Winter Garden leaders approve final plat for Habitat for Humanity

In a short meeting Thursday, May 13, the Winter Garden City Commission approved a final plat — for the West Orange Habitat for Humanity — and a site plan for a future Pet Suites Winter Garden.

The property — .34 acres in size — located at 275 Center St. will soon become the site of four-residential lots built by Habitat that will house four single-family homes arranged in a tandem-style layout. Two of the homes will face Center Street, while the other two will face an interior courtyard, according to city documents. 

Because tandem housing is a special exception use per the property’s RNC-2 zoning district, Habitat received a special exception permit to allow construction of the tandem housing last September.

After Habitat’s final plat earned unanimous approval, the commission motioned to approve the site plan for a property located at 12100 W. Colonial Drive, which will be the site of Pet Suites Winter Garden. 

Currently, the property features an 11,283-square-foot building — which had been used as an event space — that the company proposes to renovate while redeveloping the parcel to accommodate a pet-resort facility, according to city documents. The redevelopment includes reconfiguring a portion of the existing parking lot and adding an outdoor pet play area, while also installing a new stormwater and sewer infrastructure — such as a walled pond and lift station.
 

GOLF CART PLAN PUT ON HOLD

A new resolution to establish new areas throughout the city for golf cart use was once again pushed back, after City Manager Mike Bollhoefer asked the commission for additional time to go over details.

“We’re going to have to table this one last time … there are some changes that we’re still looking at,” Bollhoefer said. “Once again, the difficulty with this golf cart ordinance is the city just can’t go out there and say, ‘We’re allowing these streets to allow for golf carts.’ We have to first demonstrate that these streets are safe for golf carts.

“We’re trying to include more communities … and several of the subdivisions along Fullers Cross Road, and really the only way to do that — and allow those to be safe — is we’re going to have to create little golf-cart zones where they pull onto the main road until they get onto the side roads again,” he said. “So they have to be designed in such a way where we can slow the cars down at those points, so we can justify that they’re safe — that protects them from a liability position.”

Along with the safety measures, one of the long-term goals is to connect east Winter Garden to the downtown area safely, Bollhoefer said.

“There is no safe way — at this point — to cross Dillard Street,” Bollhoefer said. “When we do the three lanes on Dillard Street with three roundabouts, you’ll be able to cross with the golf carts at those roundabouts in a safe time. So that’s why we’re still working on it and making adjustments and actually improving it as we go along.”

The commission will discuss the resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, May 27.