{"id":421539,"date":"2026-10-07T20:54:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/421539\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T20:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:54:09","slug":"z-properties-advances-winter-park-office-redevelopment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/421539\/","title":{"rendered":"Z Properties advances Winter Park office redevelopment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winter Park design\/build firm Z Properties<\/a> won unanimous Planning and Zoning Board support Oct. 6 for its plan to replace the former Gardens at DePugh nursing home with 10 individually owned office buildings. The vote followed a lengthy discussion about school traffic, housing and the loss of a neighborhood landmark in historic Hannibal Square.<\/p>\n

The 6-0 vote advances the proposal to the City Commission, which is expected to consider it Oct. 28. Board member Alex Stringfellow recused himself because he had reviewed the project as the city\u2019s paid urban design adviser.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Morse & Penn site plan shows 10 individual office buildings arranged around shared parking, with driveways connecting to Morse Boulevard, Pennsylvania Avenue and Welbourne Avenue. (Courtesy of Z Properties)<\/p>\n

Called Morse & Penn, the development will bring about 27,500 square feet of single-story offices to 1.72 acres at 550 W. Morse Blvd., at the southeast corner of South Pennsylvania Avenue. The 40-bed nursing home was demolished in 2026.<\/p>\n

The proposal is substantially smaller than the 60,000-square-foot mix of commercial and residential space described earlier this year by Harbert Realty Services. The brokerage, since acquired by Birmingham-based Harris Tynes Commercial Real Estate<\/a>, represented sellers Mary Lee DePugh Nursing Home Association Inc. and Gardens 505 LLC in Z Properties\u2019 $5.7 million acquisition. The current plan has less than half that building area and no housing within the office development.<\/p>\n

Z Properties plans to sell the office buildings individually as the project develops. Buyers will share responsibility for parking and common areas through a property owners or condominium association. The plans include general offices, medical offices and an operating room, with 72 parking spaces.<\/p>\n

Renderings show white buildings with arched windows and entrances, clay tile roofs and landscaped spaces, with parking tucked behind the buildings lining Morse Boulevard.<\/p>\n

\"AA rendering shows the shared parking area and landscaping planned behind the office buildings at Morse & Penn in Winter Park. (Courtesy of Z Properties)<\/p>\n

Attorney Rebecca Wilson of Orlando law firm Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed<\/a>, representing Z Properties, emphasized that the developer was not pursuing the largest project the city\u2019s rules could accommodate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re asking for less development potential than is allowed on site,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

Board members cited that smaller scale as a reason for their support, along with Z Properties founder and principal Zane Williams\u2019 previous work in Winter Park, including office buildings at 1150 Louisiana Ave. and Palmetto Grove on Palmetto Avenue. But their recommendation came with eight conditions and requests for more attention to traffic near Welbourne Nursery and Preschool, across the street from the proposed Morse & Penn site.<\/p>\n

School traffic draws scrutiny<\/p>\n

The office project would have an entrance from Welbourne Avenue, an exit onto Morse Boulevard and a driveway allowing vehicles to enter and leave from Pennsylvania Avenue.<\/p>\n

Welbourne\u2019s narrow roadway, parked cars and proximity to the preschool and two churches drew concerns about how office traffic will mix with families dropping off children, church services and funerals.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s traffic study estimated 165 additional vehicle trips per day compared with the former nursing home, including 33 during the morning peak hour and 41 during the afternoon peak. It concluded that the surrounding roads and intersections could accommodate the development.<\/p>\n

Preschool board member Beth Weagraff said the school supported the project but wanted the city to consider parking, traffic circulation and pedestrian safety together. The preschool has no parking on its property, she said, so parents, children and employees must cross the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s important to us is that we have safe, predictable, and reliable access,\u201d Weagraff said.<\/p>\n

She identified crosswalk improvements, measures to slow traffic and additional street lighting as priorities, particularly when families arrive before daylight.<\/p>\n

Williams said he had met with preschool representatives and will continue working with them. Board member Michael Dick urged the applicant, city traffic staff and preschool representatives to develop suggested improvements before the commission hearing.<\/p>\n

Chair Jason Johnson also acknowledged the safety concerns while questioning how much responsibility for existing street conditions should fall on the developer.<\/p>\n

The board\u2019s recommendation includes a condition offered by the applicant to install a six-foot perimeter masonry wall before building construction begins. Other conditions address landscaping, tree preservation and additional architectural review.<\/p>\n

Housing and DePugh\u2019s legacy<\/p>\n

The application also seeks to change the southern portion of the property from residential land-use and zoning designations to office use.<\/p>\n

That land previously served as the nursing home\u2019s entrance and parking area, according to city staff. Nevertheless, removing its residential designation triggers a city policy requiring compensation for lost housing potential.<\/p>\n

Z Properties proposed contributing $100,000 to the city\u2019s Affordable and Workforce Housing Fund to compensate for that loss. The board included that payment among its recommended conditions of approval, requiring it before the project receives a certificate of occupancy. The contribution is separate from approximately $27,500 in required fees that will also go into the housing fund during permitting.<\/p>\n

The city plans to use both payments toward a separate affordable housing effort a few blocks southwest of the office site: purchasing 809 W. Comstock Ave. from the Holler family for $250,000 and transferring it to Habitat for Humanity for a home. The city negotiated that purchase through a community benefit agreement tied to the Holler family\u2019s Fairbanks Avenue redevelopment. Combined with roughly $50,000 already in the housing fund, Z Properties\u2019 payments will bring the available amount to about $177,500, leaving approximately $72,500 still needed, according to the staff report.<\/p>\n

For some residents, the discussion extended beyond what will be built next. Resident Reuben Page said the demolition of the nursing home reflected a loss of places important to Winter Park\u2019s west side.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive the west side some consideration, because you\u2019re wiping away all our landmarks, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s right,\u201d Page said.<\/p>\n

The nursing home grew from Mary Lee DePugh\u2019s work to help elderly residents in Hannibal Square, the historically Black neighborhood on Winter Park\u2019s west side. During segregation, professional health care was unavailable or unaffordable for many Black residents, according to city historical materials.<\/p>\n

The home closed last year<\/a> after nearly 70 years of operation, with its leadership citing rising costs and insufficient Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn aerial photograph shows the cleared former Gardens at DePugh nursing home property at Morse Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue, where Z Properties plans to build Morse & Penn. (Courtesy of Z Properties)<\/p>\n

Concerns about redevelopment in Hannibal Square have persisted for decades. A 2000 Orlando Sentinel story chronicled developer Dan Bellows\u2019 efforts to transform older houses and shops<\/a> into offices, restaurants and new housing, along with fears that Black residents would be crowded out. The story also documented a French restaurant replacing a neighborhood pool hall.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the Sentinel reported renewed concerns about gentrification<\/a> as older homes and vacant lots gave way to townhomes and duplexes. A proposed 120-room boutique hotel at Morse Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue also drew opposition as it advanced through city approvals.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Morse & Penn development site, outlined in turquoise, sits east of Pennsylvania Avenue between Morse Boulevard and Welbourne Avenue near Winter Park\u2019s downtown SunRail station. (Orange County Property Appraiser)<\/p>\n

Other neighbors support Z Properties\u2019 redevelopment proposal. Bethel Baptist Church trustee Ronald Moore said Williams had met with the church twice and that it had no objection to the office buildings\u2019 design.<\/p>\n

The board\u2019s recommended conditions require the existing DePugh historical marker to remain on the property and be protected or appropriately relocated during construction.<\/p>\n

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at SKinbar@GrowthSpotter.com<\/a> or (407) 420-5246. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0LinkedIn.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Winter Park design\/build firm Z Properties won unanimous Planning and Zoning Board support Oct. 6 for its plan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,28,114,49760,1335,11477,139,141,140,480,4567],"class_list":["post-421539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-business","tag-florida","tag-latest-headlines","tag-office-medical","tag-orange-county","tag-orange-county-developments","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-real-estate","tag-winter-park"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}