Locals furious at massive 37-story 'monstrosity' tower over fears it'll destroy precious historic building

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:02, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 21:05, 18 June 2026 Florida residents are in uproar over plans for a 37-story tower that has sparked fears it will destroy a neighboring historic church. The plans were approved for recommendation by Orlando's Municipal Planning Board on Tuesday, despite strong local outrage.  Yari Auger, an opponent of the scheme, described it as a 'monstrosity'. 'The issue is the real and documented risk of irreversible physical damage to a protected historic resource, which also happens to be a multi-generational, multi-racial and multi-ethnic beacon in the heart of the city,' she told Growth Spotter.  'Construction of a high-rise typically requires deep excavation, pile driving, dewatering, heavy vibrations, prolonged soil disturbances. Historic masonry structures were not designed to withstand these forces.' The gravest concerns relate to the 100-year-old St George Orthodox Church and neighboring 60-year-old Metropolitan condominiums.  Father John Hamatie, who has led the church for 53 years, told the planning board he feared the church would become 'spatially and visually subservient to this building,' according to the outlet.  He told the planning board that he doesn't consider the 'huge building' as attractive and said he deems it offensive to the church.  There are fears that the 100-year-old St George Orthodox Church will be negatively affected by the plans  Father John Hamatie, who has led the church for 53 years, said he finds the 'huge' building offensive to the church 'I have committed my whole life to this building; I do have a very personal stake in what goes in next to it,' he told the city's Appearance Review Board in May. 'I'd like to see something that really accentuates the view of the city.'  The lot, which is situated on Washington Street, had previously been destined to house a seven-story, 155-room Cambria Suites hotel, according to the Spotter.  But revised plans would see a mixed-use tower with a three-story restaurant, a 221-room luxury hotel and 252 private residencies.  Tuesday's meeting saw the decision to rezone the area to accommodate the new plans approved by six votes to one. The only opposing member, Afredo Barrett, cited concerns over the proposal's examples of preserving historic sites during development.  'The examples you provided of high-rises being built next to historic churches are all in areas where the soil conditions are different from the soil’s conditions in Florida,' he said. 'None of the examples relate to projects within Florida.' Planning staff listed 30 conditions in their approval for recommendation on Tuesday, including efforts to prevent damage to the church and its stained-glass windows, the outlet reported.  'One of the conditions in the staff report is that they have to do a different method than pile driving, which is a percussive way of pounding in the piles that support the structure into the bedrock' Jason Burton, the planning director, said.  'They’re required to use an alternative method that is more sensitive, both from a noise and vibration perspective.' Last month, the proposal, which is by Kobi Karp Architecture and Design, was praised by the Appearance Review Board for the architecture and design of the building.  Tuesday's meeting saw the decision to rezone the area to accommodate the new plans approved by six votes to one  Having been approved by the zoning body the review process will now proceed for consideration by City Council At the time Richard Forbes, executive director of the Appearance Review Board, said several changes need be made, including more screening of the parking garage ramp and changes to the southeast corner of the parking podium, according to Spotter.  Original designs purposefully had the three-story restaurant recessed to maintain 'visual openness along the street and intentionally exposing the church's historic facade and stained-glass windows,' the proposal obtained by the outlet said.  Yet, church members and city staff believed the parking garage plans were too close to the church's historic structure, leading the developer to agree to eliminate around eight parking spaces on the first three levels of the garage.  Rachel Castleberry, representing the church, said in May that she believed the tower to be too tall and modern for the area.  'The applicant originally presented concepts for a much smaller, more modest building, and this dramatic increase in height, massing, and intensity represents a major change that’s incompatible with the historic landmark, the entire Lake Eola neighborhood, and the park context,' she said.  'No offense, but it creates a jarring visual conflict instead of a compatible, contextual design.' According to the approved amendment document obtained by the Daily Mail, the addition of the tower was consistent with the town's growth management plan by boosting tourism and the economy, creating a more active street life, increasing housing and improving public spaces and 'cultural expression.'  Having been approved by the zoning body the review process will now proceed for consideration by City Council.  The Daily Mail reached out to the City of Orlando and St George Orthodox Church's Father John Hamatie for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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