Dr Phillips residents fighting proposal to build high rise apartment

ORLANDO, Fla. - Residents in Dr. Phillips are mad over a proposal to build a high-rise apartment in their neighborhood.

"We’ve designed these stickers that say STOP KIMCO save DP." DP stands for Dr Phillips.  It's where Rachael Coudriet grew up. She’s handing out stickers to raise awareness about , a proposal to build a high rise apartment in The Marketplace shopping center off Dr Phillips Blvd and Della Drive. "Traffic is a huge issue, obviously an influx of residents. In addition to additional bodies of people that would be living here."

KIMCO Realty confirmed they want to redevelop this former Stein Mart parcel, to an apartment building that’s 8 stories or fewer, with 300-400 units. There would be shops on the bottom and residential above.

"We’re not against development, we’re just against this particular development because it does not fit the Dr. Phillips community."
Kurt Kotzin created the group called Stop KIMCO. He says there’s an even bigger plan to build more units. "Build up to 874 apartment units. And our group is against that." Kimco says that’s part of a 20-year plan. They released a statement, "No formal plans have been filed for this master plan, nor for the construction of 800 residential units. Our immediate focus is on redeveloping the vacant Stein Mart parcel." We’re against the giant change that this will bring to the neighborhood." Kotzin says currently there’s no more than 20 units per acre allowed. He plans to fight developers from getting a zoning change from commercial to mixed-use.KIMCO plans to meet with residents this Fall to devise a compromise. Rachael says, "I think it would be excellent to start that conversation. But I think also it would be good for them to know we’re not willing to compromise.

KIMCO says the project is still 4 to 5 years out if approved. They say no stores will be eliminated. KIMCO Statement in full: The master plan that some community members are responding to is one that is meant to envision what the site could look like in the distant future (20-plus years). These changes would occur over a multi-decade phased project, and the process would include extensive community and municipal engagement along the way, and likely several iterations of the height, unit count, and use mix. No formal plans have been filed for this master plan, nor for the construction of 800 residential units. Our immediate focus is on redeveloping the vacant Stein Mart parcel, where we are proposing just 25-30% of the residential units outlined in the long-term master plan. Our ultimate goal is to create a synergistic mix of uses that will best serve the surrounding community and support the existing retailers to ensure the lasting success of this asset.