Chain of Lakes Complex Redevelopment

12/22/2016

Over the last year your Chamber of Commerce has been actively engaged in conversations and advocacy in the planning of the redevelopment of the Chain of Lakes complex. This property is located on the corner of US 17 and Cypress Gardens Blvd on the shores of Lake Lulu. For many, this property is seen as a "crown jewel" of possibility for Winter Haven, allowing for the beautification of one of our busiest gateways.

In May of 2016 three firms (all of which are Chamber members!) replied to the request for proposal for the opportunity to master plan this site. The RFP committee selected Envisors: A Pennoni Company whose team also includes Chamber member WMB Architecture as well as Littlejohn, EwingCole and Crossroads Consulting Company. In October 2016, Envisors, with a team lead by project manager Beth Evans, was given the notice to proceed to begin working on the master plan. Since that time they have taken a contingent of City and County staff to different facilities a recreational complexes around Central Florida as well as in the Northeast where Pennoni is headquartered and has worked on several similar (albeit larger scale) projects. In November they held numerous stakeholder meetings with community members and current potential users of the site. Last week they held a two-day public design charrette which is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for development. They came up with three potential designs which they presented at a commission workshop on Tuesday. Three of the five commissioners were in attendance (Mayor Dantzler and Commissioners Birdsong and Twyford). They had a consensus (no official vote) on the design entitled "Grand Commons." Read more on what is being considered in this post.

The funding for this project is a cooperative between the County's Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing and the City of Winter Haven. The County has committed through a Memorandum of Understanding to reimburse the City up to $1 million in design and planning costs. They have also discussed $10 million towards the completion of a field house on the property. The City anticipates bonding for the remainder of the phase 1 project (which elements have yet to be defined)

Approach

The Envisors team is approaching this projects as a long-term master plan. This is KEY. While we may not be able to do everything on the master plan right now, it is integral to the success of the development to have a roadmap of what the site will and could be. They look at this as a vital HUB to Winter Haven.

One of the primary elements needed on the site (and is the key to County funding) is the development of an indoor field house on the property. The County believes this is an important element to the development of the sports marketing program and is an important part of the recent Orlando Magic Development Team announcement. The field house will include numerous basketball courts and/or multi-purpose courts for various sports. Multipurpose is also a key word in this project. This space will also have to be used for meetings and convention space.

From the site visits, the County and City staff took away the following elements as important to a succesful site plan.

Strong sense of arrival- creating a destination facility.
HD scoreboards, LED lighting, WI-Fi connectivity- High Tech.
Multi-purpose- to concert from sports, to metting and convention space.
Arena-style gymnasium with retractable seating- multiple uses.
Rubberized track that doubles as upper concourse.
Sufficient space for storage and meetings.
Trails and trail connections.
Indoor courts with open view to outdoor activity areas.
Natural lighting.
Energized family experience- sights, sounds, lights, digital connectivity.
Mix of uses and events to drive revenue.
Shade.
Formal and informal gathering places.
Flexible, multi-use open spaces, such as for outdoor festivals and vendor fairs.
Activated and accessible waterfront.
Utilize Winter Haven's natural assets.
Sponsorship opportunities.
Incorporate branding at every opportunity.
Operational costs are key.

Summary of Key Market Findings

The Envisor team has included an economic analysis for the needs that can be met through the development of this site for both economic development and the community at large.

Strengths

Central location within the State.
Proximity to Lake Lulu, visitor amenities, and attractions such as LEGOLAND.
Growing tourism industry at both State and local levels.
Existing base of business at COLP and in the County.

Challenges/Threats

Age, condition, aesthetics and configuration/layout of buildings, fields and campus as a whole.
Date and space availability are limited at existing facilities.
Accessibility to the site from stressed roads.
Competitive supply of well-established facilities and programs throughout the State.
Price sesitivity for certain user groups.

Opportunities

Ability to better meet growing residential need for recreational and community uses.
Increase/broaden programming and diversify user base.
Grow existing event base and profuct offerings.
Draw more out-of-town attendees and extend their length of stay, resulting in more economic activity.
Create a more user-friendly, campus setting that maximizes all of COLP's assets.
Potential for multiple funding partners.

Market Research Indicates Demand for Both New Construction and Enhancements to Existing Facilities

Based off of the market analysis, the needs for the following assets were prioritized:

These potential projects would allow COLP to better accommodate multiple demand segments and meet multiple community and economic development objectives.
Expand/diversify existing programming opportunities, attract new businesses, increase economic and fiscal benefits to the area, and futher enhance residents' quality of living.
Research suggests that the highest prority, from a market perspective, is for a new multi-purpose indoor Field House followed by enhanced/additional meeting space and waterfront development/activation.

Challenges of the Site

While the location is outstanding, there are challenges to this site that will have to be addressed.

Site access US 17 and Cypress Gardens Blvd)
Parking and Internal Access/Control.
Floodplain and Wetlands.
Unsuitable onsite soils.
Lake Water Quality/Muck.

Programming Summary: Site

Potential site amenities outside of the fieldhouse and theatre/art gallery renovations:
Fields and Courts

Baseball Fields (4)
Multipurpose Fields (2)
Half Court Basketball Courts (2)
Hardscape- Walkways, Trails, Performance Area.
Amenities- Commons, Dog Park, Docks, Playground, Boardwalk, Skate Park.
Site Furnishings- Outdoor Fitness, Fencing.
Landscape- Trees, Shrubs, Turf, Rain Gardens.
Park Architecture- Restaurant, Boat Rental, Pavilions, Concessions/Restrooms.
Civil- Parking, Retention, Dredging, Lighting, Event Power.

The Envisors Team presented 3 concepts they developed during the public design charrette. The 3 concepts are pictured below. As mentioned earlier in this post the commisioners in attendance at the workshop agreed that concept 3, i.e. Grand Commons, was their favorite.

Grand Commons

The concept of Grand Commons creates a emphasis on opening the property to views of Lake Lulu. This plan also allows for the field house to be expanded and for a parking garage to be added adjacent to the field house facility. this concept also includes entry way to the property from US 17. The previous development of the property into "The Landings" had tentative approval of a traffic light at this intersection based off of their visitation projections. It is unclear at this time whether the projections of visitors based off this new site plan would qualify. There will be upcoming meetings with the FDOT to discuss just this.

While not in phase 1, the existing Theatre Winter Haven, Ridge Art Gallery and aquatics complex renovaton are an important part of the site redevelopment.

Pros of Grand Commons

Contiguous, traffic-free pedestrian zone.
Practice field/overflow parking provided east of complex.
Soccer field located in southeast quadrant doubles as festival green.
Festival street (normally open) leads from West Roundabout at baseball complex to roundabout at restaurant.
Baseball fields form contiguous complex for control.
Commercial site paved parking lot and practice field.
Access to site if provided from 17 through existing curb cut.
Parking distibuted and integrated into loop road.
Promenade leads from Cletus Allen Dr. to west entry and provides service and festival space, food truck landings, etc...
Festival green field view of Lake Lulu.
Baseball fields are clustered southwest uphill from poor soil conditions.

Next Steps

1/09/17- City Comments on Preferred Design due
2/13/17- Develop Preliminary Opinion of Probable Costs
2/13/17- Draft Final Master Plan (including Phase 1)
3/27/17- Final Master Plan (design)
4/17/17- Draft Master Plan Report
5/01/17- Final Master Plan Report

8 Comments

Adrian Jones

12/22/2016 02:22:29 pm

Personally I believe that this project is servicing a crucial need within Winter Haven, one that supports our recent & future economic growth. Also it is worth noting that Envisors, in my opinion, have done a great job in involving key stakeholders in the City and the community at large and are to be commended to date.

Stuart Patterson link

12/22/2016 06:17:53 pm

What is planned for the derelict site on the other side of Hwy 17? This is such an eyesore. Reflects so poorly on Winter Haven, given that this site is on a main thoroughfare into the city.

Katie Worthington

12/23/2016 05:26:11 am

Dr. Patterson,

Yes, the other side of 17 needs work. That site is currently privately owned and it is unclear what his plans are for that property. I know there are many people with ideas of how it could develop commercially or even tie into the Chain of Lakes Complex development. We will keep everyone posted of any progress on that front.

Veronica bentley

1/20/2018 05:37:24 pm

Mosaic has confirmed two years ago they and purcell are part owners and in talks about cleaning up that property. Nothing done.

veronica bentley

3/5/2018 02:33:22 am

According to Mosaic, re eyesore on Highway 17, Purcell owns that land, and with Mosaic working on the contaminated wells on the property. Remember it was a fertilizer plant. When highway 17 needed widening, a fire demolished the guard shack at entrance to this plant. On a Sunday afternoon, most interesting. Just happened to be in way of planned road widening.
I don't expect any clean up of that land in my lifetime. Unless the city pressure owners.
But how does one clear contaminated well water? And being the land is so close to the baseball field and massive development planned , what of the underground water on that site?
Is the stadium to be demolished?

1/20/2018 05:35:06 pm

Common knowledge conta.i ated wells on that site. As water runs down probability under ground water on opposite side of road is contaminated. County gave the city upgrade money for ball park. Nothing can be seen done.

brad dantzler link

12/23/2016 07:48:14 am

Thanks to the chamber and Ledger for getting this very important information out to the public. This is a major development that will occur in Winter Haven over the next several years. It has the potential to be an economic driver for years to come if we do it right. . It is crucial that everybody stay informed and involved in the process. Stay tuned!

ZULLY RUIZ link

5/8/2017 12:07:51 pm

I have several developer-builder clients interested in doing a hotel* retail and some multi family units.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Blog