Even Winter Park was hit by the Great Recession.
Although it may not have been as bad off as some other parts of Central Florida, the city’s commercial strip along U.S. Highway 17-92 paid a price: Office space sat empty for years, an ice-cream shop gave way to a “we buy gold” store and the Borders bookstore closed as the national chain went out of business.
These days, however, the sound of construction has returned to the area around Winter Park Village.
Several projects will bring banks, restaurants, office space and more to the 17-92 vicinity. Some projects are near completion. Others have received city approval, though construction has yet to begin.
“We’ve got a bunch of things happening,” said Jeff Briggs, the city’s development director. “After a very quiet two or three years of very little development, it’s good to see that there is some bounce-back.”