Putting a face on Maitland's town center

The Maitland Development Review Committee approved plans last week for a Dunkin Donuts to be developed at 1605 S. Orlando Ave., near the ACE Hardware, pending approval from Planning & Zoning.

A seventh workshop for proposing and creating the Downtown Maitland Zoning District will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30, in the Maitland Council Chambers. For more information, visit itsmymaitland.com

Visions of the family, community and pedestrian-friendly downtown that Maitland has been working toward for years filled the City Council chambers on Monday.

Two of the city’s downtown development partners, Bill Finfrock of Finfrock Design Inc. and Sean Law of American Realty Development, presented their updated design proposals for downtown Maitland at the April 23 City Council meeting. Finfrock proposed plans for the lot currently housing City Hall on Independence Lane, and Law showed plans for the area between Horatio and George avenues off U.S. Highway 17-92.

Finfrock displayed plans for a four-story parking garage structure with frontal mixed-use business space for restaurants, retail stores and offices.

Law outlined his firm’s “Heart of Maitland” French-colonial design: “The Elysian Plaza” would include 25,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 15,000 square feet for outdoor public plazas, 400 parking spaces and 200 apartments.

The city is in the process of hearing out proposals and setting up development agreements to solidify plans for its planned downtown zoning district, what Maitland Mayor Howard Schieferdecker says is the most important legislation facing the City Council in years.

Law says the design’s goal is to make Maitland a destination in Central Florida. He said it features a four-story parking garage, large “alfresco” public plaza and luxury apartments all in a New Orleans-style pedestrian-friendly setting. It even has plans for rooftop restaurants, pools and gardens.

“What we’re looking at here is a festival of life and community,” he said.

Schieferdecker said the city is currently working out a development agreement with Law’s firm.

Finfrock’s parking garage plans for the land where City Hall now stands, he said, are contingent upon plans in development of what will be built across the street from the Independence Lane property at the site of the former Winn-Dixie and Royal Plaza. Butch Charlan, with Charlan Brock & Associates architects and planners, is in early talks about developing that property, and is working closely with Finfrock.

Schieferdecker, who was also re-sworn in as mayor at the meeting, said he hopes the City Council, staff, community and its partners can work together to make Maitland the best that it can be as plans continue to develop for the downtown area.