According to the Orlando Sentinel the desirable neighborhood of College Park in Orlando is now experiencing a cycle of teardowns and rebuilds. The driving force appears to be the homeowners craving more living space than what is available in the neighborhood's indigenous bungalows. An Orlando Sentinel review of public records shows new homes built since 2008 are on average double the living space of the ones they replaced, averaging 3,109 square feet.
Last year, 40 single-family homes were demolished, a 10-year peak. The Sentinel’s analysis of city permits found that over the past decade, 245 houses were knocked down in College Park, accounting for about 6% of the neighborhood’s homes, records show. The next highest neighborhood was Parramore, with 65.
New construction is surfacing in nearly every pocket of College Park, long known for its bungalows, brick streets and oak canopies. Older homes marked with builders’ signs out front signaling another demolition may be on the way.
The trend also has driven fears of some that more beloved homes could be demolished and make moving into the neighborhood a strain for young families. “I think hands down, the quality of life what attracts people to College Park,” said Betty Layton, who lives on Shady Lane, where her husband’s family has lived since 1955. But that popularity has consequences, she said.
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