A new commercial development is set to revive the former Holler Chevrolet site along Fairbanks Avenue between S. Denning Drive and S. Capen Avenue. Conditional use approval was granted to DI Partners LLLP for 26,210-square-feet of retail and restaurant space on properties at 805, 801, and 771 W. Fairbanks Ave., and at 555 S. Capen Ave.
The site plan includes a string of one-story buildings and parking that fits the property’s vested C3 commercial zoning, which was in place prior to its inclusion within the Orange Avenue Overlay District. The vesting provision was added for property owners able to demonstrate a negative impact stemming from OAO regulations, which include a 25% open space mandate for properties over 1.25 acres in size.
City Planning Director Emeritus Jeff Briggs said the lot has been “crying out for redevelopment,” but its narrow dimensions have made improvement a challenge. “It is a very shallow-depth property – it’s really the hardest piece of the former Holler Chevrolet properties to develop,” he said at the Aug. 6 Planning & Zoning Board meeting. City Commission previously agreed that a 25% restriction on available space for the buildings or the 106-space parking lot would adversely impact the project, but the developer has also donated portions of the property and a neighboring lot to help mitigate flooding and traffic issues.
Bob Ziegenfuss, owner of Orlando-based Z Development Services, LLC, described the urban design concept as “an adaptive reuse” of the one-story designs that currently exist at the property, and is “meant to feel like it’s been there for a while.” Buildings will be set closer to the street with an 18-inch elevation from the sidewalk to separate possible outdoor dining areas. The decreased setback is due in part to the donation of two feet along the Fairbanks Avenue frontage that will allow the city to widen traffic lanes from nine to 10 feet.
DI Partners also have donated 10-feet of property for a left turn lane, heading west on Fairbanks at Denning, and a former residential lot by Comstock Avenue was donated for stormwater control. According to Briggs, the resulting retention pond will accommodate up to six inches of additional rainfall, significantly decreasing stormwater flow to MLK Park and Lake Midget.
The project is among many commercial developments and property purchases throughout the city. An Orlando Business Journal report states a total of $35 million in real estate deals have been recorded along Fairbanks Avenue between Interstate 4 and Pennsylvania Avenue over the past two years. This includes the August 2023 purchase of the Linda’s Winter Park Diner property by Massey Services, Inc. Pre-development marketing is also underway at McCraney Property Company’s three-story, 29,500-square-foot office building at 1100 N. Orange Ave., which will soon begin leasing and is estimated to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2025.
No timelines for construction or leasing at the DI Partners project has been given.
