PINE HILLS, Fla. – Pine Hills residents are helping shape what they want their community to become, with ideas ranging from grocery stores and beauty salons to a possible food hall.
Orange County is hosting a series of meetings that give residents a chance to weigh in on a long-term plan to revitalize and grow the area.
Residents used color-coded pins to mark what they want to see, including new businesses, safety improvements and community projects. Attendees also got a first look at renderings showing what Pine Hills could look like in the years ahead.
Tamara Johnson, executive director of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Improvement District, said every pin and idea will help guide the plan.
“I hear, ‘Oh, I want a Starbucks.’ We’d love to have big-box grocery stores within the community. We’d love to see a high-rise,” Johnson said. “You also have to be realistic about the expectations — what our community is and who can come — but this is setting the framework for people to come.”
Johnson said the input will be used to develop a master plan to redevelop the community. A first draft is expected as early as this summer.