A new commercial development is set to revitalize the former Holler Chevrolet site on Fairbanks Avenue between S. Denning Drive and S. Capen Avenue. The Holler family’s DI Partners LLLP has issued a conditional use permit for 26,210 square feet of retail and restaurant space on properties at 805, 801 and 771 W. Fairbanks Ave. and 555 S. Capen Ave.

The project will include a series of single-story buildings that will fit within the pre-existing C3 Commercial Zone that existed prior to inclusion in the Orange Avenue Overlay. The vesting clause was added for property owners who can demonstrate they will be adversely impacted due to OAO regulations, which require 25% open space for properties over 1.25 acres.

Jeff Briggs, city planning director emeritus, said the former truck parking lot “cries out for redevelopment,” but its dimensions made improvement a challenge. “It’s a very shallow lot – it’s really the hardest piece of the former Holler Chevrolet property to develop,” he said. The city commission previously agreed that a 25 percent restriction on the available space for buildings or the 106-space parking lot would negatively impact the project. However, the developer also donated portions of the property to mitigate traffic and stormwater issues.

Bob Ziegenfuss, owner of Orlando-based Z Development Services, described the urban design concept as an “adaptive reuse” of the single-story buildings currently on the property and is designed to “make it look like it’s been there for a while.” The buildings will be set close to the street and set back 18 inches from the sidewalk to separate potential outdoor dining areas. The reduced distance from the street is due in part to donating two feet along the entire block, allowing the city to widen the lanes from nine to 10 feet.

DI Partners also has a 10-foot parcel of land for a left-turn lane from Fairbanks onto S. Denning, as well as a vacant lot on Comstock Avenue that will be used for stormwater flood control. Briggs said the resulting pond can hold up to six inches of additional rain, reducing stormwater runoff to MLK Park and Lake Midget.

No timelines for construction or leasing were given, but the project is one of many commercial developments and property purchases across the city. An Orlando Business Journal report cites $35 million in real estate deals along Fairbanks Avenue between Interstate 4 and Pennsylvania Avenue in the past two years, including Massey Services, Inc.’s purchase of the Linda’s Winter Park Diner property in August 2023. And pre-development marketing is underway for McCraney Property Company’s three-story, 29,500-square-foot office building at 1100 N. Orange Ave., which will begin leasing next year and construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.