Wawa planned for intersection in Winter Garden

WINTER GARDEN — After a relatively swift demolition of the property at the northwest corner of South Dillard Street and West Colonial Drive in Winter Garden, the lot has been vacant long enough for passersby to wonder what development will arise.

Rashid Khatib, President and CEO of Intram Investments Inc., the entity that is managing the property, said that the objective of the company is to build a shopping center in place of not only that lot but a few adjacent lots, as well.

“We are still early on that,” Khatib said. “For the leasing, we are ready. We purchased the gas station and have been demolishing it. We will demolish the hotel. The pieces include the gas station, the hotel and the two behind the gas station — two properties owned by the Ropers — and to the west of the hotel there, two lots on 50 we are buying, too.”

At this time, Intram Investments and Wawa have an agreement in place, and talks among Intram, Winter Garden officials and other businesses have occurred, but nothing apart from the Wawa is finalized yet, Khatib said.

“I hope we have some multi-tenant buildings and two restaurants and some office space,” he said. “The city is aware of what we want to do and they are supportive of the new development that will happen at that corner. I think the city is very fast trying to upgrade and renew the offerings on (S.R.) 50, Dillard, (County Road) 535 and offer something very different.”

There are no plans for this development to touch the Maryland Fried Chicken along West Colonial Drive to the west, but development in that area would positively affect Maryland Fried Chicken and all nearby businesses by being next to a new shopping center that would increase traffic in the area, Khatib said.

Winter Garden City Manager Mike Bollhoeffer said city officials were glad to have this opportunity to clean up a corner in need of redevelopment.

“We do believe working with the developer will get some other good projects that are on that corner,” Bollhoefer said. “At this time, the developer’s looking at a few options, and we’re looking closely with the developer at developing that corner. We’re working closely to ensure what is there is a big improvement to Winter Garden once it’s finished and fits in with what is there now.”

Winter Garden Mayor John Rees agreed that the corner needed a general cleanup and said a Wawa there would be a good start.

“Obviously Wawa would be good because we sell the orange juice to them here,” he said. “Personally, I would like to see a hotel there, to replace what was built in the ’60s, when the Winter Garden Hotel was built. But I don’t own the property; it’s not my money. I just think it’s a good location for a hotel, and in Winter Garden we need more places where people can stay.”

Having a hotel with a restaurant likely attached to it in addition to a Wawa there would take up most of the space on the property in question, Rees said. But if developers do not put in a hotel, there are certainly other possibilities, such as those Khatib alluded to, Rees said.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].