Town Council Workshop

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TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP

Agenda Agenda

April 22, 2025

6:00 PM

VIRTUAL

JOIN ZOOM MEETING: HTTPS://US06WEB.ZOOM.US/J/8634172453?

PWD=MQIWV5K4GL2NXORMBYEGJCXSPXRWBK.1&OMN=87821560868

MEETING ID: 863 417 2453

PASSCODE: TOW2024

ONE TAP MOBILE: +1 (305)224-1968,,8634172453# US

PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES AND PAGERS

PLEASE NOTE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH F.S. 286.26: Person with disabilities needing assistance to participate in any such

proceedings should contact the Office of the Clerk at least 48 hours beforehand at (407) 876-2563.

Pursuant to Resolution No. 2005-12 adopted on December 13, 2005, the following Civility Code shall govern all procedings before the

Town of Windermere Town Council Workshop:

1\. All electronic devices, including cell phones and pagers. shall be either turned off or otherwise silenced.

2\. Prolonged conversation shall be conducted outside Council meeting hall.

3\. Whistling, heckling, gesturing, loud conversations, or other disruptive behavior is prohibited.

4\. Only those individuals who have signed the speaker list and/or/who have been recognized by the Mayor (or Chair) may address

comments to the Council.

5\. Comments at public hearings shall be limited to the subject being considered by the Council

6\. Comments at Open Forums shall be directed to Town issues.

7\. All public comments shall avoid personal attacks and abusive language

8\. No person attending a Town Council Workshop meeting is to harass, annoy, or otherwise disturb any other person in the room.

Any member of the public whose behavior is disruptive and violates the Town of Windermere Civility Code is subject to removal from

the Town Council Workshop meeting by an officer and such other actions as may be appropriate. PLEASE NOTE: IN

ACCORDANCE WITH F.S. 286.0105: Any person who desires to appeal any decision at this meeting will need a record of this

proceeding. For this, such person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of such proceeding is made which includes the

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AGENDA

TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP Agenda Agenda April 22, 2025 6:00 PM VIRTUAL JOIN ZOOM MEETING: HTTPS://US06WEB.ZOOM.US/J/8634172453? PWD=MQIWV5K4GL2NXORMBYEGJCXSPXRWBK.1&OMN=87821560868 MEETING ID: 863 417 2453 PASSCODE: TOW2024 ONE TAP MOBILE: +1 (305)224-1968,,8634172453# US PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES AND PAGERS PLEASE NOTE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH F.S. 286.26: Person with disabilities needing assistance to participate in any such proceedings should contact the Office of the Clerk at least 48 hours beforehand at (407) 876-2563. Pursuant to Resolution No. 2005-12 adopted on December 13, 2005, the following Civility Code shall govern all procedings before the Town of Windermere Town Council Workshop: 1. All electronic devices, including cell phones and pagers. shall be either turned off or otherwise silenced. 2. Prolonged conversation shall be conducted outside Council meeting hall. 3. Whistling, heckling, gesturing, loud conversations, or other disruptive behavior is prohibited. 4. Only those individuals who have signed the speaker list and/or/who have been recognized by the Mayor (or Chair) may address comments to the Council. 5. Comments at public hearings shall be limited to the subject being considered by the Council 6. Comments at Open Forums shall be directed to Town issues. 7. All public comments shall avoid personal attacks and abusive language 8. No person attending a Town Council Workshop meeting is to harass, annoy, or otherwise disturb any other person in the room. Any member of the public whose behavior is disruptive and violates the Town of Windermere Civility Code is subject to removal from the Town Council Workshop meeting by an officer and such other actions as may be appropriate. PLEASE NOTE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH F.S. 286.0105: Any person who desires to appeal any decision at this meeting will need a record of this proceeding. For this, such person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of such proceeding is made which includes the 1

AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. DISCUSSION ITEM(S) a. Septic / Sewer Conversion (Attachments) b. Town Square Concept Plan Presentation (Attachments) i. Concept Plan ii. Report - WINDERMERE_CharretteSummaryReport iii. Appendix - WINDERMERE_CharretteSummaryAppendix 3. ADJOURN 2

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Town of Windermere Town Square Charrette Town Council Workshop April 22, 2025 23

2  SITE ANALYSIS Analyze the existing conditions and uses of Town Square Does not include proposed improvements or changes to Town Hall  CHARRETTE Facilitate an open public discussion for future of Town Square – In person design charette and online survey Long Range Planning Committee Recommendations  CONCEPTUAL PLAN  Prepare concept(s) based on the public input  Present Draft Concept at a Town Council Workshop  Present Final Concept at a Town Council Meeting Goals and Scope of the Project 24

3 SITE ANALYSIS 25

4 CHARRETTE On October 30, 2024, an in-person interactive event was held at Town Hall as part of the Public Input phase of the project. 34 people signed in. 26

5 ONLINE SURVEY In addition to the Charrette, an online survey was utilized to gather additional input from residents. 244 responses – 230 of responses from residents of the Town. 27

6 SUMMARY REPORT Data from the Charrette and the online survey was compiled into a Public Input Summary Report. 28

7 SUMMARY REPORT Key findings from the Charrette and online survey 29

8 CONCEPTUAL PLAN 30

9 RELOCATED 9/11 MEMORIAL RELOCATED 9/11 MEMORIAL REGULATION BASKETBALL COURT REGULATION BASKETBALL COURT MAIN LAWN W/ 440 FOOT WALKING LOOP MAIN LAWN W/ 440 FOOT WALKING LOOP LIBRARY ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE LIBRARY ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE TOWN HALLTOWN HALL CAL PALMER BUILDING & GARDEN CAL PALMER BUILDING & GARDEN MAIN WALKWAYMAIN WALKWAY TOWN HALL PLAZA TOWN HALL PLAZA PARKING ACCESS PARKING ACCESS 31

10 WINDERMERE PUBLIC LIBRARY WINDERMERE PUBLIC LIBRARY REGULATION BASKETBALL COURT REGULATION BASKETBALL COURT MAIN LAWN W/ 440 FOOT WALKING LOOP MAIN LAWN W/ 440 FOOT WALKING LOOP LIBRARY ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE LIBRARY ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE TOWN HALLTOWN HALL MULTI-PURPOSE REINFORCED LAWN AREA MULTI-PURPOSE REINFORCED LAWN AREA CROSSWALKCROSSWALK MAIN WALKWAYMAIN WALKWAY DUMPSTER STATION DUMPSTER STATION 32

100 20 40 Feet 1" = 20' N T O W N S Q U A R E C O N C E P T U A L M A S T E R P L A N | W I N D E R M E R E , F L | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 41 4 42 PARKING ( 87 TOTAL PARKING SPACES) LSP-PLOT-CONCEPT1_TownSquare.dwg - 4/15/2025 4:02:39 PM 72 722 12 6 6 3 7 2 4 7 C F N O K L B Q M H J QQ P A R E I J H A VETERANS MEMORIAL B C RELOCATED 9/11 WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL AND REFLECTION PLAZA D BIKE PARKING AREAE REGULATION SIZE BASKETBALL COURTF CAL PALMER BUILDING AND GARDEN G PROPOSED TOWN HALL RESTROOM H MAIN CONNECTOR WALKWAY I PERIMETER SIDEWALK J NEW CROSSWALK ACCESS POINT K MULTI-PURPOSE REINFORCED LAWN AREA L DOUBLE DUMPSTER ENCLOSURE M LIBRARY ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE N MAIN LAWN W/ 440 FOOT WALKING LOOP O PERPETUALLY MAINTAINED TREE CANOPY P Q R TOWN HALL PLAZA S T G H O O O O O O P D EXISTING CROSSWALK PROPOSED CROSSWALK RELOCATED CROSSWALK TO ACCOMMODATE ROUNDABOUT P REMOVABLE BOLLARDS STYLE TO MATCH DECORATIVE LIGHT POLES T S S REMOVABLE BOLLARDS + MOUNTABLE CURB 7 2 3 3 31 1 PARKING BAY - ACCESSIBLE PARKING BAY - PAVED PARKING BAY - UNPAVED U OFF SITE PUBLIC PARKING V TOWN OF WINDERMERE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING U V U W WINDERMERE TOWN HALL X WINDERMERE PUBLIC LIBRARY W X P P P Y RELOCATED PARKING ACCESS Y SITE FEATURES 33

TOWN SQUARE CHARETTE Public Input Summary December 10, 2024 34

WND202301M Path/file THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 35

TOWN SQUARE CHARETTE Public Input Summary B-1 Town of Windermere TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.0 PROJECT BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Town Staff Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Long-Range Planning Committee Review ............................................................................................ 4 2.3 Community Charrette Event .................................................................................................................. 6 2.4 Online Survey ......................................................................................................................................... 9 3.0 RESPONSE ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Charette Response ............................................................................................................................. 11 3.1.1 Current Perceptions of Town Square....................................................................................... 11 3.1.2 Future Improvements ............................................................................................................... 12 3.1.3 Design Concepts ....................................................................................................................... 13 3.1.4 Online Survey Response – Charette Participants................................................................... 19 3.2 Online Survey Responses .................................................................................................................. 20 3.2.1 Current Perceptions of Town Square....................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 Future developments in Town Square..................................................................................... 22 4.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Current Perception of Town Square .................................................................................................. 25 4.1.1 Favorite Parts of Town Square ................................................................................................. 25 4.1.2 Least Favorite Parts of Town Square....................................................................................... 27 4.2 Future Development of Town Square ............................................................................................... 29 4.2.1 What residents Want to see in Town Square .......................................................................... 29 4.2.2 What residents do not want to see in Town Square ............................................................... 29 5.0 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................... 32 APPENDICES APPENDIX A – List of Figures & Tables APPENDIX B – Online Survey APPENDIX C – Online Survey Responses 36

TOWN SQUARE CHARETTE Public Input Summary B-1 Town of Windermere EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background Wade Trim was tasked with helping to create a vision for the Town Square. The vision will be driven by input from the Town’s staff, committees, residents, and business owners. Input from these key groups was obtained via a design charrette and an online survey. Methodology Data was collected from 34 attendees at the charrette via dot polling, and from 244 users via the online survey. 230 of the responses were from residents of the Town. Response The top five key elements in Town Square that the respondents value are the Green Space, Town Hall, Quaintness, Trees, and Open Space. Other notable elements valued by the respondents include Sport Courts, Accessibility, Historic Character, and Safety. The five main elements respondents dislike about Town Square are the lack of restroom facilities, traffic, landscape maintenance, lack of parking and the food trucks. Summary The Top 5 major planning elements respondents would like to see in Town Square include: Green Space - Public Restroom - Community Patio - Native/Pollinator Gardens - Nature Playscape Additional Design Elements liked by the respondents include: Decorative Lighting - Drinking Water Fountains - Water Bottle Filling Stations - Bench Swings Shaded Picnic Spaces - Community Outdoor Games Major Planning Elements that the majority of respondents do not want to see include: More Vehicle Parking - Sand Volleyball Courts - Hammock Groves - Device Charging Stations Interactive Water Features Controversial Elements that respondents feel strongly about, but with conflicting ideas include: Community Gardens – Community Art / Murals - Interactive Water Features Gazebos (Performance and Non-Performance) Conclusion Based on the input from the residents and the analysis of the data, we recommend that a conceptual plan be developed to include the top major planning elements with the favored design elements thoughtfully located throughout the Square. Design ideas from the top 4 charrette designs would be incorporated into the concept plan(s). A separate conceptual plan that incorporates some of the least controversial elements with an overall positive net score could be generated to compare options for moving forward. 37

TOWN SQUARE CHARETTE Public Input Summary B-2 Town of Windermere 1.0 PROJECT BACKGROUND Wade Trim was tasked with helping to create a vision for the Town Square. Located in the heart of Windermere, this iconic, highly valued, and prominent community resource needed a direction for its future. Our team of Landscape Architects, Planners, and Engineers formalized a plan to work with residents of the town, business owners, Town staff, and Town Council to discuss potential upgrades and improvements to this historic public space in the heart of the community. Public spaces including plazas, squares and parks are typically viewed as special places in most communities. In Windermere, the Town Square is the quintessential gathering space for the residents of the Town of Windermere. Wade Trim’s goal was to assist the Town in facilitating a charette process to lay the framework for improvements. The needs of the community were to be discovered through community input and discussions. These ideas would be used to help forge a plan for the Town Square. We set out to envision a cohesive space for the residents to enjoy themselves alone, in small groups or at larger events where residents of the Town come together to enjoy the uniqueness that makes the Town of Windermere a special place for its residents. Upgrades to the Town Square have been the center of discussion for several years, and our recommendation was to take a step back and look at the square in its entirety. It is important to discuss how the space complements not only the downtown, but how it functions for the many events and uses that occur in the Heart of the Town. We asked questions to promote discussion and compiled the input into useful and meaningful data to help solidify the path for moving forward with improvements to the Town Square that benefits the Town of Windermere as a community. Our process was divided into two main tasks each with a series of subtasks as outlined below. • 1.0 DATA GATHERING/SITE ANALYSIS AND CHARETTE PROCESS o Task 1.1 – Understand and Summarize Existing and Proposed Uses o Task 1.2 – Evaluate the Park’s Existing Features o Task 1.3 – Charette Process • 2.0 CONCEPT PLANNING SERVICES o Task 2.1 – Draft Concept Plan o Task 2.2 – Final Concept Plan Development This report compiles data from the public input from the design charrette and the online survey for residents unable to attend. A heat map showing the concentration of residents providing input is shown in Figure 1-1. The dots shown in black represent input received from outside the Town Boundary. 38

TOWN SQUARE CHARETTE Public Input Summary B-3 Town of Windermere Figure 1-1-1 Map of Survey Responses and Charrette Attendees 2.0 METHODOLOGY 2.1 Town Staff Discussion On July 22, 2024, prior to the Design Charrette, the Planning and Design Team met with Town Staff to discuss the project scope and key details needed to begin the public input process. The goal of this meeting was to gather information to generate the base data and guide the preparation of an outline for both the Charrette and Public Input Online Survey. Discussions included: • Project Meetings and Community Engagement Strategy • Project Review o Site Boundary o Site Constraints o Programs and Events o Needs Assessment • Schedule I In Town Limit (Proximity Heat Map) Outside Town Limit RESPONSE LEGEND 39

TOWN SQUARE CHARETTE Public Input Summary B-4 Town of Windermere 2.2 Long-Range Planning Committee Review On September 9, 2024, prior to the Design Charrette, the proposed scope of the project was shared with the Long-Range Planning Committee (LRC). The goal of this meeting was to learn about any additional improvements currently being implemented by the Town and ensure that the Charrette Project was focused on the proper elements within the Town Square. Several Key items from that meeting are below. 2.2.1 Overall Site • Creating a sense of place is important • Buffering adjacent neighbors is important (i.e., landscaping, berming, relocating access points, setbacks, reducing sound and light) The buffering of the parking lot at the corner of Forest Street and W 5th Avenue was brought up as examples of how buffering has been successful. • Events are a key use of the space and often promoted. Though it was suggested that some of the reoccurring events might be discontinuing in the “near” future • It was expressed that it’s important to be able to “control” the environment during events through permanent infrastructure i.e., blocking of road access to cars (still allowing pedestrians, bikes, golf carts, etc.) during events with removable ballads or something of the like, thus controlling where parking is occurring, • Reducing traffic on streets adjacent to residential properties, • Potentially reducing overall traffic during events by naturally reducing attendance to with constrained parking/access • Making Events less impactful on neighboring residents and making it more manageable for them • It was suggested that the same protections that were implemented on the other side of Main Street be implemented in the like on the Project Site side of Main Street. (i.e., buffering residents, putting parking in the rear, main “attractions” up front) • It was expressed that sufficient parking in the Downtown is an issue (not enough) • It was suggested that a garden could also be incorporated into the site, beautifying the space and maintaining green space. • It was brought up that the Town is looking to hold events for the 100-Year Anniversary of the Town and the opening of the time capsule (April 2025). However, no dates for events have been set yet. • The Library site will not be altered as part of the improvements. 2.2.2 Grass area (Northwest corner of Project Site): • It was suggested that the grass area be used for parking (Car and/or golf cart). There were a few suggestions to how this could be accomplished o Having undefined parking (i.e., leaving the grass as-is or having engineered subbase grass and allowing parking) 40