A controversial multimillion dollar development, including restaurants and more stores, is moving forward in Winter Park.
That development known as Lakeside Crossing will go at the corner of Morse and State Road 17/92, a project some people say is already too busy with traffic.
It would replace the historic Mt. Vernon Inn, a 3.5-acre property that was sold for just under $8 million.
The 38,000 square foot complex will house retail and restaurants, and will include more than 300 parking spaces. That's something residents say is desperately needed in the area. But with that comes traffic. More than 900 additional cars are expected to use that intersection once the project is complete.
“It’s going to come into our interior roads and it’s going to be a problem,” said Winter Park resident Sally Flynn.
A larger plan was proposed late last year. It was simply too big for the zoned ordinance so the developer, Unicorp National Developments, came back with a smaller, different look that would fit.
However, Mayor Ken Bradley was hesitant to vote for the project Monday, calling it a “glorified strip mall” based on the project’s new size.
“Unfortunately, if the property was 3 acres instead of 3.5 acres we’d have a different project completely and that, to me, is a flaw in our ordinances," Bradley said.
Some residents said too much development is taking away from Winter Park’s charm.
“I could have envisioned something really attractive on both sides. I am not against development, I just think this has not been a Winter Park development,” said Flynn.
Unicorp is wasting no time on getting the development started, saying they hope to begin demolition of the Mt. Vernon Inn sometime in April.