Baldwin Park is one of the few neighborhoods around here that didn’t exist when I moved to Winter Park in July 1978. Back then it was a Navy base. Today it’s a planned neighborhood on Winter Park’s southern edge, a short drive from my office on Louisiana Avenue. My background, in one line: Over 37 years in the Real Estate Industry · licensed in Florida since 1989.

From Navy base to neighborhood

The history explains a lot about how Baldwin Park looks and how it’s run.

• A wartime air station first. During World War II this land was part of the Orlando Army Air Station, which also took in what’s now Audubon Park, the Fashion Square area and Orlando Executive Airport.
• Naval Training Center Orlando. The site became NTC Orlando in 1968. The city counts more than 650,000 recruits trained here, and the main base housed the Recruit Training Command, the Service School Command and the Nuclear Power School. A City of Orlando historical marker notes that in 1973 Orlando became the Navy’s first coed boot camp.
• Where the name comes from. Lake Baldwin was Lake Corrine until 1967, when it was renamed for Navy Under Secretary Robert H. B. Baldwin, who helped bring the training center to Orlando. The neighborhood took its name from the lake.
• Closure and rebuild. The base was picked for closure in 1993. On October 27, 1999, the Orlando City Council voted to buy the main base from the Navy and, moments later, to sell it to the developer. Before building could start, 256 buildings, 25 miles of old roads and 200 miles of underground utilities came out, and the crushed concrete was reused on site. The first homes went up in the early 2000s.

City of Orlando, not Winter Park

Baldwin Park borders Winter Park, but it’s a neighborhood inside the City of Orlando, in Orange County, ZIP 32814. That means City of Orlando property taxes, permits and services. Development here is governed by the Baldwin Park Planned Development ordinance, adopted by the City Council on July 27, 1998, rather than the city’s standard zoning, so the rules for what you can build come from that document and the neighborhood’s design guidelines.

Housing stock and architecture

• Newer construction, traditional layout. The city’s plan called for traditional neighborhood design: a gridded street network, a walkable main street, public access to the lakes, and open space linking the parks. Most homes date from the early 2000s on.
• A real mix of home types. The Residential Owners Association covers single-family homes, townhouses, live/work homes, city homes and condominiums, and there are apartment buildings around the Village Center.
• Design rules with teeth. The residential guidelines set standards for six architectural styles and include “anti-monotony” rules requiring a seven-lot separation between homes with the same body massing. That’s why a Baldwin Park street doesn’t look like a row of copies.

Most homes here were permitted after the statewide Florida Building Code took effect in 2002, which tends to help on a wind-mitigation inspection. Get the inspection anyway; insurance credits come from what’s on the report, not the year built.

Neighborhoods and streets

• The Village Center. New Broad Street is the main street, laid out to face Lake Baldwin and the Village Center Harbor, with shops, restaurants, offices and housing.
• Lake Baldwin. The city owns the lakeshore as public parkland, with a trail around it. So “on the lake” here usually means a view across the park and trail rather than a private dock. Confirm for any specific lot.
• Lake Susannah. The Lake Susannah Neighborhoods are one of the plan’s neighborhood areas, and the Lake Susannah shoreline is public parkland too.
• Townhomes. Townhouses are grouped into townhome service areas, with their own committee and property insurance arrangements. Ask exactly what the fees cover before you compare a townhome with a single-family home.

Lifestyle and amenities

• New Broad Street. Restaurants, shops and the harbor on Lake Baldwin, all within walking distance of much of the neighborhood.
• Lake Baldwin Park and dog park. The 23-acre park on Lake Baldwin, at 2000 South Lakemont Avenue, belongs to the City of Winter Park. It’s the only Winter Park city park where dogs can be off leash (8 a.m. to sunset), and there’s a sandy beach where dogs can swim. The water is closed to people for swimming. There’s also a boat ramp for boats without gas engines.
• Trails. A paved trail runs around Lake Baldwin and connects to the Cady Way Trail, which heads into Winter Park.
• Blue Jacket Park. Named for the “Blue Jackets” who trained at NTC Orlando, with a Navy History Wall on the site of the old parade grounds. A veterans park on the lake’s north shore also marks the base years.
• Association amenities. The Residential Owners Association runs three pools (one heated year-round), two fitness centers and gathering spaces, with its office at Grace Hopper Hall on Meeting Place.

Commute and getting around

• Downtown Orlando. The former main base sits about three miles east of downtown Orlando.
• Winter Park. Lakemont Avenue runs north from the Lake Baldwin area into Winter Park, and the Cady Way Trail gives you a bike route.
• Colonial Drive. SR 50, south of the neighborhood, is the main east-west road toward downtown in one direction and east Orlando in the other.

Drive your route at the hour you’d actually use it before you buy.

Working with Will in Baldwin Park

Because so much of Baldwin Park was built in the same era under the same plan, it’s tempting to price a house by averaging the neighbors. That misses what buyers actually pay for: home type, which side of the street faces a park or the lake, garage and lot layout, and condition. I’ve spent a long stretch in valuation work, so I price on adjusted closed sales, not online estimates. Credentials, stated plainly: 2026 RealTrends Verified, ranked #10 in Winter Park by transactions; RE/MAX Hall of Fame.

When you’re buying, I’ll pull the parcel’s tax bill so you can see the CDD line, and get you the association documents and fees early, while there’s still time to ask questions.

Baldwin Park FAQ

Is Baldwin Park part of Winter Park?

No. Baldwin Park is in the City of Orlando, Orange County, ZIP 32814. It borders Winter Park, and the City of Winter Park owns Lake Baldwin Park on the lake.

What is the CDD charge on a Baldwin Park tax bill?

Baldwin Park is in the Urban Orlando Community Development District, a special district that funds and maintains public infrastructure. Its assessment appears on the county property tax bill, separate from association dues, and can include an operations-and-maintenance part that changes with the yearly budget and a bond-repayment part that’s generally fixed. Check the actual tax bill for the parcel you’re considering.

Do I need approval to change the outside of my house?

Yes. The Residential Owners Association’s Architectural Review Committee reviews exterior changes, from additions and pools to landscaping and gutters. Build that review into your timeline.

Which schools serve Baldwin Park?

Baldwin Park is in Orange County Public Schools, and Baldwin Park Elementary is in the neighborhood on Common Way Road. Attendance zones change, so verify any address with the OCPS school locator.

Was the former base cleaned up?

The Navy, Florida DEP, EPA, the City of Orlando and the developer worked together on investigation and cleanup, and the project received EPA’s 2020 Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award. EPA notes that a few sites from the former training center are still under long-term monitoring, so for any specific parcel, read the title work and check Florida DEP’s records.

How do I find out what my Baldwin Park home is worth?

Request a free home value report. I use recent Baldwin Park closed sales of similar home types (single-family, townhome or condo) and account for CDD and association costs buyers will see.

Call or text 407-620-7785, or get a free home value report.

Compare nearby areas

Baldwin Park buyers often look at Winter Park and Maitland too. Farther north in Seminole County, Longwood and Lake Mary offer established neighborhoods and planned communities. Coming from out of state? Start with moving to Winter Park.

Thinking about Baldwin Park?

Send me the address or the street you’re watching, and I’ll show you what’s actually selling there.

Will LaValle, REALTOR® · RE/MAX 200 Realty · 1155 Louisiana Ave., Suite 110, Winter Park, FL 32789 · 407-620-7785 · will@irlhomes.com · FL license #3389936