Orlando council approves land-use changes for proposed men's homeless service center in Parramore amid public opposition

Orlando City Council on Feb. 10 approved two land-use and zoning measures to clear the way for a proposed men's homeless service center in the Parramore neighborhood after more than an hour of public comment.

Councilor motion and passage came after residents and advocates debated the project’s location. The council approved Ordinance 2025-3, a growth management map amendment affecting approximately 0.42 acres, and Ordinance 2025-4, a rezoning and land-development update tied to the Coalition for the Homeless Men’s Service Center covering about 4.98 acres. Both measures were moved by Commissioner Rose and seconded by Commissioner Sheehan; the mayor called for aye votes and the motions carried.

The ordinances change the city’s land-use and zoning designations for the parcels described in the ordinances and update the official zoning map to permit the men’s service center proposal. The city reading of the ordinances gave the sites’ boundaries as parcels near West Central Boulevard, North Paramore (Parramore) Avenue, North Terry Avenue and surrounding blocks.

Advocates who spoke at the public hearing urged the council to approve space for people without housing. Andrew Sagona, identifying himself as an Orlando resident, said he supported the project regardless of the site: “I just want there to be a homeless shelter somewhere,” Sagona said, urging organizations and institutions to find alternative sites if they opposed the location.

Several Parramore-area residents opposed locating the center in their neighborhood. Chelsea Cantilly, who said her home is on Page Street near the proposed site, described ongoing problems she attributed to nearby shelters and longtime concentrated homelessness: “We saw so many bleak people standing in the streets, piles of garbage, stolen shopping carts,” Cantilly said, and warned of violent incidents in the area she said involved recently released felons. Luana Gelser, who spoke in multiple agenda items, cited past policy changes that she said removed protections for Parramore and said residents were asked repeatedly to shoulder concentrations of services: “Why do we have to bear the brunt?” she asked. Gelser also questioned the scale and services of the planned facility and said she has paid for additional private security.

City staff and the ordinance text say the regulatory changes are to enable redevelopment and the site plan associated with the Coalition for the Homeless Men’s Service Center; the ordinances themselves set zoning and land-use authority but do not, by text read at the meeting, finalize building height, programmatic rules or the operator’s day-to-day policies. Several speakers asked the council for more detailed impact studies and clearer descriptions of security, operations and how services would be delivered.

The council did not record individual roll-call votes during the public hearing; the clerk asked for voice votes and the mayor announced the motions carried after all present answered “aye.”

Council members did not debate line-item operational details during the hearing. The council scheduled other agenda items and workshops at later meetings to consider project design and implementation steps.

The votes finalize city-level land-use and zoning changes necessary for the project to proceed through permitting and site-plan review. Opponents at the hearing urged the council and project proponents to identify alternate sites outside Parramore or to provide more community protections before construction and operations begin.

Votes at a glance: Ordinance 2025-3 (growth management amendment affecting approximately 0.42 acres) — motion by Commissioner Rose, second by Commissioner Sheehan, outcome: approved (voice vote; no recorded oppositions). Ordinance 2025-4 (zoning and land-development restatement for the Coalition for the Homeless Men’s Service Center, approx. 4.98 acres) — motion by Commissioner Rose, second by Commissioner Sheehan, outcome: approved (voice vote; no recorded oppositions).

Next steps: With the zoning and growth-management amendments approved, project proponents must follow standard permitting, site-plan review and any additional council or staff-directed community-engagement steps before construction or operations begin. The council and public speakers raised requests for impact studies and clarified operational details that would likely be considered in subsequent permitting stages.