Controversial Eatonville development delayed

An upscale $200 million development that could redefine the nation’s oldest African-American incorporated town has been put on hold for now.

Eatonville Town Council members couldn’t come to a vote Tuesday night on the World Transportation Exchange – a proposed mixed-use development that would be built along Kennedy Boulevard across from the Hungerford Prep High School building.

The 117-acre luxury development would include a car showcase, retail space, a hotel and residential condos.

World Transportation Exchange had requested a “vote of trust” with the town, where they could move forward with the project but still shape it based on community input. City Council members instead voted on a motion to continue working with WTE. That motion failed 3-2.

But Mayor Bruce Mount said the town now has a “clean slate” and can still negotiate with WTE.

“The project is not dead,” Mayor Bruce Mount said. “Town Council did not vote on it to approve it, but it’s not dead. We can still negotiate with that company.”

“If we can work something out, we can bring it back to the table.”

More than 100 local residents attended the meeting, with more than a dozen speaking up about the project – mostly in opposition due to fears of gentrification, access to new jobs and preserving the history of the town.

“If the demographics are changed due to gentrification, the residents of Eatonville could look nothing like the people I grew up with every summer over here,” said Hannibal Duncan, an Oviedo resident and property owner in Eatonville

“I see gentrification projects, you all see what happened in Winter Park and Hannibal Square. I’m named after him, and Hannibal Square don’t look like me.”

“This town was founded about 127 years ago; it was founded on the blood and the tears of concerned citizens that wanted to start their own town,” Eatonville resident Wanda Randall said. “I want to ask the Council to please be very mindful of what we are and what we stand for.”

“Really think about if this is what the citizens want. Listen to the people.”

But the WTE project could be the better alternative to another development that would threaten to demolish the Hungerford School, Mount said. The land will fall under ownership of Orange County Public Schools next August after a contract with the town expires, and SKL Equities has had a project in the works to build an indoor sports arena at the site of the school, causing an uproar among Eatonville residents.

The WTE development would instead set aside the 16 acres of land the school sits on and protect it – a chance at preserving the historic building while adding a potential museum or church on the property.

“We want to be perfectly clear: we believe that if we have your trust, we can deliver the project, a project that will ensure the security of the city of Eatonville autonomously for the next hundreds of years, just like it’s been fought for since 1887,” said Elliot Kahana, founder and managing partner of World Transportation Exchange.

The WTE development would be a stark contrast to the surrounding, small-town community. Most amenities at the new shopping center would be tailored toward an upper, wealthy class, including retailers for private yachts, jets and luxury cars such as Ferrari and Rolls-Royce.

The average income for an Eatonville resident in 2012 was $27,594, according to florida-demographics.com

Mount said the community will hold several meetings over the next three weeks working with WTE to reshape the development.