city attorney weighed in Monday, saying they reviewed the letter and determined the move would not make the city ineligible for funds. However, as a precaution, the city is delaying implementation until August 10th.<\/p>\n
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