HDSi working on a mixed income project in Apopka; August 9, 2022

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Orange County wants to incentivize developers to build mixed-income communities

By Dustin Wyatt

Growthspotter

Aug 09, 2022 at 6:00 pm

Monroe Landings, built by Wendover Housing Partners, is an example of a mixed-income community in Sanford. (Wendover Housing Partners)

Last summer, the longtime owner of 40 acres of land in Apopka began hashing out development ideas for the vacant property.

LandDesign submitted an application to Orange County to discuss a proposed 181-lot subdivision — a mix of detached single-family homes and townhomes — under the name Cascades at Marden.

A year later, a new plan for the same property was submitted to the county for review. And while it wears the same name, the newest iteration is much larger and includes a focus on affordable housing.

Jim Hall with Hall Development Services filed an application to the county this week seeking to rezone the 40 acres of former agricultural land, shown here, from R-2 to a PD in order to construct 216 single-family attached residential dwelling units and 400 multi-family units, with 20% of the apartments being affordable.

This mix of market-rate and affordable housing within the same community is a product that Orange County planners are pushing for more of.

In a recent interview with GrowthSpotter, Alberto Vargas, the county’s planning director, said the county anticipates having submittals for 80,300 new multifamily units by 2030. Of that number, the county’s goal is for 30% of those units to be designated as affordable.

“We are trying to have that conversation with the development community,” he said. “They may just be thinking of submitting for market rate; what we are saying is that we have mechanisms in place right now to incentivize mixed-income, where you have affordable, attainable and market rate combined. That’s the approach we are going after.”

Developers of projects that introduce a mixed-income program could see incentives such as an expedited review process, a reduction in impact fees, and other financial incentives, Vargas explained.

The initiative is tied to Orange County’s Housing for All initiative, a ten-year plan to address housing affordability and supply by removing regulatory barriers, creating new financial resources, targeting areas of access and opportunity, and engaging the community and industry, according to the county’s website.

Vargas said mixed-income communities should be designed in a way where the affordable units are indistinguishable from market-rate units by either appearance or amenities.

“The residential units shall be dispersed at all affordability levels throughout the development, neighborhood, or community with a continuum of income levels rather than a demarked division between market rate and low-income residents. New mixed-income neighborhoods should fit seamlessly into the surrounding community.”

Vargas said the county is working to move away from stand-alone affordable housing communities.

An example of a large-scale mixed-income project in the area is Wendover Housing Partners’ plan to build a 1,000-unit housing community for Universal called Catchlight Crossings. It’ll include an on-site tuition-free preschool and medical care, 16,000 square feet of retail space, fitness trails and a transportation hub for buses, ridesharing and employer shuttles.

The idea is also referred to as inclusionary zoning, and many government jurisdictions have gone a step beyond incentivizing it. Large cities such as Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston, Atlanta, and Denver have policies requiring it.

In Denver, for example, developers can either build more affordably priced units as part of any construction project or pay a mandatory fee to offset the construction of affordable units elsewhere.

That policy, which was approved in June and amended a month later to include the mandatory in-lieu-of fee, also provides incentives.

Wendover Housing Partners plans to build a 1,000-unit mixed-income housing community for Universal with on-site tuition-free preschool and medical care, 16,000 square feet of retail space, fitness trails and a transportation hub for buses, ridesharing and employer shuttles. (Provided by Wendover Housing Partners)

“Denver’s position is that inclusionary housing can’t solve the housing crisis alone, but it is a proven strategy for cities and states to create, maintain, and preserve housing units that are affordable for generations,” Laura Swartz, the city’s Community Planning and Development spokesperson told the Denver Gazette. “An important element of successful policies is to combine requirements with incentives, such as lower fees, parking reductions, and height increases, to help offset the cost of building affordable units and increase the overall supply of housing.”

As of now, short of a requirement, Orange County’s top planner is hoping the prospect of incentives is enough to entice developers to move in this direction.

The extent of the participation could come down to how far the county is willing to go with the incentives, said Lee Steinhauer, the general counsel of the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando.

“It’s expensive to build anything when you consider land prices, materials, labor, financing, and impact fees,” he told GrowthSpotter. “I think if the county is serious about incentivizing this they are going to have to figure out a way to make it pencil out for a developer. By either waiving impact fees for units targeted to be affordable, expediting the entire project, or waiving permitting fees, etc. They are going to have to make it work from an economic standpoint.”

If the county offers all of the above, it could convince some to pursue mixed-income, but not all, he added.

“We certainly need more affordable housing, I don’t think anyone is going to argue with that,” Steinhauer said. “And getting creative in terms of how to create affordable housing is always a good thing and a positive. I think in this scenario, it sounds good on its face and it can work under the right conditions, I just don’t think it’s going to be for everyone. It’s going to be something the county will have to heavily incentivize.”

Central Florida is faced with a critical shortage of affordable housing as rent rates climb. The average rent for an Orlando apartment is currently $1,813 per month, according to Co-Star.

Hawthorne Park, a new affordable housing development for senior residents over 55 in the Pine Hills area with a workout room, barber and hair salon, theater room, gazebo, garden and a pool with wheel-chair access in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

As of 2020, the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse showed that among all income levels, more than 86,000 Orange County households spent more than half their monthly income on housing, along with nearly 27,000 in Seminole County and more than 17,400 in Osceola County.

According to research from the Florida Apartment Association, Orange County currently has a shortage of 5,188 apartment homes and will have a shortage of 54,477 apartment homes by 2030.

In an effort to add to the affordable housing inventory, the Orange County Commission, in 2020, started the taxpayer-funded Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The county has invested $25 million into the program thus far. Over the next 10 years, the county is expected to funnel $160 million into it.

The first wave of allocations from this program came in September of 2021 when the county awarded $13 million to developers for four separate multifamily communities.

Among recipients, Wendover Housing Partners received $2 million for its Southwick Commons project, with a promise to bring 195 workforce housing units to Apopka’s city center.

But the city denied the project, citing a contract with the city center developer that banned affordable options. Wendover Housing then sued the city, citing discrimination.

The county is also exploring a controversial rent control measure. Commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday to put a rent stabilization ordinance on the Nov. 8 election ballot.

The site of the proposed Cascades at Marden is owned by an entity titled Marden Properties Inc, led by Ann Carr. Records show the company has controlled the land since the 1980′s.

Materials submitted to Orange County do not indicate which developer has been tabbed to lead the project. The county deemed it an insufficient application, so it will not be reviewed until more information is provided.

On adjacent land to the west, construction is underway for the Class A, 264-unit Summer House apartment community, which is being developed by NM Residential and Nvision Development.

Summer House will consist of 264 multifamily units surrounding a lake in Apopka, next to the Marden Ridge Apartments. (Forum Architecture)

To the south of Summer House is another luxury living NM Residential asset: The 272-unit Marden Ridge.

The Cascades at Marden property is surrounded to the north and east by a subdivision.

Apopka has seen a flurry of residential development in recent months. Mercury Advisors is seeking approval from the county to build as many as 160 single-family homes along the north side of Orange Blossom Trail/S.R. 441 near Zellwood.

That’s located less than two miles from the company’s Avion Pointe project which is being built out by multifamily developer Taurus Investment Holdings and homebuilder D.R. Horton.

Plans for Avian Pointe call for more than 750 residential units across of mix of single-family homes, townhomes and apartments. The master-planned community will feature a large amount of community/recreational space that will include multiple sports fields, courts and public parks.

KB Home recently submitted plans to the city for 150 townhomes and 27 detached homes on 45 acres at the southwest intersection of Kelly Park Road and Chandler Road in the city’s Kelly Park interchange district.

Illinois-based Wingspan Development Group is teaming up with Tampa-based developer ABC Capital Corp to bring a mix-use village with restaurants, retail space and multi-family apartments to the Kelly Park Interchange.

Clearwater developer Mike Galvin is working on plans to bring 675 single-family residential units and 300 apartments to 180 acres between Effie Drive and Round Lake Road, just north of Kelly Park Road.

Pulte Homes is pursuing what could become its second residential community in the Kelly Park Interchange district, seeking to bring another 140 homes to 40 acres at 3100 Ondich Rd. and 5704, 5706 and 5708 Plymouth Sorrento Road.

 

After much travail, 1,000 room convention hotel approved near SeaWorld; April 20, 2022

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HOTELS & HOSPITALITY DEVELOPMENT NEWS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

New hotel planned for Orlando’s Westwood Boulevard near SeaWorld and OCCC

By Dustin Wyatt
Growthspotter
Apr 18, 2022 at 5:09 pm

A rendering shows how a future 1,000 room hotel on Westwood Boulevard will look (Smallwood Architecture)

Westwood Boulevard ― a road that runs parallel to State Road 528 near the Orange County Convention Center and SeaWorld ― is poised for new hotel development, with one grandiose high-rise concept recently granted approval.   A 36-story, 1,000-room hotel and convention center under development by Orlando-based Skorman Construction and its affiliate Westwood Land Corporation received final approval on April 8.

The not-yet-named Skorman-led hotel project would cover 995,000 square feet and rise 36 stories tall.  It would feature three restaurants, with one on the roof offering views of four theme different parks.  “You can be on the roof and see all of the fireworks” from theme parks, said Kevin Skorman, Vice President of Skorman Construction. “This is single-handedly the best piece of property in Orlando right now.”

Atlanta-based architecture firm Smallwood is leading the building’s design, while Hall Development Services and Kimley Horn are handling planning and civil engineering.  Skorman couldn’t provide an estimate as to when the project will be complete.

The Grow Agrihood moves forward; December 7, 2021

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PulteGroup will be the primary homebuilder within Dwight Saathoff’s The Grow

By 
GROWTHSPOTTER 
DEC 06, 2021  6:11 PM

PulteGroup will build some of the first homes within The Grow master-planned community that will feature a 9-acre working farm, two major community gardens, and 20-acre public community park, and a farm-to-table restaurant.
PulteGroup will build some of the first homes within The Grow master-planned community that will feature a 9-acre working farm, two major community gardens, and 20-acre public community park, and a farm-to-table restaurant. (PFD)
Developer Dwight Saathoff is bringing in the Pulte Group to serve as the primary homebuilder within his 1,185-acre master-planned agri-hood community in east Orlando.  The Atlanta-based homebuilder is the first to be mentioned as part of plans for the mega-development referred to as “The Grow,” which will shape more than a thousand acres of pasture land between Lake Pickett Road and State Road 50 into a community inspired by the splendors of farm life.

In total, The Grow is entitled to feature 2,078 homes and 172,000 square feet of commercial space. Between that, the community will also feature 21 acres of community gardens, a 20-acre community park, 12 miles of recreational trails, edible landscaping, a street for farmers markets and a farm-to-table restaurant, among other agricultural amenities.  PulteGroup was mentioned in a recently submitted Preliminary Subdivision Plan seeking to subdivide 408 acres owned by Saathoff’s American Land Investments Of Orange County LLC on the southern portion of the master-planned community.  PulteGroup plans to build 701 single-family detached homes and 166 single-family attached homes on roughly 400 acres in east Orlando.  Of the roughly 400 acres, 217 acres are developable.

Max Perlman, VP of land acquisition at PulteGroup, told GrowthSpotter the company intends to build townhomes and single-family one- and two-story homes. The PSP states the project will be developed in four phases. Lot widths for single-family homes will range from 34 feet to 125 feet.  “The project has excellent proximity and access to UCF, Central Florida Research Park, State Road 408 and Waterford Lakes Town Center, making it an attractive place to live,” he said. “The master amenities and agri-hood lifestyle will make The Grow a true one-of-a-kind community in Central Florida and Pulte looks forward to being a part of it.”

Saathoff with Project Finance & Development said plans for The Grow’s master infrastructure are currently under review and right behind it is the recently submitted PSP application that covers the southern portion of the project. “There’s a high degree of collaboration between us,” he said. “It would be hard to bring in someone else after there’s been over a year of discussions, visioning sessions, and development of construction plans, budget and timing. We really wanted to have those discussions with one homebuilder.”

 Jim Hall with HDSi is the community planner for the subdivision plans. VHB  serves as the civil engineer on the project. Bio-Tech Consulting Inc. is handling environmental affairs and Allen & Company is the surveyor.

The first phase will consist of 300 homesites, setting the edges of the farm and starting to ready the soil, a working barn, a welcome center with adjacent café/bakery, the first couple of miles of the edible landscape trail, Saathoff said. He said he expects to be in the position to break ground next summer.

Banksville Of Florida Inc. is another major property owner in the community. Plans have not yet been submitted for its roughly 550 acres.

Packing District residential moving forward; October 28,2021

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The Packing District draws another luxury apartment development

By 
GROWTHSPOTTER 
OCT 26, 2021  4:55 PM

Third Wave Development has filed plans for a 293-unit apartment building in The Packing District at 1900 Orange Blossom Trail.
Third Wave Development has filed plans for a 293-unit apartment building in The Packing District at 1900 Orange Blossom Trail. (Dwell Design Studio)
The Packing District has drawn a third multifamily development application in the month of October, this time appropriately named Yjird Wave Development.

The firm, led by longtime Orlando developer Chuck Hollis, filed a Specific Parcel Master Plan application Monday for a 293-unit apartment community slated to rise on 3.8 acres at 1900 Orange Blossom Trail. The industrial property has been owned by Steward Properties LLC since 2005 and serves at the home of Northside Trucks.

The “Northside Yards” project is just outside the Packing District Planned Development and abuts the site of theptoposed 350 init apartment community at the southwest corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Princeton Street. That project would be the second phase by Texas-based Embrey Partners, which is now leasing The Camry at the Packing District apartments at 2501 N. Orange Blossom Trail.

The five-story building would have two amenity courtyards and a dog park along Diversified Way. The design incorporates a dozen different materials for the exterior finishes.
The five-story building would have two amenity courtyards and a dog park along Diversified Way. The design incorporates a dozen different materials for the exterior finishes. (Dwell Design Studio)

The proposed 1900 Northside apartments would feature a five-story building with an attached parking garage and two interior amenity courtyards. The development site extends to Diversified Way and contemplates the existing rail spur being converted into a multi-use trail. The primary access would be via Strobel Avenue, which would be reconstructed as a complete street with enhanced sidewalks and on-street parking. The developer is seeking a 6% parking reduction due to the project being a tenth of a mile from a Lynx bus stop.

Atlanta-based Dwell Design Studio is the architect of record. Dwell incorporated a dozen different materials for the exterior finishes; among them are three types of masonry, two types of metal siding, board and batten and wood-stained cementitious siding.
‘Missing middle’ apartment development planned near southwest Oviedo
The project follows the original vision of the master developer, Dr. Phillips Charities, to transform the 202-acre industrial area into a population center with a vibrant mix of residential, civic and commercial uses.

“We have always hoped and expected that the success of the Packing District would lead to the surrounding properties improving, and this is yet another example,” Dr. Phillips Charities CEO Ken Robinson told GrowthSpotter.

Construction is underway on The Packing District Park and Orlando Tennis Centre. The regional park features a pond overlook, a 40-acre urban farm, sports fields, a pavilion, an entertainment stage, scenic walking and jogging trails, and more.

Packing District warehouses give way to make room for more apartments
The YMCA of Central Florida broke ground in September on a new 24,500-square-foot family center at the intersection of Princeton and N. Texas Avenue. Next door to the Y, Toll Brothers launched sales on Oct. 5 for its luxury townhouse community, The Brix at the Packing District. The temporary sales office is at 3025 Edgewater Dr. in College Park. The Brix onsite sales center and two townhome models will open in early 2022.

Meanwhile, the owners of Princeton Commerce Center, an 83,750-square-foot warehouse complex at the corner of Princeton Street and Texas Avenue, are also seeking approval for a new mixed-use planned development on their 10-acre site. The goal is to entitle the property and then put it on the market.

Jim Hall with HDSi has submitted a framework master plan that creates a pair of mixed-use residential buildings with a maximum height of 100 feet, structured parking and allowances for 600 residential units. A new east-west road would bisect the project, which would have apartment buildings on either side, and would provide cross access to the new YMCA facility next door. Up to 20,000 square feet of combined office and retail uses would occupy the ground floors of the buildings, fronting on the new thru road. The project would be divided into two phases with each able to function as stand-alone developments.

Vertical construction on a new 27,512-square-foot Publix will begin in mid-2022 on the site of the original Dr. Phillips packing house at the northeast corner of Princeton and Orange Blossom Trail.

New Mixed Use Project in Orlando’s Packing District; October 7, 2021

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Packing District warehouses give way to make room for more apartments

By 
GROWTHSPOTTER 
OCT 06, 2021  1:45 PM

The four parcels in blue will be the site for Embrey Development's second apartment complex in the Packing District. Outlined in red is the K and D Investments property where the owners are seeking entitlements for 600 residential units and 20,000 square feet of office and retail uses.
The four parcels in blue will be the site for Embrey Development’s second apartment complex in the Packing District. Outlined in red is the K and D Investments property where the owners are seeking entitlements for 600 residential units and 20,000 square feet of office and retail uses. (Orange County Property Appraiser/HDSi)

Dr. Phillips Charities, master developer of the 202-acre Packing District has applied for demolition permits for four buildings fronting on Orange Blossom Trail southwest of Princeton Street. Two of the buildings had previously been identified as potential sites for adaptive reuse in the Packing District master plan, but they will instead be razed to make way for a second phase of apartments by Embrey Partners which is now leasing in The Cannery apartments in the district.

Texas-based Embrey Partners has filed a master plan with the city of Orlando for the 350-unit multifamily community. The location sits directly across Orange Blossom Trail from the Packing District food hall, which has an approved master plan. No construction plans have been submitted for the food hall, which is one of the only buildings that will feature an adaptive reuse redevelopment.

A new Publix will anchor the retail center just south of The Cannery at the Packing District apartments.
A new Publix will anchor the retail center just south of The Cannery at the Packing District apartments. (Handout)

The Cannery offers 307 residential units immediately north of the Publix-anchored shopping center. Featured amenities include a pool and courtyard; two additional courtyards with entertainment areas; a lounge with roof deck; a resident lounge, a Wi-Fi lounge and game room; fitness facility with yoga and spin rooms; a dog park and dog wash; a bike shop; micro offices and a package room.

Meanwhile, the owners of Princeton Commerce Center, an 83,750-square-foot warehouse complex at the corner of Princeton Street and Texas Avenue, are also seeking approval for a new mixed-use planned development to complement the Packing District.  Jim Hall with HDSi has submitted a framework master plan for the 10-acre site that creates a pair of mixed-use residential buildings with a maximum height of 100 feet, structured parking and allowances for 600 residential units. A new east-west road would bisect the project, which would have apartment buildings on either side, and would provide cross access to the new YMCA facility next door. Up to 20,000 square feet of combined office and retail uses would occupy the ground floors of the buildings, fronting on the new thru road. The project would be divided into two phases with each able to function as stand-alone developments.

Hall said he is working on behalf of K and D Investments, which has owned the property since 1999. “We’re just taking it through entitlements, and then they’ll be able to take it to market,” he said.

HDSi designing a new community for DR Horton in Groveland; August 21, 2021

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HDSi has been working on a new community for DRH since October in Groveland.  The 1,500 acre property is entitled into two different forms of community; Village and hamlet.  Each has a Form based Code to set development standards.  The Village is more dense than the Hamlet but each require a pedestrian community orientation.  For the Village, the land is low and flat with some mature tree stands.  HDSi used this natural condition to create a community of linked neighborhoods by street and trails as well a Village core with commercial, apartments, town homes and bungalows.  For the Hamlet, the Code requires significant open space for the rolling land.  HDSi created two neighborhoods separated by lowland in a classic grid arrangement.  The Village will be submitted for first review in September.

South Lake Crossings moving forward; August 20, 2021

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Lennar Homes pays $20.7M for first half of Wellness Way project

By 
GROWTHSPOTTER 
AUG 19, 2021  6:33 PM

Lennar Homes is the contracted buyer for all 1,850 single-family homesites in the Wellness Way PUD in Clermont. The homebuilder paid $20.7 million this week for the first half of the project.
Lennar Homes is the contracted buyer for all 1,850 single-family homesites in the Wellness Way PUD in Clermont. The homebuilder paid $20.7 million this week for the first half of the project. (HDSi)

Lennar Homes closed this week on the first takedown for the Wellness Way master-planned community, which comprised a little over half of the approved 1,850 single-family home lots in the Clermont mixed-use district.

Seller Jim Karr said Lennar paid $20.7 million for the entitled land and is expected to close on the balance of the project in two years. Karr said his company would keep all of the land west of Hancock Road, which is entitled for commercial, multifamily and employment use.

“Lennar is going to be putting in Wellness Way and bringing utilities down from Clermont,” Karr said. The builder also will extend Hancock Road from Hartwood Marsh south to Wellness Way. “This is the first step of a network that will be built with roads and utilities,” he said.

Karr said he spent years negotiating with neighboring property owners and swapping land so that he could acquire all of the necessary right-of-way, which will be donated to the county in exchange for impact fee credits.  Jim Hall of HDSi assisted Karr and provided all community design and entitlements for the project.

Lennar Orlando Division President Brock Nicholas said the company will start mass grading fairly soon, but the horizontal site work and utility work will take at least a year.
“The first home starts won’t occur until September of next year, at the earliest,” he told GrowthSpotter. The first take includes 966 homesites.

The residential portion of the community east of Hancock is approved only for detached single-family homes and townhomes. The lot widths range from 18 feet wide for the townhomes up to 70 feet wide for the detached single-family homes.

“We’ll have six different housing products: street-loaded townhomes with single car garage; alley-loaded townhomes with double garage; cottage homes and manor homes that are alley-loaded, and estates and executive homes that are street-loaded,” he said. “There will be innovative features incorporated into the community, as the area suggests.”

The homebuilder’s Next Gen floorplans will also be available in the community. They are designed to appeal to multi-generational buyers by incoprorating a guest suite with a separate entrance, living area and kitchenette, within the house.

All of the homes will offer Lennar’s “Everything’s Included” package, which includes smart home technology, upgraded finishes and energy-efficient features. But designs and pricing won’t be released until next year, at the earliest.

The PUD identifies a 10-acre amenity site on Wellness Way, as well as numerous public and private parks. It also reserves 15 acres for a future charter school and 1.5 acres for a new fire station.

Apartments near the new Apopka hospital; June 23, 2021

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Property owners in Apopka begin prepping land for new multifamily development

By 
GROWTHSPOTTER 
JUN 22, 2021  4:55 PM

To the north of Medicine Lake, a company linked to managers at First Team Commercial is planning to build a 304-unit apartment community. To the south (starred), property owners are prepping the land to accommodate up to 352 multifamily units.
To the north of Medicine Lake, a company linked to managers at First Team Commercial is planning to build a 304-unit apartment community. To the south (starred), property owners are prepping the land to accommodate up to 352 multifamily units. (City of Apopka/Orange County Property Appraiser)

Dual apartment complexes are being planned around Medicine Lake in Apopka.

While Winter Park-based real estate firm First Team Commercialworks to score final site plan permits for its planned 304-unit apartment community at 2302 Ocoee-Apopka Rd., the property owners just south are beginning to prep their land for a similar development.

According to an application submitted in Apopka, property owners David and Michelle Leon are seeking to change the future land use designation of 17.85 acres to allow for a new apartment complex with entitlements to build up to 352 multifamily units.

Currently, the maximum allowable use on the site would be 211 residential dwelling units. The Leons appointed planning consultant Jim Hall of Hall Development Services to change the current land use to High-Density Residential 25 (HDR-25), allowing a developer to build an additional 141 units.

David and Michelle Leon have owned the land for 20 years. The couple purchased the property in 2001 for $325,000, records show.

The property is located on the west side of Ocoee-Apopka Road and Keene Road intersection, less than a mile away from the AdventHealth Apopka hospital at 2100 Ocoee-Apopka Road.

Of the roughly 18 acres, about 14 acres are considered developable, according to application documents.

In a statement submitted to city planners, Hall said a PUD will be proposed after the map amendment and prior to transmittal hearings. Hall confirmed the plans are meant to accommodate future multifamily development but did not respond to questions regarding a future purchaser and developer.

Just north of the site, on 16.5 acres north of Medicine Lake, First Team Commercial plans to build a seven-building, garden-style apartment community. The property owners are related to the family members that founded Herman J. Heidrich & Sons, a prominent fruit and produce business that grew into Florida’s largest shipper of fresh fruit in the 1960s.

According to Preservation Winter Park, a blog run by members of an organization of the same name that supports preservation efforts, both properties were originally owned by members of the Gwathmey family, who had been physicians and citrus growers in the area in the late 1930s.

Around 2005 the Leons moved a house, built on the property that the organization strongly suspects was built and designed by architect James Gamble Rogers in 1938. According to the blog article, a developer previously offered to purchase the land surrounding Medicine Lake with plans for multifamily development, but the deal fell through after the 2008 recession.

Windermere approves major downtown redevelopment; June 9, 2021

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After two years of negotiating, six public meetings and a myriad of issues large and small, the Town Council approved the 2 acre redevelopment on Main Street last night in a unanimous vote.  Jim Hall of HDSi is the team leader on this project for long time client Jim Karr and his partners.  The existing realty building and three shops will be razed to make way for 21,750 square feet of new development which will include a restaurant, retail and office space.

A key to the project is preserving large live oaks on site as well as a state of the art septic system.  The proposal follows the Town’s 2004 downtown overlay in all respects.  This redevelopment will be a significant upgrade for the Town’s downtown.

Mid Rise Apartment community adds mixed use to south Orlando; May 14, 2021

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Condemned hotel turned condominium complex will be demolished and redeveloped

By 
GROWTHSPOTTER 
MAY 13, 2021  6:03 PM

Blossom Park was originally built as a Days Inn in the 1970s.
Blossom Park was originally built as a Days Inn in the 1970s. (Jacob Langston, Orlando Sentinel)

Records show affiliated company Landstreet Project LLC paid $4 million to purchase the shuttered 340-unit Blossom Park community at 1851 W. Landstreet Rd. in March.

Harry Collison Jr., a director at Winter Park-based Collison Capital and a long time HDSi client,, served as the court-appointed receiver for the property in the deal.

Collison told GrowthSpotter the new owners have formalized an agreement with Orange County to demolish the seven-building complex and settle some outstanding fines against the property, which has been in receivership since 2010.

The property reportedly had accrued more than $19 million in liens and fines because of structural deterioration. The county agreed the new owner only had to pay $500,000. Earlier this year, a massive fire set a portion of the property ablaze.
Blossom Park was condemned and evacuated in 2015 for being inhabitable.
Blossom Park was condemned and evacuated in 2015 for being inhabitable. (Orange County)

“The property is in a state of disrepair,” project planner and consultant Jim Hall of Hall Development Services, said. “It was always a hotel, but at some point, during this century someone sold units as residential condos. That’s when maintenance started to go downhill.”

Blossom Park was originally built as a Days Inn in the 1970s until the former owners started selling hotel units as condominiums in 2003. For years the property was unkempt and crime-ridden.

Residents at the complex vacated the premises in 2015 when an Orange County code enforcement officer deemed the complex as unfit for human inhabitation. An engineering study reportedly revealed a host of problems, including stairwells in danger of collapsing.

David Lundberg with Commercial Equity Partners (CEP) represented the buyers in the most recent deal.

“I believe this property has been abandoned longer than any other property in Orange County history and had the largest number of violations,” he said.

Lundberg adds he and the new owner believe one of the best uses for the property would be affordable housing.

Orange County has historically lacked a sufficient amount of affordable housing for its residents, especially the many who work in the low-wage-paying jobs nearby in the service and tourism industries that help fuel its economy.

The property, located northwest of the intersection between Orange Blossom Trail and Landstreet Road, spans about seven acres. It sits just south of the Atlantic Coast Railroad, near major roadways including U.S. Route 441, S.R. 528, and Florida’s Turnpike.

A Land Use Plan recently submitted in Orange County shows Sands Capital intends to develop a 250-unit, garden-style apartment community. The units will be a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

Sands Capital partner Michael Simcha was not immediately available to comment.

The company operates as a lender and investment firm that specializes in providing investors secured loans to purchase property, finance construction, and rehabilitate neglected properties, according to its website.

Sands Capital worked with title insurance company Riverside Abstract to close the deal.