7 Winter Park Commercial Projects Expected to Start Construction in 2018

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By Mark Baratelli
The City of Winter Park City Commission issued a list of commercial development projects that were expected to begin in 2018 at their January 22nd meeting. The list includes a fast food restaurants, multiple office buildings, a grocery store, an auditorium, memory care center and a self storage facility with a restaurant on the first floor. Below are those 7 projects.




1. Morse Boulevard Office Building: The vacant site at 531 W Morse Boulevard received approval in September 2017 by the City Commission to build a two-story, office building with an underground parking level with approximately 24,106-square feet of leasable space. Plans are being reviewed for building permit now with construction expected to start in January, 2018. 


2. Winter Park Corners: The Winter Park Corners shopping center located at 1903-1999 Aloma Avenue received approval from the City Commission in November 2017 to redevelop the portion of the shopping center (former Whole Foods Market site) by reconstructing a new 30,348 square foot Sprouts grocery store and 12,250 square feet of new retail space. The Sprouts Market, which is a natural and organic grocery, and this will be their first location in Central Florida. The existing shopping center is also upgrading with new façades, new signage and stormwater retention where none exists today. Permit plan for the site development and infrastructure have been submitted with the building permit to follow shortly.

3. PDQ: Development plans for a new PDQ fast food restaurant was approved at 925 S Orlando Avenue. The former bank at this property will be demolished. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2018.  



4. Westminster Winter Park Towers: A new Lifelong Learning Center amenity for the residents of the Winter Park Towers was approved by the City Commission in November 2016. The proposed building addition is located between the main Winter Park Towers building and the Parking Garage. The centerpiece of the project is an auditorium/stage to accommodate approximately 400 persons. The facility could host speakers, music productions, theatre performances and such for the entertainment and enlightenment of the residents of the Winter Park Towers. Construction timing is unknown but expected to begin in 2018. 


5. Watercrest ALF/Memory Care in Ravaudage: Watercrest Senior Living Group received site plan approval in September, 2017 for an approximate 100,000-square foot assisted living and memory care facility within the Ravaudage Planned Development at the northeast corner of Bennett Avenue and Glendon Parkway. The building consists of a two-story memory care wing with 32 beds and a three-story assisted living wing with 75 beds, totaling 107 beds/units. A permit for site construction is currently under review, with construction starting in February/March, 2018. (The photo above is used for Illustration purposes only. It is a memory care center called "Market Street" that Watercrest built in another city.) 


6. Ravaudage Self-Storage Project: A multi-story, mixed-use property that will include a CubeSmart-branded self-storage facility, a restaurant and retail is planned as part of the Ravaudage Complex in Winter Park, Fla. An unidentified buyer acquired the 1.48-acre property from Sydgan Corp. for $3.55 million with the intent to build 97,000 square feet of space. The restaurant and retail components will be on the ground floor. CubeSmart is a self-storage real estate investment trust and third-party management firm. It owns or manages 910 self-storage facilities across the United States. Its operating portfolio comprises more than 60.5 million square feet.  (The photo above is used for Illustration purposes only.)


7. Winter Park National Bank: In August 2017, the City Commission approved plans to redevelop the former SunTrust drive-in bank teller location at 345 Carolina Avenue, with a new three story, 9,926 square foot office building, with a one lane drive-thru teller component. Permits for this project have not yet been applied for so construction timing is unknown. The applicant was Larry Williams of 300 North Park Avenue, Winter Park, Florida.