Fueling a vehicle or buying a gallon of milk were challenges for the first generation of Avalon Park residents. A decade later, residents have a whole host of amenities at their fingertips, but there are new challenges facing our quickly expanding community. Clogged roadways, crowded schools and a lack of public recreation areas are all real issues that need to be addressed. At this milestone in Avalon Park’s history, I optimistically believe East Orlando’s glass is half full, with plenty of accomplishments to look back on, and more to come.
But in order to fill my I LOVE EAST ORLANDO cup to the brim, I would like to open a discussion on where the community has been, where it is today and what the future holds.
LIVE 70% Full
Avalon Park Group broke ground in 1998. The following year the first single- family homeowners moved in, creating, for a little while, a small, bedroom community where neighbors knew each other by name.
During the next several years we will focus on bringing retirees to Avalon Park in order to inspire multigenerational living.
In 2001 the first townhomes opened, followed by the first apartment building in 2002. Now about 1,000 of the 3,000 residential units in the community are multifamily. At build out, 1,400 of the 4,831 total residential units in the community will be high-density, which will hopefully allow more demographic diversity into Avalon.
The goal was always to create a place where thousands of people could live, learn, work and play without leaving their community. As this goal became a reality, few realized that there were two aspects of Avalon Park living that kept the cup 70 percent full — affordable housing and housing for retirees.
The median age demographic in Avalon Park is 33 years old. During the next several years we will focus on bringing retirees to Avalon Park in order to inspire multi-generational living. Grandparents will soon be able to find an Avalon Park home near medical facilities, shopping, entertainment and, most importantly, their family. Once we build out this 100-acre site, we should be able to meet most peoples’ needs.
We want Avalon Park to be a place where you can be born, attend prekindergarten through 12th grade, complete higher education — options include Avalon Center for Technical Excellence and possibly another highereducation facility in the future — get a job, buy a home and eventually retire.
The deeper a resident’s roots, the healthier the community.
LEARN 70% Full
In the beginning, children had to leave Avalon Park to go to school. Now Avalon Elementary, Stone Lakes Elementary, Avalon Middle School and Timber Creek High School provide space for about 8,500 students and completely serve all of Avalon Park’s children as well as surrounding communities.
We get complaints from the community about the crowded conditions in local schools, especially Timber Creek High, which has more than 4,600 students. We hope that the Timber Creek Relief High School, set to open in 2009 at the old Columbia Elementary school site, will fill that need. To fill the Learn Cup further, the community needs more higher-education options close to home.
The completion of the Avalon Center for Technical Excellence, across from Timber Creek High School, provides our young and mature professionals a chance to enhance their careers. We are seeking another 150,000-square-foot higher-education institution, whether it be a University of Central Florida satellite campus or a Valencia Community College campus. Yes, our elementary and middle schools are A-rated, but we must continue to invest in them to improve curriculum and programs, and to make better use of technology in the classroom.
Now Avalon Elementary, Stone Lakes Elementary, Avalon Middle School and Timber Creek High School provide space for about 8,500 students and completely serve all of Avalon Park’s children as well as surrounding communities.
Obtaining funding from the state is becoming more challenging, but we are always willing to invest in education.
WORK 35% Full
Beef O’Brady’s, Pure Tanning Co., Soho Hero, Publix, the many banks and real estate offices, and academic institutions are just a few employers within Avalon Park. In total about 1,000 jobs are provided here.
More than 500,000 square feet of commercial, retail and office space will eventually be built in Avalon Park, which should provide about 3,500 jobs. In order to keep workers in the community and off the roads, our goal is to offer one job for each household in the community.
Right now we have $50 million- plus in venture capital available to entrepreneurs we believe could thrive here.
We believe there is no limit to the businesses we consider suitable for the community. Right now we have $50 million-plus in venture capital available to entrepreneurs we believe could thrive here. We’re ready and willing to invest, from $25,000 up to $10 million, in people with the right business plan.
Transportation is another hot-button issue that generates a hefty amount of resident feedback. Avalon Park Group is striving to get Orange County officials moving on the Alafaya Trail widening to four lanes and the interchange that will connect Alafaya to State Road 528.
We think the entire package could be available in two years if things are done correctly and with a sense of urgency. Avalon Park Group is responsible for the design and permitting for the widening project, which is 90 percent complete.
Construction should begin within six months. The design and permitting phase of the interchange is about 30 percent complete but should be finished in no more than 9 months, leaving 15 months for construction. We think that is a reasonable time frame for both projects.
PLAY 35% Full
Avalon Park residents have a large host of basketball and tennis courts; baseball, softball and soccer fields; and swimming pools to fill their recreation needs. However, these small parks are not enough; they tend to divide communities rather than make community.
We want to forget about building any additional small parks and focus on creating a public park that is 250 to 300 acres in size. To provide the recreational facilities that we need, we must emphasize economy of scale, allowing for the kind of programs, staffing and security East Orlando deserves.
Orange County currently provides no park and recreation facilities along the Alafaya Trail corridor. But there are a dozen publically and privately owned tracts of land in this area. If we pool community support and find an entity willing to donate a portion of the land, we can have a great place for active recreation as well as a real community meeting place.
I am ready to start negotiations immediately with anyone who would be willing to work with us to bring such a facility to East Orlando. It is important to strengthen our community and keep our children active and healthy.
This column is intended to build a dialogue within the community that has already begun. Many people, from all walks of life, have approached me asking about the possibility of East Orlando becoming a city of its own.
I have heard from HOAs, civic groups and community leaders who say we are not receiving an appropriate level of service for the taxes we pay. Personally, I am neutral on the issue of incorporation. I have loyalties to the county, which I have worked closely with for the past decade. But the issues of crime and traffic cannot be ignored.
Therefore, the East Orlando Sun has budgeted $150,000 for a study to determine if eastside residents are receiving their fair share of services.
We all want solutions. Therefore, the East Orlando Sun has budgeted $150,000 for a study to determine if eastside residents are receiving their fair share of services. I am committed to this study, the first phase of which has already been initiated. This comprehensive analysis will answer the question: Is there a better way?
