Fellow Winter Park Residents,

Please share with friends and neighbors.

FOLLOW UP: Take Action to Protect Your Rights (click to read on-line)

REMINDER: Please consider attending the Historic Preservation Ordinance Public Forum Thursday, May 7, at 9 a.m. or 7 p.m., at the Winter Park Welcome Center located at 151 West Lyman Ave. to voice your opposition. READ THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE HERE.

Send a message to city commission members telling them to remove all "historic district" language from the Historic Preservation Ordinance and to focus on ways to encourage voluntary historic designation for individual properties: MayorandCommissioners@cityofwinterpark.org.

Reducing the voting threshold for Historic District approval from 67% to 50+% will only create neighborhood disharmony and law suits. The current Virginia Heights Historic District came about only after strong objections. Supporters of a larger district lost the initial vote and gerrymandered the district down to the size where they knew they could get 67% agreement. This scenario is more likely with a 50% vote threshold and many more property owners will lose control of their property against their will if this becomes law.

The only criteria in the ordinance needed to qualify as a Historic District is that the neighborhood include homes "that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction." This is completely arbitrary. Every residential neighborhood in the city is at risk of being subject to Historic District designation with the attendant loss of control and property value.

Once Historic Designation is forced against your will based on arbitrary criteria, the Historic Preservation Board will arbitrarily control every aspect of any improvements on your property.

Comments to me from those supporting this ordinance include the following; "If someone doesn’t want to live in a historic district they can always move," and "Its about time we preserved our historic treasures. Dont like it move out," and "I see 1950’s small homes (1,500 to 2,000 sq ft) being replaced with three story, 4,000 sq ft homes." This is NOT tolerant and reasonable thinking that strengthens our community.

There has been zero defense of this ordinance based on any objective criteria. We are just supposed to roll over and let people take control of our property from us without clear justification or compensation? Baloney. Those of us seeking reasoned policy for Winter Park need to object and object loudly.

Please consider attending the Historic Preservation Ordinance Public Forum Thursday, May 7, at 9 a.m. or 7 p.m., at the Winter Park Welcome Center located at 151 West Lyman Ave. to voice your opposition. READ THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE HERE.

Send a message to city commission members telling them to remove all "historic district" language from the Historic Preservation Ordinance and to focus on ways to encourage voluntary historic designation for individual properties: MayorandCommissioners@cityofwinterpark.org.

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Regards, Pete Weldon
700 Via Lombardy
Winter Park, FL 32789
winterparkperspective.org