9 minute read
WHAT A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD WE LIVE IN
Summertime, and the living’s (almost) easy!
Hey neighbors! Not sure how we got here, but it’s already July. We’re officially in the second half of 2021 and that hot Florida summer. The past six months have flown by, and quite a bit has happened in our little neighborhood.
We’ve seen some businesses leave the bubble and new ones take their place.
We’ve seen some of our neighbors do the same and take advantage of the crazy market to move on to their next adventures, while new ones came to be part of our Baldwin family.
We’ve honored and remembered the 49 angels we lost five years ago at the senseless massacre at Pulse.
Baldwin Park itself celebrated a milestone with its 20th birthday, and the city of Orlando officially declared June 5 as Baldwin Park Day!
And just as we turn the page on the calendar — or flip to the next month on our phones — we’re seeing even more changes, many for the positive. With events on hold since March 2020, things are starting to fill the calendar again. While the Baldwin Park Joint Committee made the difficult decision to cancel our Independence Day Bash in downtown Baldwin Park, we’re excited the city of Orlando will be hosting its annual Fourth of July celebration at Lake Eola again this year. As the months progress, more events will come back to our neighborhood, and we can’t wait to share details with you soon.
Admittedly, sports are not normally my strong point, but it’s great to see our local teams’ games come alive again. Through COVID, our very own Orlando City has only had limited in-person audiences, but the team is ready to get back into the full swing of things. It was announced recently that Exploria Stadium will open up to full capacity, which is great news — not only for the team but also the businesses around the stadium that thrive on the guest attendance.
The summer also means travel for many of us, especially with school out. As someone who was used to traveling for both work and pleasure heavily throughout the year, these past 15 months have been eye-opening … as in, I opened my eyes and walked from the bedroom to my home office. Things aren’t back to where they were, but it’s been great to get back on a plane over the last month or two and fly across the country to see friends and clients. We’ve even got a weekend planned in Mexico for a friend’s birthday this month. As much as I love Baldwin Park and The City Beautiful, it’s great to get back out there and see other places. Hopefully, you’ll be able to do the same.
Our little city within a city is starting to come alive again — not quite as it was before COVID became a five-letter word in our everyday vocabulary — but there is progress. The businesses along New Broad Street are buzzing with activity almost every day and night, which is great, but it also makes it harder to get a table at our amazing restaurants!
As vaccinations become more accessible, we will see things returning to pre-pandemic norms even more, but don’t let that stop you from being courteous, kind and respectful. If someone is wearing a mask, don’t judge them for it: You may not know their story. It’s easy to keep a mask on your person in case a store or restaurant requires it — lord knows we all have plenty of them to go around. If it is required, let’s just put it on while we shop or until we get to our table. The few minutes is nothing compared to how long we’ve been wearing them already.
All this talk about Fourth of July and summer has made me crave a good old-fashioned summer barbecue at the pool, so I guess I better go figure out how to make that happen!
Until we see each other again, be safe, be well and be kind. #WeAreBaldwinPark
20Years Strong
Two decades into its inception, Baldwin Park has transformed into the vibrant and tight-knit community residents know and love today.
DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Just over a couple of decades ago, there was no such thing as Baldwin Park.
Before the 1,100 acres of land became home base for thousands of residents and businesses, it served as both an Army base and a Navy base.
But on June 5, 2001, what once was the prestigious Naval Training Center became Baldwin Park. Adn on June 5, 2021, the community — Orlando’s first development built on the principles of new urbanism — celebrated its 20th anniversary.
BEGINNING OF BALDWIN
From World War II until the 1990s, Baldwin Park was shut off from the city of Orlando — literally. The area was fenced for six decades.
In 1942, the Orlando Army Air Station was established. It spanned more land area beyond Baldwin Park, including today’s Audubon Park neighborhood, Orlando Fashion Square Mall and Orlando Executive Airport.
After World War II, the airport was returned to the city, and the other properties were sold off as the air station reduced operations. In the early 1960s, the U.S. Navy acquired the base and made it the country’s third Naval Training Center for the next three decades.
When the NTC closed in 1993, the city realized it had prime real estate right near downtown, and it capitalized on the opportunity. Orlando initiated a base reuse plan — an 11-month feat to accomplish — and from then, it was all about transitioning the base into a community.
Design began in early 1997, and citizen input was a large part of the process. Through three meetings, citizens viewed more than 240 slides depicting all possibilities. Many common themes were open and green spaces, connections to surrounding neighborhoods, and creating a main thoroughfare and public access to the lakes.
In October 1999, the City Council voted to purchase the property from the Navy. Moments later, it was sold to Orlando NTC Partners. Selling it to one developer would create large taxable value, and redevelopment would create hundreds of acres of parks and lakes.
But Orlando NTC Partners had to demolish 256 buildings, as well as dig up miles of roads and underground utilities. The developer also had to remove contaminated
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Commissioner Robert Stuart declared June 5, 2021, Baldwin Park Day in Orlando.
BALDWIN’S BANNER WINNERS
As part of the celebrations for Baldwin Park’s 20th anniversary, staff hosted a banner-design contest to add to the seasonal banner rotation throughout the community. The two winners are 10-yearold Anastasia Vokh (design on left) and Grace Zhang.
Anastasia, who is new to Baldwin Park, designed a banner featuring lily pads. Her design was inspired by finding a little bridge over the lake, where lily pads and flowers decorated the water. To Anastasia, lily pads became her symbol of Baldwin Park.
Grace said her design was inspired by Baldwin Park’s urban yet family-friendly nature. It features a palm tree — a nod to the date palms in the Village Center — and features a color palette inspired by a tangram puzzle.
Danielle Hendrix Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart, Community Manager Stacey Fryrear, Joint Committee President William Campbell, former Residential Owners Association President Denny O’Neil and Community Director Susan Comisky celebrated Baldwin Park’s 20th anniversary.
soil on the greens of the base’s golf course.
The first buildings in Baldwin Park wouldn’t break ground until 2003, but the neighborhood officially received its identity in 2001. “Baldwin” comes from Robert H.B. Baldwin, who was undersecretary of the Navy when the Orlando NTC was commissioned in 1968. “Park” is a nod to other Orlando communities like Winter Park and Audubon Park.
Today, Baldwin Park remains one of Orlando’s most successful urban projects, a hallmark walkable area active — in non-COVID times — with neighborhood events. Throw in the hundreds of acres of parks, lakefront space and miles of biking and walking trails, and you’ve got a vibrant community many are proud to be a part of.
URBAN SUCCESS
Baldwin Park has been such a success story, in fact, that it even got its own day. On June 5, Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart joined community staff and residents at the flagpole in Harbor Park to proclaim the day Baldwin Park Day.
“First of all, it’s really the completion of our dream we had 20 years ago,” Stuart says. “The idea of having almost 5,000 homesteads here … and having people be down here walking around, this is what cities used to be, and we had a chance to help design that. Baldwin Park is … the investment, really, into I would say our children’s future. We want our children to grow up like this because we want them to have a sense of community when they grow up and a sense of ownership.”
Longtime resident Denny O’Neil — past president of both the Residential Owners Association and the Joint Committee — said Baldwin Park is a wonderful neighborhood in great part because of the city’s support for it.
“They were in on the design process and everything, they set up the documents … they take really good care to ensure that what comes here meets those standards,” O’Neil says. “That’s why this neighborhood is still so nice, and it’s 20 years old now, and at least half of it was built in those first 10 years. It’s a pretty amazing sight when you drive around here. Everything looks so good, and it looks like it was just put here. That’s because of the help we get from the city, to a certain extent.”
Stuart added that when people take a look around Baldwin Park, what they see is a testament to the work of city staff and the developer bringing a vision to life.
“When you look around here, it is not by accident; it’s really by design,” Stuart says. “It’s so neat to be here, and every time I get here, I get charged by the activity that’s going on — coming down seeing people shopping, stopping by with their families and going around the lake. That’s what being in a city is all about. It’s a leadership that we bought into. If you live here, you’re part of a community.”
Time to schedule back-to-school physicals!
Same- and Next-Day Appointments Available*
It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s almost time for kids to go back to school. Whether next year will include virtual classes, homeschooling or in-person learning, don’t forget to schedule back-to-school physicals. An annual school physical gives a pediatrician or family medicine provider the chance to address any concerns with your child’s physical and mental health and development.
