HomeMy WebLinkAboutTowne Park/Atlantic Housing Update 5UPDATE ON ATLANTIC HOUSING
IN WINTER SPRINGS
After about one year of litigation and attending a Court ordered
mediation conference, the City Commission approved (at a duly
noticed, public hearing on November 14, 2011) the terms and
conditions of a comprehensive litigation settlement agreement
with Atlantic Housing Partners, et. al. (aka Town Parke). The
City Commission directed the City Manager and City Attorney
to memorialize the approved terms and conditions into a final
settlement agreement, which was executed by the City and
Atlantic Housing on December 20, 2011.
In general, Atlantic Housing acknowledged the City
Commission's decision to deny the Town Center multi- family
project which was proposed by Atlantic Housing. Additionally,
Atlantic agreed to forego that project now and in the future
on the condition that the City expeditiously allow Atlantic
Housing to permit and complete a previously approved multi-
family project generally located at the intersection of State
Road 434 and Moss Road. In 2006, the Moss Road location
had previously been approved by the City Commission for a
different multi- family project, but the previous developer had
abandoned the project after substantially completing the site
infrastructure for the project including roads, water and sewer
utilities, lights, stormwater ponds. However, as a condition of
completing the settlement agreement, Atlantic Housing was
required to petition the Florida Housing Finance Corporation
(FHFC) for approval to transfer previously approved affordable
housing funding from the Town Center site to the Moss Road
site. The City took various steps to support Atlantic Housing's
petition so the settlement could be implemented. At a public
hearing on January 27, 2012 in Tallahassee, with the City
Attorney and Atlantic Housing in attendance, the FHFC board
unanimously approved Atlantic Housing's petition to transfer
the funding to the Moss Road site.
Atlantic Housing is now moving forward with finalizing
engineering and building plans for an 84 unit development
on the Moss Road project site and the City staff anticipates
approving the plans on an expedited basis in the coming
months. In short, the City Commission's decision to deny
Atlantic Housing's Town Center project has been upheld
and the parties have found an amicable way to resolve the
litigation.