Popeyes restaurant to replace demolished Sabal Hotel

If you’re familiar with Maguire Road and West Colonial Drive, you might have noticed something amiss recently, like, say, the 42-year-old Sabal Hotel that is now a big pile of rubble.

The Sabal Hotel did not go out of business, but it was turned over to a demolition contractor on May 2 by the property owner, Mocny LP, which decided to invest in ground leases instead.

The property site is about 3.3 acres, and Jeff Krisan, the authorized agent for Mocny LP, said it has been divided into three par- cels of about one acre apiece.

So far, only one of those parcels has a signed lease, and that lease is with Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, which is known for its New Orleans-style cuisine, particularly its spicy fried chicken.

Mocny LP is working with a broker to market the property and secure two more ground leases.

“Their plans are just to do ground leases and receive rents on the ground and not be in the business of maintaining properties,” Ocoee City Planner Michael Rumer said. “So with that kind of philosophy, they went forward and they found a potential user for the Sabal site and signed a ground lease with Popeyes, and that kicked off the demolition, the moving of the Perkins and the demolition of the hotel. They currently have a plan with the city of Ocoee to create three parcels on that land for future development.”

Rumer added that Mocny LP also owned the Fairfield Inn & Suites behind the Sabal Hotel and the Red Roof Inn, but sold both and retained the 3.3-acre Sabal property.

Krisan said the company is hoping to attract the best-use tenants on the property and would like to fill the spaces with restaurants. However, timing and extent of interest ultimately will determine the tenants.

“It’s really not our place to choose what works in Ocoee,” Krisan said. “It’s the tenant that’s willing to invest their money and their time in the property. You market it to all different types of users, and they determine whether the site is right for them. So (Popeyes) got interested.”

Krisan said Mocny LP believes new commercial retail coming into “one of the most valuable corners in West Orange County” will help the area develop.

Krisan estimates the parcel will be turned over to Popeyes for construction sometime in August or September to begin construction. The time completion is not yet known.

“We feel good about it, and they’re excited to come in,” Krisan said. “So it’s not so much us choosing them, it’s the user figuring out what’s right for their product.”

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected].