{"id":5011,"date":"2026-06-22T22:05:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5011"},"modified":"2026-06-22T22:05:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:05:31","slug":"orlando-pushes-through-changes-to-historic-district-rules-amid-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5011","title":{"rendered":"Orlando pushes through changes to historic district rules amid backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Orlando officials loosened the city\u2019s rules on historic buildings Monday, a move they hope will kick off a new era of growth in Orlando\u2019s core business district but one that preservationists called a potential death knell to decades of historic protections.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe moratorium is temporary, but the changes are forever,\u201d said Scott Sidler, a former Historic Preservation Board chairman. \u201cOnce a wrecking ball swings downtown, no future council can vote a building back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The four commissioners who backed the measure, however, said Orlando\u2019s downtown urban core desperately needs a shot in the arm amid post-COVID closures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have vacant properties, underutilized buildings, declining foot traffic,\u201d said Commissioner Shan Rose, who represents the Historic District and backed the measure. \u201cThis is not about eliminating historic preservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the three-year moratorium, development proposals within the current historic boundaries would no longer have to go in front of the city\u2019s Historic Preservation Board \u2013 a citizens advisory panel tasked with rewarding a \u201ccertificate of appropriateness.\u201d Instead, the Appearance Review Board, which takes a look at all other developments downtown, would handle the review.<\/p>\n

City planners and developers contend the panel creates parallel and redundant review processes and is an impediment for growth. But board members say they\u2019re working to protect downtown\u2019s historic fabric, adding that they haven\u2019t rejected a proposal in the district in five years and can be overridden by city council.<\/p>\n

Orlando has six historic districts, and downtown \u2013 the first to be created in 1980 \u2013 is the only one featuring commercial properties. It spans eight blocks through the city core along Orange Avenue and includes roughly 60 buildings, including on Church and Pine Streets.<\/p>\n

Under the ordinance, which will go into effect Aug. 10, city officials say they hope building owners don\u2019t demolish historic buildings, but instead capitalize on a planned incentive program to revitalize them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is adaptive reuse and revitalization of historic buildings,\u201d City Planner Jason Burton said. \u201cThe goal is not demolition of historic buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

His comments reflect one point of agreement between developers and preservationists: a hope for a better downtown. But Monday\u2019s meeting revealed sharp disagreements with how to do so.<\/p>\n

Craig Ustler, a developer behind Orlando\u2019s Creative Village and other endeavors, said the problem is less about the Historic Preservation Board than the rules which govern it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re a little out of balance,\u201d he said. \u201cThe vast majority of projects never make it to the HPB board \u2026 sadly, it\u2019s becoming an impediment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Florida\u2019s unemployment rate holds steady in May<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Katie Shook, who said she owns a home in a historic district, said the plan could provide a path for historic buildings downtown to have a longer lifespan, contending that currently downtown are \u201cvacant store fronts and underutilized spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to create conditions where historic places can continue to be lived in, worked in and played in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cindi Parker, a former Board member on the historic board, said she remembers the last time she was at city council when in 2003 the city approved the demolition of the Jaymont Block, which was knocked down literally within minutes to pave the way for The Plaza on Orange Avenue.<\/p>\n

She recalled the Orlando Sentinel publishing a photo of its developer Cameron Kuhn pumping his fist in front of a pile of rubble after the contentious fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I hear of this moratorium that\u2019s all I see \u2013 a pile of rubble and a developer in victory position,\u201d Parker said. \u201cPlease don\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioners Patty Sheehan and Bakari Burns cast the two dissenting votes, and Tony Ortiz wasn\u2019t in attendance.<\/p>\n

Sheehan, a commissioner for 26 years, cast the lone dissenting vote on that 2003 proposal. She sharply disagreed with the latest plan to spur growth, presenting\u00a0a slideshow making an impassioned plea to fight back the ordinance.<\/p>\n

Through the city\u2019s DTO Action Plan, she said, the historic district had high grades from consultants for its walkability and appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re blaming 35 acres for the problem of 1,664 acres,\u201d she said, citing the district\u2019s size compared to that of the downtown Community Redevelopment Agency.<\/p>\n

Since the initial vote June 8, Dyer and city commissioners received a letter from Florida\u2019s Division of Historic Resources stating that if the city passed the ordinance without giving the state 30 days notice, it could lose a certification that enables the city to receive money from the state\u2019s historic grant-funding source.<\/p>\n

Dyer said the city has since changed the effective date of the ordinance to Aug. 10, which city attorneys believe will keep it in compliance. Dyer said over about five years, the city had received two $50,000 grants under that program.<\/p>\n

Read more Patrols and nanobubbles continue at the Reflecting Pool as Trump looks for a renovation do-over<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Orlando officials loosened the city’s rules on historic buildings Monday, a move they hope will kick off a new era of growth in Orlando\u2019s core business district but one that preservationists called a potential death knell to decades of historic protections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOrlando pushes through changes to historic district rules amid backlash - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5011\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orlando pushes through changes to historic district rules amid backlash - 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