HomeMy WebLinkAboutNew Town Center (]A_ town center from scratch
Winter Springs plans that building a new downtown ing the land and starting from
to develop a traditional is an ambitious goal. scratch. He cautioned both land
}� This is a steep mountain to owners and city officials that
downtown with shops climb, creating a town center they must build around the nat-
and restaurants. where there is none," he said. ural beauty of the property. For
Dover will make a final pre- example,early drawings call for
sentation of the proposed town saving a forest of hemlocks as a
By Will Welton center to the City Commission park.
OF THE SENTINEL STAFF on March 23. Even though the idea will
The idea behind the town look good on paper,the city still
center is to bring shopping, must convince landowners that
WINTER SPRINGS — This townhouses, offices and excit- building a traditional town cen-
bedroom community has rarely ing public spaces to a mostly ter will make money. Robert
been a destination for anyone vacant area of the city. Gibbs, a retail analyst who
other than its residents. The new town center, to be works with mall developers, is
But that may change. built during the next decade or part of the consulting team.
Winter Springs leaders are more, would give Winter Gibbs said the town center
working on plans to develop a Springs a downtown area that can support new shops and res-
traditional town center on land could stretch from Central taurants if it is built correctly.
mostly north of State Road 439 Winds Park to just beyond 'Its- A Winter Springs town cen-
along'Riskawilla Road. kawilla Road. A McDonald's ter can succeed even with the
We want to be a magnet" now sits at what could become opening of the nearby Oviedo
said Mayor Paul Partyka. the focal point of the city. Marketplace mall, Gibbs said.
The city has hired consult- Dover said the city is going People like to shop in old-fash-
ants led by a South Miami de- to have to change the rules to ioned open-air centers.
sign firm to draw them a Pic- build its dream downtown. A Stores that used to be found
ture of the town center. Earlier town center will require very only in malls are now moving
this month, planners with intense development around outside mammoth centers, he
Dover, Kohl & Partners spent a park land or a town square. added.
week in Winter Springs work- "Density doesn't have to be One of the landowners, Mi-
ing nearly around the clock bad," Dover said. "Good design chael Schrimsher, is watching
studying and talking to people is the key." the town center planning care-
about the 230 acres north of Even though a proposed fully.
State Road 934. town center would be compact, "I'm always skeptical when
Lead planner Victor Dover Dover and other consultants government says it wants to
warned interested residents are not recommending bulldoz- help," Schrimsher said.