{"id":1491,"date":"2026-05-23T13:04:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1491"},"modified":"2026-05-23T13:04:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:04:20","slug":"members-of-100-year-old-church-on-lake-eola-object-to-skyscraper-next-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1491","title":{"rendered":"Members of 100-year-old church on Lake Eola object to skyscraper next door"},"content":{"rendered":"

The development team planning a luxury hotel and condos across from Orlando\u2019s iconic Lake Eola bandshell said they designed the 37-story tower to be respectful of the historic St. George Orthodox Church next door. Still, it didn\u2019t stop the pastor or members of the congregation from speaking out against it Thursday during a courtesy review by the city\u2019s Appearance Review Board.<\/p>

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Father John Hamatie, who has led the church for 53 years, said the massive tower would overwhelm the gold-domed church, which has local, state and national landmark status. \u201cThat\u2019s a huge building,\u201d he said, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.<\/p>\n

Hamatie said he doesn\u2019t object to the site being developed, as long as it complements the historic neighborhood. \u201cI have committed my whole life to this building; I do have a very personal stake in what goes in next to it,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to see something that really accentuates the skyview of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The .63-acre lot at 170 E Washington St. was\u00a0previously approved for a seven-story, 155-key Cambria Suites. Land use attorney Jason Searl, with Maynard Nexsen, is working with the owners to rezone the property to accommodate the mixed-use tower with a three-story signature restaurant, a 221-room luxury hotel and 252 branded residences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unique and first-to-market feature of this will be the branded residences,\u201d Searl said<\/p>\n

ARB members praised the architecture and design of the modern building. But Executive Director Richard Forbes requested several changes, including more screening of the parking garage ramp and changes to the southeast corner of the parking podium.<\/p>\n

The original proposal from Kobi Karp Architecture & Design showed the three-story restaurant space recessed to preserve \u201cvisual openness along the street and intentionally exposing the church\u2019s historic fa\u00e7ade and stained-glass windows,\u201d according to the submittal.\u00a0 But church members and city staff felt the parking garage was too close to the historic structure. Searl said that after several conversations, the developer agreed to carve out the southeast corner to the first three levels of the garage, and at Thursday\u2019s meeting, he said they would add a fourth deck to the corner carve-out. The design change will eliminate eight parking spaces.<\/p>\n