Orlando prepares to stretch to near Osceola
City Commissioner Phil Diamond opposes annexing 44 acres 25 miles from City Hall.
Rich Mckay | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted December 12, 2005
Orlando Sentinel Link
The Orlando City Council is poised to vote today on an annexation of a 44-acre swath of land so far from downtown that a round-trip drive takes about an hour.
To City Commissioner Phil Diamond, to whose district the land would be added, that's just too far out -- especially when the city would have to pay for police, fire and other services.
Driving from the Orlando City Hall parking deck to the property at the northwest corner of Narcoossee and Boggy Creek roads and back, Diamond's car's odometer clocked 501/2 miles.
That's just a hair shy of a round trip from Orlando to Mount Dora.
The majority of the council expressed support for the annexation during a presentation at the council meeting Nov. 14.
Diamond said that he knows he'll likely be the lone vote of dissent, even though it would be added to his district. But he said he wants to make a point.
"If you go across the street and you're in Osceola," Diamond said, "that's too far out."
He added that this is a microcosm of the bigger issue on sprawl, and how and when Orlando should grow.
Hagen Custom Homes LLC, the developers of the Ann M. Scott Property at 14702 Narcoossee Road, say that they want to put in a 200-home development.
If the average home costs about $200,000, the home would bring in roughly $1,000 in property taxes a year, Diamond said, which adds up to $200,000 for the city's coffers.
But the city has no fire station in range of that part of the city and contracts with Orange County for about $1 million a year for services.
He also worries whether Orlando police officers could respond quickly enough.
The proposal had nods of support from Mayor Buddy Dyer and the rest of the council. Dyer and other supporters said that the area is contiguous with the city's boundaries and will help "square-off" a jagged city-boundary.
Also, the city is providing services in that area -- either directly or through contracts with Orange County, so it's not much of a new burden, other commissioners said.
"What's the problem here? I'm not getting it," said Commissioner Daisy Lynum, when Diamond raised his concerns.
The developers, represented by Jason W. Searl, offered some concessions to the city, including that the company wouldn't seek building permits until 2007 and that they would contribute an additional $300 per house to the city to help defray any costs the city has to provide police and fire services.
They also agreed to install sprinkler systems in each house, at a cost of about $2,000 each.
Diamond said that he didn't expect to win the vote, but he wanted to make a point.
"I don't think people have a sense of the distances involved here," he said.
Annexation Route
WHAT HAPPENED: On Nov. 14, Mayor Buddy Dyer and
the majority of the City Council supported adding 44 acres at the northwest corner of Narcoossee and Boggy Creek roads to Orlando city limits.
WHAT'S NEXT: City Council
will vote today on whether to annex the land.
WHO COULD BENEFIT: If the average home in the annexation costs $200,000, then the 200-home development could bring in about $200,000 in property taxes a year.
CONCERNS: Some city officials worry about providing city
services to the area, which is about 25 miles from downtown.
Rich McKay can be reached at
[email protected] or 407-420-5470.
