LONGWOOD, Fla. – The Longwood City Commission has voted down a multi-million dollar development that would have transformed the historic downtown area. 

It’s a point of pride for the residents of Longwood — the Historic Downtown area.   

So, many started to pay attention when city leaders began talking about redeveloping parts of it. 

J.P. Gilbert has been living in Longwood for a little over a year.

“I think the city commission has a unique opportunity to make Longwood a place where folks want to come,” Gilbert said. 

Gilbert said the downtown area could be a thriving city center, but he said the latest plan to redevelop the area wasn’t right for the city.

The city commission agrees and voted Monday night to drop it.   

“We put our priorities and demands before the developer and he didn’t follow through and give us any alternatives to what he had proposed,” Longwood Mayor Richard Drummond said. 

Drummond said they were looking to relocate city buildings.

In their place, a restaurant in the old fire station, townhouses and other development that would bring more people to the area.   

But city leaders terminated the developer’s proposal. 

“We would talk back and forth but we just could not come to an agreement on how we were going to proceed with it,” Drummond said. 

Part of the issue is city leaders felt the developer, who was going to buy the city property, had undervalued it.   

“I’m glad they decided to not go forward with this redevelopers plans,” Gilbert said. 

Drummond said city staff is looking at other options to move forward with relocating the city buildings, but they are open to another developer coming up with a master plan. 

“Ultimately, we would like a developer to come in and take over — buy these properties from us then developing them, so we can bring more people downtown,” Drummond said. 

City leaders said most of all they need a new fire station.

They’re looking at building one in a different location and selling the old building for redevelopment.​