The Orlando City Council voted for a three-year suspension of the current review process for considering new development projects in the city’s Downtown Historic District. The suspension was passed on a four-to-two vote.
The district encompasses an eight block swath of downtown along Orange Avenue and includes about 60 examples of notable architecture including the one-hundred-and-twenty-one year old Elijah Hand Building and the Old Orlando Railroad Depot – now called Church Street Station – which dates back to the late 1800’s.
The district received its designation in 1980 from the City of Orlando – it’s listed with five other historic preservation districts in the city. Orlando requires all development proposals involving alterations to the exterior of buildings – referred to as the façade - within these districts to be put before a review board with the goal of preserving the architecture that contribute to the city’s heritage and identity.
Supporters of the suspension say it is an effort to stimulate new business development in an downtown corridor that has seen a proliferation of vacant spaces – a business district that has struggled to recover from the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic. They argue that suspending the mandatory review by the Historic Preservation Board and moving the review to the city’s Appearance Review Board, which considers ALL downtown development projects, will streamline a process criticized as being an obstacle to rejuvenating the district.
The state has weighed in from Tallahassee – in an email sent on the Saturday before Monday’s vote, the Florida Division of Historic Resources threatened to revoke a certification from Orlando that allows the city to access state grant funding for historic preservation if the council had voted for the suspension.
Commissioner Shan Rose represents Orlando’s District 5, which includes the Downtown Historic District – she was one of the four commissioners who voted for the suspension. Rose joined Engage yesterday to talk about her vote.
Orlando contractor Scott Sidler was critical of the moratorium during a public hearing, accusing the city council of “removing protections from some of your most treasured pieces of history to study what happens.”
Patty Shehan is the District 4 Commissioner on the Orlando City Council – and a fierce defender of historic preservation. Sheehan also spoke with Engage yesterday – and explained why she voted against suspending the historic review process.
Orlando’s Community Redevelopment Agency advisory board will meet next month to discuss potential tax incentives for developers and property owners to preserve the exteriors of the district’s historic buildings.
