Orange County School Board hears MOU with Dr. Phillips Charities to develop Hungerford property in Eatonville

Orange County Public Schools on Sept. 30 reviewed a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dr. Phillips Charities that would begin a multi‑year effort to implement a community master plan for the Hungerford property in the town of Eatonville. The work session included presentations from the charity, its planning partners and Eatonville officials; no formal vote was taken at the session.

The MOU presented would give Dr. Phillips Charities time and a path to negotiate a purchase and development plan for the site, beginning with an immediate $1,000,000 payment, milestone tests tied to infrastructure and community uses, and further negotiated purchase terms, Dr. Phillips representatives said. Ken Robinson, president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities, told the board, “99% of that money stays in Orange County.” Chair Jacobs and Superintendent Dr. Vasquez emphasized the MOU is a starting point, not a contract.

The master plan shown to the board, prepared by Baker Barrios with community input facilitated by the Polis Institute, was described as an 18‑month, resident‑driven effort that included five public workshops and parallel work on a community action plan. Tim Baker of Baker Barrios said the plan is a 25‑year vision and identified a cluster of uses on the Hungerford property: a large community park and pavilion for festivals, a community hub for cradle‑to‑career education, an early learning center, a town center with a new town hall and cultural center, a destination hotel and conference space, a grocery to address a local food‑access gap, a business incubator, workforce housing and neighborhood parks linked by improved walk and bike facilities.

Dr. Phillips Charities and its presentation team outlined development principles and next steps. The charity proposed a phased approach with an early priority on infrastructure and a pavilion that could host community events, followed by an early learning center and later a community health center and broader mixed‑use development. The charity estimated infrastructure and early phases could approach major capital scales and noted that the eventual purchase price and credits for investments would be negotiated in subsequent agreements.

Eatonville elected officials who attended the session told the school board they were not sufficiently engaged before the MOU was announced and urged stronger council involvement and additional public meetings. Vice Mayor Theo Washington said the process had “put the cart before the hoist” and criticized the timing and sequence of outreach. Council members described learning of the plan through media and called for the town council to be more fully included before the board approves anything final. Councilwoman Wanda Randolph said the town’s questions about whether other entities had been offered the same opportunity and the details of competing offers were “not specified” and asked that the board consider tabling action until the council had more formal input.

Board members were split in tone but generally acknowledged the MOU would only begin more detailed negotiations. Member Salamanca and others said the proposal appeared to be one of the more comprehensive, community‑centered approaches the board has seen. Member Ferrant called the master plan “extremely well thought out” and praised the resident engagement, while Member Mack and other Eatonville council members focused their concerns on process and local participation.

Dr. Phillips leaders described prior, place‑based work — including a recent development called the Packing District in other parts of Orange County — and said their stated goals for the Hungerford site are to preserve Eatonville’s history, prevent displacement, expand access to health care and education, and build local economic opportunity. Terry Prather, chair of Dr. Phillips Charities, and Ken Robinson said the charity will work to structure guardrails and resident advisory roles into future agreements. The presentation team said they would commission an economic impact study and proposed an advisory committee with representation from residents and town leaders to provide ongoing oversight.

Key numbers and schedule details the presenters offered at the session included: a $1,000,000 upfront payment, potential infrastructure costs that the charity described as large (the presentation noted early infrastructure and housing work could approach figures in the tens of millions and referenced the project’s total scale as capable of approaching $100,000,000), a community engagement program to continue after the MOU, and a sequence of milestones that could forgive portions of a purchase price if those milestones are met. Baker Barrios described five formal workshops over about 18 months during the master‑planning phase and said attendance grew from roughly 15 participants at the first workshop to about 80 at the final draft presentation.

Chair Jacobs closed the work session by reiterating that what the board was considering was an MOU — a framework to begin negotiations and due diligence — not a final contract. The board adjourned the work session and scheduled the public meeting at which the board will consider formal action on the MOU during its regular session later the same afternoon. No formal action on the MOU occurred during the work session.

Next steps the presenters and board described include additional work sessions with Eatonville council members, drafting contract‑level documents that will specify purchase price, timelines, accounting for Dr. Phillips’s investments, and legal guardrails; a proposed advisory committee to include residents; and further permitting and planning steps that would include comp‑plan and permitting reviews.