I always wanted to be a commercial developer. The wealthy developers make money by buying land (or options on the land) using fancy drawings of the project to get other people's money (OPM - i.e. dumb investors), then getting elected zoning boards or officials to allow zoning changes to build projects that are more profitable than those allowed under the old zoning structure. An example can be the Lake Nona bio-tech center in Orlando - I bet the land was originally zoned for agriculture, then rezoned to allow multi story commercial buildings. That one worked. In contrast, Church St. Station in Orlando has gone through up and down cycles, and the shopping center near Plaza Colina in South Lake County got a Walmart instead of promised high end shopping.
I used to travel to Houston and marvel at a Houston area County where there was NO zoning (which may have changed since then), so you never knew what would be built near you. A friend who was a Corporate Controller bought a new fancy brick house in a new housing complex, which included neighbors like NFL football players. Then the summer came, and they found what was on the other side of the tall trees bordering the upwind side of the tract. Yup, a dairy farm, complete with all the smells associated with cows. You could also find mortuaries next to fast food restaurants, etc.
So, with zoning you get some safety in knowing what will be constructed in different zones, but if the officials allow frequent rezoning for developers, you get Houston or Plaza Colina's shopping center.
That is the issue with the recent decision by the Lake County Commission on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd, when the Commissioners rejected a well organized plea from Mr. "P", a developer, to rezone his land in downtown Sorrento, a community focused on the "country life" with horse breeders and large lots. I attended the meeting to see if the developer would win and get his land rezoned.
There were numerous outspoken residents against the commercial development, including a horse breeder who had twice had her land rezoned by developers in South Florida. She had researched the Sorrento area and gambled no one would rezone the areas around her new Sorrento aread planned horse breeding facility which fit in the current zoning plan.
And, the developer had lots of outspoken supporters, and if the decision had gone his way, FiscalRangers could have used that decision as a precedent to build a Dairy Queen in my housing tract. I mean, there is a vacant lot where a house burned down, and I think it would be great for my combination Dairy Queen, Mortuary (to get the vote of Welton Cadwell), a branch courthouse (to get the vote of Commissioner Jennifer Hill) and a guppy preservation pond (to get the votes of Elaine Renick and Linda Stewart). I couldn't figure out what I needed to get a vote from Jimmy Conner.
But, the Commissioners, especially Linda Stewart, were on to me, and four of them killed Mr. P's rezoning request, eliminating a precedent that I could use in creating my commercial development empire. I think they are taking this personally and don't like Dairy Queens.
But, the country life advocates for retaining their existing zoning in the Sorrento area are really happy. Especially because all the developer's literature supporting the rezoning kept saying the area would get a Publix, but Stewart got them to admit the developer had NO DEAL with Publix, and the development could end up getting some other low end anchor tenant like Walmart.
So, maybe I will have to find another rezoning precedent to get my Dairy Queen Mortuary Courthouse and Guppy Pond facility.
The sanitized version of the zoning hearing below is from the Orlando Sentinel.
vj
This story is from the Orlando Sentinel - They are now using very annoying pop"over" and pop"under" ads, plus ads inserted over the text, so I don't know how much longer I will use them as a source.
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-lake-sorrento-project-killed-092409,0,6508901.story
OrlandoSentinel.com
County rejects proposal for Sorrento town center
Stephen Hudak
Sentinel Staff Writer
September 24, 2009
TAVARES
— A developer's plan to build a town center on State Road 46 in
Sorrento was sacked by county commissioners who refused to approve a
crucial zoning change for the controversial proposal.
More than 60 people attended this week's hearing, many sporting buttons
in favor of the "Village Commons" proposed by Lou Fabrizio.
After the vote, Fabrizio said he was uncertain about the future of the
privately financed project, which was to be built on 17 acres at the
crossroads of S.R. 46 and the eastern leg of County Road 437.
He had hoped the proposed marketplace would be anchored by a grocery
store, a feature that may have accounted for much of the community
support he had rallied.
But County Commissioner Linda Stewart doubted that Fabrizio could
deliver the project, which he has championed as the future center of
the community.
She compared it to Plaza Collina, a proposed upscale marketplace along S.R. 50 that has never materialized.
"I don't want this to happen to Sorrento," Stewart said. "With so many
commercial buildings standing vacant all over this county, why would
this development be different?"
She also cited the project's conflict with the county's comprehensive land-use plan as a reason for voting against it.
Attorney Cecelia Bonifay, who presented Fabrizio's case to the
commission, scoffed at Stewart's mention of the comp plan, which
dictates public policy and guides commercial, residential and
industrial growth throughout the county.
"It's a great excuse when you want to use it," Bonifay said.
In her presentation to commissioners, the lawyer offered several
examples that seemed to show the board had approved projects in
conflict with the plan.
Fabrizio, who has twice revised his plans to address opposing points of
view, said he was disappointed Lake has not offered alternatives to his
project.
"We're the risk-takers," he said. "It's our skin in the project."
Foes complained that Fabrizio's proposal would ruin the rural, small-town atmosphere of the community.
But proponents, including Pam Jennelle, executive director of the East
Lake Chamber of Commerce, said the project would bring jobs to a
community in desperate need of them.
Stephen Hudak can be reached at 352-742-5930 or [email protected].
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel
