Lakes board approves seawall at 2351 Forest Road with conditions for revetment and shoreline plantings

The Winter Park Lakes and Waterways Board voted to approve a seawall permit for 2351 Forest Road after an extended review of erosion, stormwater management and the constraints posed by a sanitary sewer easement. Staff introduced the application and the property’s Virginia-era backyard instability; the applicant’s engineer, Bob Ziegenfuss, described plans for fiberglass sheet piling with a concrete cap, a revetment on the lakeside and an exfiltration/drainage system to control groundwater.

"We're gonna put in a very good drainage system behind that wall so that we catch any groundwater coming towards it," said Bob Ziegenfuss, the development services engineer representing the homeowner. Board members asked for and received commitments on revetment and shoreline plantings; one proposed amendment to cap the wall height at 3 feet failed, but the board approved the permit with conditions to require riprap/revetment and shoreline vegetation to screen the wall. The staff presentation noted the seawall length is 148 feet and the submitted cross sections show a maximum height in the range of 6 feet (72 inches).

Board members framed the decision around trade-offs: several members said the proposed wall would better capture and treat stormwater before it reaches the lake, while others emphasized the visual impact of an exposed retaining wall. The board’s action authorizes the permit to proceed into the standard multi-department review and inspection workflow with the stated permit conditions (revegetation, revetment and screening) recorded in the permit file.