A proposal to put 100 below‑market apartments for Orange County Public Schools employees on an 8.5‑acre parcel beside Catalina Elementary has lit a fire under Isle of Catalina neighbors. Homeowners argue that the rezoning needed to allow multifamily construction would chip away at the area’s single‑family feel and pour more cars onto streets they say are already jammed. The fight is unfolding against a broader county push to use school‑owned land to ease housing costs for teachers and staff.
What’s proposed
District leaders want to bring in Wendover Housing Partners to build and run a workforce housing community called Warwick Place. Plans described by engineers depict five residential buildings plus a clubhouse, with about 100 apartments reserved for teachers and school staff. The land belongs to Orange County Public Schools and sits directly next to Catalina Elementary, which district officials say makes it ideal for staff housing at below‑market rents to help with recruiting and retention. As reported by Spectrum News 13, OCPS is framing Warwick Place as a workforce tool as much as a real estate project.
Neighbors organize a petition
Nearby residents have launched a "No Apartments in the Isle of Catalina" campaign and say their petition has already cleared 200 signatures opposing a rezoning from single‑family (R‑1A) to multifamily (R‑3A). On their neighborhood action page, organizers flag the site as 2510 Gulfstream Road and warn that once higher‑density zoning is in place, future owners could push for projects far larger than what is now on the table. The site also lists the city case number neighbors are using to track the application through the process. No Apartments in the Isle of Catalina.
OCPS says housing will help recruit and retain staff
School officials, for their part, are emphasizing the day‑to‑day realities facing teachers and staff who are priced out of neighborhoods near their schools. They say the program is meant to cut down on long commutes and the housing costs that push early‑career educators farther from campus. "Most of our employees would love to live where they work or work where they live," Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bridget Williams told Spectrum News 13. Catalina Elementary principal Adriene Anderson added that staff members would likely jump at an affordable option immediately adjacent to the school grounds.
Developer track record and context
Wendover Housing Partners, the district’s pick for Warwick Place, is already a familiar name in Central Florida affordable housing circles. The company has taken on several large, employer‑linked projects around Orlando, most notably the Catchlight Crossings community, announced with Universal, which aims to deliver hundreds of income‑restricted units. That development offers a preview of the public‑private financing and tax‑credit structures Wendover typically leans on for projects of this size. For background on Wendover’s Orlando work, see the company’s recent announcements and coverage. GlobeNewswire.
Hearing and next steps
The rezoning request is now headed into Orlando’s standard public review pipeline. The Municipal Planning Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month and has a session set for Tuesday, July 21, at 9 a.m., when city staff is scheduled to present the case, take public comment, and then issue a recommendation to the City Council. Details on the board’s calendar, agenda deadlines, and speaking rules are posted on the City of Orlando’s Municipal Planning Board page.
Neighbors’ concerns and what to watch
Residents interviewed by local reporters keep returning to the same list of worries: more traffic through the neighborhood, more noise, and extra strain on nearby schools. Anyone following the case closely will want to watch for the planning‑board packet and staff report, which will bundle the applicant’s site plan, traffic analysis, and city staff recommendations and should be posted online before the hearing.
What happens next hinges on the Municipal Planning Board’s recommendation and any subsequent votes by the City Council. The July meeting is the first formal, in‑person chance for neighbors, OCPS officials, and Wendover to lay out their arguments side by side. For residents tracking every twist, the city’s project portal and official meeting packets remain the central hub for new documents and staff analysis as they are released. City project portal.
