2016 Looks Good for West Orange with New Developments in Winter Garden
People can expect a boost in
economy and more jobs in West Orange this 2016 as new developments and projects
will be build one after the other starting this year.
This will have a significant
effect on the economy of Winter Garden and West Orange since the construction
of these developments will bring in more jobs in West Orange FL as well as
attract more investors and high-income families to live in the new communities.
One of the first major
projects will be built along East Plant and West Franklin streets. East Plant’s
corridor has recently been widened to 3 to 4 lanes to make way for the
extension of downtown Winter Garden.
The project will be high-end
townhomes which will rise on the Battaglia family’s property located west of
the Winter Garden Library. The Battaglia’s plan to get a builder and if
everything goes well, they could start working on the site by the end of 2016,
according to Winter Garden’s city manager, Mike Bollhoefer.
The next project will be
built on the p100-acre property owned by
the Strates, which is a huge pastureland with some wetlands near the
429.
The Strates property is
considered as the biggest and most important lot on Plant Street and they are
currently working with a developer to make some high-end residential units and
possibly a hotel. The master plan is already done and they are starting on the
design and infrastructure this year.
The goal is to make the
highest and best use of the land as possible so they are looking for a
developer to follow the master plan which is a mix-used project with
residential, commercial, and retail units. The city allows structures up to 5
floors.
Bollhoefer believes that in
order to maintain the quality of life and the values of properties in these new
communities, it is essential to have available high-paying jobs in West Orange FL, since the economy of a city is driven by 20% of its jobs.
Part of the plan is a
high-end grocery store on the north side of Plant, where bald eagles perch on
the treetops across from the Strates property.
Other developments in Winter
Garden are not far from happening in the near future after these two. For
years, the city of Winter Garden has been buying properties to develop and
resell.
The property where Plant
Street intersects Ninth Street, which was formerly Grayline Trucking, is now
owned by the City of Winter Garden. The vision is for a mixed-use development
to be built on this land which will include retail shops and restaurants on the
bottom floor and offices on the second and third floor. They are limited to 3
floors only since it is the city’s policy that properties this close to
downtown should not go more than 3 floors.
The property located at the
northeast intersection of Plant and Hennis, which used to have an old
convenience store, is also owned by the city of Winter Garden, as well as the
Film Academy building and the former Florida Power building near Plant and
Highland Avenue.
As more and more projects
are built along the Plant corridor, people will witness a shift from industrial
to commercial to residential with its mixed-used developments and the plans of
the city to move industrial businesses off Plant and into the industrial areas
north of Hennis Road and Story Road. They want to avoid having visible
industrial businesses on the streets along with these high-end developments.
The city expects that its
former citrus industrial section will begin redevelopment soon. If it’s a
mixed-use retail industry that’s clean and doesn’t involve a lot of chemicals,
this will most likely bring in high-paying jobs in West Orange.
Lots of projects and
exciting developments will happen in Winter Garden and the city just keeps on
forward with its redevelopment projects. Developing the downtown first proved
to be a smart move since it increased their tax base and brought in more
developments. It attracted investors and developers to do other projects in
Winter Garden.
More high-end and mixed-used
developments means more jobs in West Orange, more investors, more businesses,
and a more vibrant community in Winter Garden starting this year. Looks like
2016 is going to be a great year for Winter Garden.
