ORLANDO, Fla. – A proposed master plan for Leu Gardens is drawing pushback from some neighbors ahead of a community meeting Monday night.
Leu Gardens says the plan is meant to guide the 50-acre botanical garden into the future as visitation continues to grow. According to the gardens, nearly 300,000 people visit each year, roughly triple what the current visitor center was built to support in the mid-1990s.
The conceptual plan includes a new visitor center complex, lakefront dining and retail, an outdoor pavilion, a children’s garden and expanded parking.
But some people who live nearby worry those changes could alter the character of one of Orlando’s most peaceful spaces.
“I think it will change the nature of the park. It really should be a park, with a fabulous camellia collection and all that comes with it. So I’m not in favor of it,” said Sarah Stoddard, who lives in the neighborhood behind Leu Gardens.
[WATCH: Plant tips and tricks from Leu Gardens (from 2024)]
A letter circulating among neighbors urges residents to attend Monday night’s meeting and push back against the proposal. The letter calls the plan “a dramatic shift in the scale, intensity, and purpose of the gardens” and raises concerns about traffic, noise and increased commercial activity.
It also includes a more pointed line about what some fear the future could look like, asking, “How many times do you want to hear ‘Sweet Caroline’?”
Stoddard said she has spoken with other neighbors who share similar concerns.
“I have talked to several of the neighbors that share my feelings that it changes the nature of Leu Gardens and that it brings more noise, an influx of crowds and parking issues, and all that to the neighborhood, which we would prefer not to have,” she said.
She also worries the focus of the gardens could shift away from its core mission.
“The focus might become more of a profit center and maybe neglect some of the gardens or impinge on spaces devoted to plants and quiet reflection, turning them into something noisier and more intrusive,” Stoddard said.
[WATCH: Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens]
Leu Gardens says the master plan is still in the concept phase and no final designs have been approved. The organization says the goal is to modernize facilities, improve the visitor experience and support programming while protecting the gardens’ character, including mature trees, historic views and garden spaces.
A community meeting is underway until 8 p.m. Monday at Leu Gardens, where the public will have a chance to review the plan and provide feedback.
What happens next could depend in part on what people say at that meeting, as the plan continues to evolve.