Hotel planned near State Road 50 in Ocoee

A new hotel will be coming to Ocoee.

City leaders voted 4-0 during the Jan. 21 commission meeting to approve annexation and rezoning ordinances related to two adjacent properties generally located north of State Road 50, south and east of Marshall Farms Road and west of Maguire Road.  The applicant is proposing to build Comfort Inn — Mainstay Suites hotel on the properties. Mayor Rusty Johnson abstained from the vote.

The two subject properties total 2.04 acres and the address of one property is 11401 W. Colonial Drive and the other is at 945 Marshall Farms Road. The property at 11401 W. Colonial is about 1.21 acres and had a zoning of Orange County C-2 (general commercial) and the property at 945 Marshall Farms Road is about 0.83 acres and had a zoning of Orange County A-1 (rural/agricultural). The properties have been rezoned to C-2 (community commercial), which allows for hotels.

“The development itself comprises of three parcels — (One) parcel … is already part of the city and then the two parcels we’re discussing,” said Zoning Manager Kiel Gajadhar. “(It is) eligible for annexation (because) the property is contiguous to other city properties, it is located within the city joint planning area with Orange County, the annexation will not create an enclave, it’s a logical extension to the city and the applicant is annexing into the city in order to acquire city water.”

Gajadhar added that the city’s Development Review Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission and staff recommended approval of the annexation and rezoning ordinances for both properties. He said the city will get a better idea of what the proposed hotel would look like in the next step of the development process. He also said the property will have two primary access points and that the storm water will be handled onsite with retention pond.

“The next step for this … you’ll see later on — if approved — is a large-scale site plan,” Gajadhar said. “One of the reasons the applicant acquired this property (on Marshall Farms Road) is to be able to have access somewhere on (Marshall Farms Road) as well has off West Colonial Drive.”

In Other News

The City of Ocoee’s finance department was awarded the Certification of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

City leaders held the first reading of two ordinances that amends the city code to address outstanding parking violations as well as make clarifications to policies regulating the parking of commercial  vehicles on public property. The second reading of the ordinances will be held during the Feb. 4 commission meeting.

Commissioners heard the first reading of an ordinance related to the collection of unpaid red light violation notices or uniform traffic citations. The second reading of the ordinance will be held during the commission meeting scheduled for Feb. 4.

City leaders held the first reading of an ordinance that amends sections in the land development code related to residential fencing. A second reading is scheduled for the Feb. 4 commission meeting.

The commission voted unanimously approve the Ocoee Youth Council to attend the 2020 Legislative Action Days Youth Program in Tallahassee on Feb. 11 to 12. Funding for the trip was approved for up to $1,100.