I just received the following email from our City Commissioner, you may have received the same one. If not the meeting is being advertised in the Community Paper etc. The intention is that the "Walk about" is open to all residents of College Park and anyone else who may have an interest in Edgewater Drive.
I want to encourage you to plan on attending and to encourage your College Park neighbors and friends to do likewise.
I have some concerns about this "study" and the best way to be certain that the outcome is good for College Park is for everyone that can be involved do so.
Let me share my concerns:
1.) This study is being driven from City Hall, it is not something that the people of College Park asked for. Which reminds me of the "most feared words in the English language".... "I am from the government and I am hear to help you". It is my training and experience that I should run the other way whenever I hear those words.
2.) It was instituted after the citizens of College Park voiced their concerns and successfully stopped a project to redevelop the site of the College Park Baptist Church and was done so by our Commissioner who is a member of that Church.
3.) The planning department of the City of Orlando has been completely replaced since Mayor Dyer was elected. While for the most part they seem like genuinely nice and professional people they have made some major blunders in the planning area. I do mean major, as in "how in the world could THAT happen". (If you want details give me a call and we will chat.)
4.) There exists within the planning community nationally right now a movement to install more "flexible" regulations. The sales pitch for these is very attractive; the problem is that in practice that "flexibility" is really control on the part of government. Removing both the property owners right to utilize the property in the best possible way and the communities right to establish a plan for their community.
Let me hasten to say that while I have concerns I also feel that a review of the Edgewater Plan is in order and that for many reasons now is a good time to conduct that review.
1.) It has been over twenty years since a real review was done. We did a minor review in 2000 and created the "Horizons 2007" document. That document was simply a vision statement and had no planning to back it up.
2.) In all likely hood development on the drive will be very minimal for the next two to five years, as we work ourselves out of the real estate inventory that was created in the past five years. So we can do some forward planning that is more objective and less influenced by today's $.
So while I welcome this study I am watching it with a degree of skepticism (which we should always have towards government) . I am the President/Elect at the College Park Neighborhood Association and will be serving as President for 2008 so you can be certain that this study will be high on CPNA's priority list. But the best way to insure that this study works to the benefit of College Park is for the maximum number of people to get involved, understand the process, and stay involved. Then again I am "preaching to the choir" that is exactly what College Park does like no other neighborhood in the City.
See you on December 1st and have a great Thanksgiving.
David E. Rose
407 423 7878
-----Original Message-----Date: 11/21/2007 11:28AMFrom: Robert.Stuart@CityofOrlando.netTo: ;Subject: Please Join Us for the Edgewater Drive Walkabout on December 1stDear Neighbor,
I wanted to take this opportunity to personally invite you to an event that we are holding on the morning of December 1st. While I know the holidays are a busy time for everyone, please consider joining us and providing your input about the Edgewater Drive corridor. The press release below outlines the specific details.
From my family to yours, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing you on the 1st!
Robert
You’re Invited to a Walkabout on Edgewater Drive
WHAT: Local residents, business and property owners of the College Park area are invited to participate in a “walkabout” with The Edgewater Drive Vision Task Force. The walkabout’s purpose is to analyze assets and opportunities along the Edgewater Drive corridor to create a vision that manages future growth. The Task Force is seeking to understand how citizens want the street to look and feel, including building scale, sidewalk widths and landscaping. The Task Force is an 11-member community task force charged with examining urban form, transportation, pedestrian-friendliness, parking and design guidelines along Edgewater Drive. During an eight-month period, the Task Force will hold several meetings to examine specific planning issues and gain public input throughout the process. Building on prior plans conceived for the neighborhood, the Task Force will identify steps to implement changes for an improved Edgewater Drive.
WHERE: College Park United Methodist Church, 644 W. Princeton Street-After a brief introduction explaining the walkabout process, participants, along with members of the City’s planning staff, will be divided into ten teams who will walk different sections of the Edgewater Drive corridor between Maury Road and Lakeview Street. WHEN: Saturday, December 1, 2007 from 9:00 AM to Noon Robert F. Stuart, Commissioner, District 3City of Orlando400 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801407-246-2003Robert.Stuart@CityofOrlando.netNote: Florida has a very broad public records law. As a result, any written communication created or received by City of Orlando officials and employees will be made available to the public and media, upon request, unless otherwise exempt. Furthermore, under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this office. Instead, contact our office by phone or in writing.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Ron Blocker Calls a Meeting of the Edgewater Community
This afternoon, 11/6/2007, Ron Blocker sent out a request for the "Edgewater High School Community" to meet in the Edgewater Auditorium on 11/12/2007 at 6:00pm.
He gave no indication of the nature of the meeting or the reason for the short notice. He apparently wants to address the issue of the new Edgewater High School and given the extremely short notice it would be reasonable to think that he has an announcement of significance. Please plan on being there and bring your neighbor with you. This is an issue that is important to all College Park real estate owners.
Looking forward to seeing you on Monday.
He gave no indication of the nature of the meeting or the reason for the short notice. He apparently wants to address the issue of the new Edgewater High School and given the extremely short notice it would be reasonable to think that he has an announcement of significance. Please plan on being there and bring your neighbor with you. This is an issue that is important to all College Park real estate owners.
Looking forward to seeing you on Monday.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
November 15, 2007
Two big events for College Park reisdents and real estate owners.
In the morning the Edgewater High School saga continues, and hopefully starts moving towards a conclusion, when the COVE Committee meets. The meeting is at the Orange County Public School headquarters building just across the street from the Orena. Scheduled to start at 8:00 am, seating if very limited so arrive early or plan on standing. The committee will review plans and make a recommendation to the School Board. Public comment is not allowed during the meeting but a strong community showing is always a good idea, to show concern and gather information.
In the afternoon at Orlando City Hall the Edgewater Drive Task Force will be holding its second meeting. This Task Force is looking at the Growth Management Plan of the City of Orlando as it applies to Edgewater Drive. I was not able to attend the first meeting but do have feedback that this new look will be through the lens of the "new urbanism". That of course is no surprise since by definition the "new urbanism" is the latest ideas from the game books of Urban Planners. Examples of the "new urbanism" would be Baldwin Park and Celebration.
Somewhat ironically the concepts developed around the "new urbanism" were all formulated by taking a look backwards at concepts that had worked the best in the past. Neighborhoods such as College Park, and in the case of Celebration College Park specifically, were looked at and emulated as being the model to strive towards.
The Edgewater Drive Task Force meeting is also important to all who currently own real estate in College Park or who are planning on buying or selling real estate in College Park in the next twenty or thirty years.
This meeting is scheduled for 3:30 to 5:00pm at City Hall, 400 S. Orange Ave. Once again public comment is not allowed but it is VERY IMPORTANT that members of the community monitor these proceedings carefully.
Hope to see you at one or both.
In the morning the Edgewater High School saga continues, and hopefully starts moving towards a conclusion, when the COVE Committee meets. The meeting is at the Orange County Public School headquarters building just across the street from the Orena. Scheduled to start at 8:00 am, seating if very limited so arrive early or plan on standing. The committee will review plans and make a recommendation to the School Board. Public comment is not allowed during the meeting but a strong community showing is always a good idea, to show concern and gather information.
In the afternoon at Orlando City Hall the Edgewater Drive Task Force will be holding its second meeting. This Task Force is looking at the Growth Management Plan of the City of Orlando as it applies to Edgewater Drive. I was not able to attend the first meeting but do have feedback that this new look will be through the lens of the "new urbanism". That of course is no surprise since by definition the "new urbanism" is the latest ideas from the game books of Urban Planners. Examples of the "new urbanism" would be Baldwin Park and Celebration.
Somewhat ironically the concepts developed around the "new urbanism" were all formulated by taking a look backwards at concepts that had worked the best in the past. Neighborhoods such as College Park, and in the case of Celebration College Park specifically, were looked at and emulated as being the model to strive towards.
The Edgewater Drive Task Force meeting is also important to all who currently own real estate in College Park or who are planning on buying or selling real estate in College Park in the next twenty or thirty years.
This meeting is scheduled for 3:30 to 5:00pm at City Hall, 400 S. Orange Ave. Once again public comment is not allowed but it is VERY IMPORTANT that members of the community monitor these proceedings carefully.
Hope to see you at one or both.
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