Goodwill proposes new West Orange County store - Orlando Business Journal
Goodwill Industries of Central Florida has proposed a new store in West Orange County. Goodwill Industries of Central Florida has proposed a retail store in Ocoee, Florida. The proposal ran into opposition due to concerns over traffic levels the project would add to. The nonprofit had requested an adjustment to the Planned Unit Development to allow for a 6,000-square-foot expansion of the proposed store to reach 24,932 square feet. However, the decision was rejected by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. The expansion does not affect Goodwill's development, as Goodwill is entitled to up to 18,000 square feet on the property. Goodwill Industries is also working on a $19 million renovation of its main offices and flagship store in a 92,236-sq-foot building at 7531 S. Orange Blossom Trail.
Published : 2 weeks ago by Ryan Lynch in Business
The project ran into opposition on expanding the size of the facility.
Goodwill Industries of Central Florida has proposed a store in Ocoee.
The Orlando-based nonprofit filed for a Small-Scale Site Plan for a retail store along Fountains West Boulevard with the city of Ocoee. An entity connected to Goodwill bought the 3.09-acre property without an address for $1.35 million from Timmus Storage 1 LLC on Feb. 9.
Goodwill would develop the store from scratch on the vacant pad on the property. It had requested an adjustment to the Planned Unit Development to allow for a 6,000-square-foot expansion of the proposed store to 24,932 square feet, but the Ocoee Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the proposal by a 3-2 vote on June 11 due to nearby resident concerns over traffic levels the project would add to on Clarcona-Ocoee Road and Ocoee Apopka Road.
The denial of the expansion would still have to go before the Ocoee City Commission. The vote does not stop the store's development, as Goodwill is entitled to up to 18,000 square feet on the property.
Ed Durkee, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, said during the June 11 zoning meeting that the nonprofit uses five-mile shopping sheds to test locations and the property was favorable. "It's going to be an excellent location for a retail store."
The project is not the only one the nonprofit has in the works. It is working on a $19 million renovation of its main offices and flagship store in a 92,236-square-foot building at 7531 S. Orange Blossom Trail, which is expected to take roughly two years to fully complete.
Goodwill Industries of Central Florida is among the largest nonprofits in metro Orlando, with $91.96 million in revenue.
The nonprofit has more than 1,500 employees along with 32 retail/outlet stores and 18 Donation Xpress locations in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake and Volusia counties.
Meanwhile, Cushman and Wakefield said Orlando has hit a record level of retail occupancy across the market in first-quarter 2024.
"Increased consumer spending in Orlando has led to a surge in demand for retail space, resulting in a record-low vacancy rate of just 3.2% in first-quarter 2024 for the second consecutive quarter," the report stated. "With the market's population expected to continue growing, the scarcity of high-quality retail spaces presents a significant challenge for expanding retailers."
The region has more than 1.5 million square feet of retail space under construction across all classes as of first-quarter 2024.
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