Warriors softball gets WG City Commission recognition

WINTER GARDEN  With plenty of proud parents in attendance -- camera phones jutting out all over -- the West Orange Warriors softball team received its latest recognition at the May 26 Winter Garden City Commission meeting at City Hall.

Mayor John Rees and commissioners honored the team for its state championship, especially Florida's Miss Softball -- star junior ace Lauren Mathis -- and Head Coach of the Year Todd LaNeave.

The commission then passed an amendment to its 2015-16 budget. City Manager Mike Bollhoefer also noted 10 particular poles that would be removed in a continuation of city plans to get more wires underground and out of the air.

CULVER'S A GO

Commissioners approved the site plan for Culver's near West Colonial Drive and South Dillard Street, which entails a 4,253-square-foot restaurant and landscaping improvements on a 0.87-acre site on the northern side of the street. This is part of the Intram property at that intersection, which Wawa will anchor, and Intram plans three additional buildings on the site.

Construction remains in relatively early stages after the Aug. 21, 2015 destruction ceremony for the Exclusive Inn that formerly occupied the lot.

LAKEFRONT HOMES APPROVED

The commission unanimously passed the ordinance rezoning Premer Property Urban Village -- 126.94 acres around 17000 Marsh Road -- from no zoning to Urban Village Planned Unit Development.

Plans for this parcel on the north shore of Lake Avalon include 107 single-family lots, 28.74 acres of open space, a 2.87-acre park and recreational facilities: a pool, a cabana, a neighborhood and butterfly garden, a playground, bike paths, a neighborhood pier and a lakeside dog park. Based on neighbors' concerns of water access leading to reduced water quality for Lake Avalon, city staff had requested a buoy system with floats around the neighborhood pier to prevent motorized watercrafts from accessing the lake.

One such concerned local was Jane Ferguson, who said most lots around the lake have been well more than one acre, so plans for her estimate of 30 waterfront lots would not fit the surrounding rural community.

District 3 Commissioner Bobby Olszewski asked Ferguson what she would prefer, to which her reply was a lack of lakefront homes.

"If there must be homes on the water, at least make them more than one acre in size," Ferguson said.

Bollhoefer said several meetings on this project had shown many in the surrounding area in favor of it, with research showing plans were consistent with standards for the city in terms of properties abutting water. Staff said nothing in this development should affect the lake -- not even storm water runoff. Staff also noted the history of the project including plans for a density of 12 units per acre within Horizon West, but it became part of Winter Garden and now has a density of 1.86 units per acre instead, according to developer plans.

Furthermore, the controls in place would suffice and be an improvement over septic tanks, which could produce one of the worst catastrophes to Lake Avalon, staff said. Beyond aforementioned measures, staff also alluded to shallow water levels for Lake Avalon at certain points of the year hindering any type of access from the northern shore.

IN OTHER NEWS

• Bollhoefer announced Orange County officials had approved a roundabout agreement with Winter Garden as of May 24. The roundabout project would be at the intersection of Stoneybrook West Parkway and Windermere Road.
• The commission set tentative budget hearing dates of Sept. 7 and 21.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].