Winter Garden leaders consider property purchase

With land becoming scarce, Winter Garden has plans to purchase a property located at 902 Avalon Road. 

During the March 28 Winter Garden City Commission meeting, city leaders authorized City Manager Mike Bollhoefer to buy a .49-acre residential parcel located northwest of Avalon Road.

The parcel, zoned single-family residential, contains a three-bedroom home owned by Benjamin and Marica Bledsoe, who plan to move out-of-state, Bollhoefer said. The parcel is adjacent to three-and-one-half acres of city-owned land to the west, which may prove useful to the city, Bollhoefer added.

“The city already owns land located adjacent to Knox Nursery, but this little corner is cut off, and there's a house there now and the property is up for sale,” he said. “We’d like to purchase it, because we can then assemble it with other piece of land to make it a larger four-acre piece. Long-term use: the city could use it for a park, or it's always possible to use it as a substation if we need it later for public works. Or the city could just decide to sell it at a later time, but by purchasing it, it gives (the city) more land and more frontage.”

If combined with the land under consideration for city purchase, would total about four acres, Bollhoefer said, adding that the size would be suitable for a future park. In the interim, it could house the labor force working on Tucker Ranch, he suggested to the commission.

City leaders approved a motion to authorize Bollhoefer to enter into a contract and purchase the parcel for $240,000.

IN OTHER NEWS

• City leaders approved the second reading of an ordinance that seeks to add a section governing fertilizer use to the city’s code of ordinances. The code amendment will give the city authority to enforce Orange County’s fertilizer regulations via violation fines.
• Commissioners held the first reading of an ordinance that seeks to amend the quorum and voting requirements for the Architectural Review and Historic Preservation Board. The change would count members who are physically present to be counted as part of the quorum, even if the member abstains from voting on one or more items during the meeting. 
• Commissioners also postponed the second reading for the rezoning request concerning a 0.54-acre property located at 43 First St. VMG Construction plans to build a one-story, 3,200-square-foot office building on the south side of the property. 
• Winter Garden Police Chief Steve Graham swore in four new police officers.