What Is Connect Winter Park
Connect Winter Park is a proposed public gondola transit link designed to connect downtown Winter Park with Winter Park Resort, with the goal of linking visitors and locals to the resort base area and the Mountain Passenger Rail platform without relying on driving between town and the resort.
Proposed Route And Stations
Public materials describe a gondola system connecting downtown and the resort, with concepts that include:
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A downtown Winter Park gondola station near the Main Street/downtown area
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A resort gondola base station with a rail connection at the resort’s passenger rail platform
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Connectivity ties into Cooper Creek Village and the Cooper Creek Transit Center (bus connections)
Current Status
The Town of Winter Park describes this as a long-term vision that has been advanced in partnership with Winter Park Resort and local developer WC Johnson. Town updates also describe work on agreements and funding pathways tied to implementation, including steps related to regional cooperation and future operations.
Timeline (Tentative)
Timelines are still dependent on approvals, permitting, and final design. Based on the resort’s public FAQ and planning process updates
July 2024
Preliminary Development Plan submitted
Nov 2024 and Feb 2025
Updated submissions responding to comments
Dec 2024
First Final Development Plan submitted for an initial phase area
Construction
The resort has stated development and construction could begin as early as summer 2026, pending all necessary approvals
Important Note
All details are proposed and may change as engineering, approvals, and funding progress. We will update this page as new public milestones are posted by the Town and the resort.