nite owℓ

I guess what's old is new again if you wait long enough Curious what you think of the Waverly's color palette? IMO the old art deco pastels adds a bit of uniqueness to an otherwise uniform/corporate landscape. I can stomach it if tastefully done right. The rendering could use a little reworking.

I still miss the retro lights that outlined the star... and the string lights it used to hang from. They could've accomplished the retro look with LEDs while preserving the vintage charm.

They could always add plans for a pedestrian crossing over Rosalind using public funds and call it the Lake Eola annex. Never underestimate the power of the "little old ladies" (as they like to call themselves).

Agreed, it's kind of creepy. I've also seen billboard ads and heard ads on Spotify for each organization. I don't know the ins and outs of tax law, but both Advent and Orlando Health are not-for-profit organizations. There are key distinctions between non-profit vs not-for-profit, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to pinpoint how each hospital uses the designation to their advantage. Side note: The Orlando Sentinel did a 4 part write up about each hospital's tax exemption status a few years ago. Probably doesn't address your concern, but the OS did attempt to shed light on the topic. I will give it a re-read myself actually. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2016/01/28/part-1-florida-hospital-orlando-health-enjoy-lucrative-tax-breaks-even-as-revenues-soar/

Basically in a nutshell... The church purchased the building to convert it into a homeless drop-in center, but fundraising dried up due to the GFC. They started renovating the building without permits and it was rumored they allowed people to sleep inside of the building in its unfinished state. They definitely allowed homeless people to camp out on site though. The building was condemned by the City and remained vacant since. The church held weekly mass feedings for homeless people on the property's parking lot and it created a lot of problems for the surrounding areas (people loitering, camping out, aggressive panhandling, etc). The church only seemed focused on providing outreach services without responsibly taking into account the toll on it's surroundings... then one night a woman was brutally assaulted amd raped in the alley between AT&T and the pink building by a transient. There were already several other reports of women being assaulted by homeless people around Lake Eola over the years. The city had been in talks with the church to reduce or stop the mass feedings over the years. Fencing was installed around the pink building and subsequently around the church itself a few years ago. Mass feedings continued into 2023, but hopefully the new development will put an end to it. Just noticed, according to the article, they will break ground on The Edge in the 1st quarter of 2024. Fingers crossed https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/10/24/lincoln-property-eyes-lake-eola-site-for-mixed-use-tower/

Agreed. Given the history of everything that occurred on and around that site, I'm just glad the property is no longer under the church's posession. This new lot assemblage on Wall St could serve as the parking garage ingress/egress... we actually talked about these very same things in 2019, so I'm glad it's coming to fruition! https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/topic/118287-cambria-hotel-and-suites-8-story-155-room-hotel-approved/page/3/

So I guess debauchery within the straight community is no longer a thing? Ever hear of Spring Break, Miami Beach or Ibiza?? Scantily clad women with their T&A hanging out, fully naked women, intoxicated people making out with each other, drunken fights, dancing/grinding provocatively and of course the classy couple getting it on behind the dumpster. Enough with the double standard. On any given day you can find some woman wearing skin tight tops and leggings showing off every nook and cranny, but I guess that's ok right. So what's good for the goose is totally out of bounds for the gander? Yes gay pride parades do have an overtly sexual undertone, but let's not pretend like all straight events or clubs don't get sleezy either. Living next to Lake Eola, I've seen lots of straight people that were not on their best behavior... including a girl who pleasured her male friend on the sidewalk (and no, they were not homeless). Look, in no way do I want to see either community doing any of that stuff in public, but the clutching of pearls and hypocrisy is a bit over the top. Keep that in mind the next time you guys pat yourselves on the back as a half naked woman with all of her bits on display walks by in public in front of kids and everyone else to see.

Agreed. Mid-sized city w/small town vibes and I feel many want to keep it that way. One of the reasons I sold my condo is bc I got tired of "Waiting for Godot" as spenser would say. We had some good momentum prior to the Great Financial Crisis back in '08, but we haven't recovered since. I understand wanting to move away from the stagnation in Orlando, but where would you go? Most established downtowns/cities are cost prohibitive (unless money isn't an issue for you, then the world is your oyster). It's nice to visit cities with fully functioning downtowns, but when I'm away I start to miss the small town convenience of our little area... or maybe I just miss the familiar surroundings, who knows. Our traffic is annoying, but traffic in larger cities is on another level. While I would much prefer to live in Winter Park (which is the only area worth a damn in Central FL IMO), living in downtown's environs allows me to comfortably sustain myself on my salary which would not be the case if I had to start over in Miami Beach, NYC, etc. Downtown Orlando is basically my compromise.

Construction is still estimated to be completed in November per the update in the community paper this month. See July's article for a breakdown of the work being done on South Orange Ave by OUC, FDOT and Sodo NID : https://www.yourcommunitypaper.com/articles/south-orange-avenue-construction-update/

Another view from Palmetto. Long overdue, but happy to see it gone. The Church's neglect has been a blight and a safety hazard on the community.

I find it odd that the sales history for that lot "170 E Washington St" has been erased in property appraiser. I'm certain it showed the sales history earlier this year when I last checked. It's not a confidential parcel, so I'm not sure what's up... It sold for $3M back in 2017, so I'm curious how much Lincoln Properties bought it for in today's market. Does anyone know how to find the most recent sales record?

I think they should put rows of planter boxes along the whole perimeter with a few openings for ingress/egress on Orange Ave and/or Pine St.

A friend sent me a pic of the dirt. I'm assuming it's meant to level out each lot since Washington is on a steep incline heading to Orange Ave

I think using artificial turf is a mistake for such a large flat area (vs a small accent area) and the ripples look terrible. After a nice rain it will probably retain some water. Can't imagine what kind of bacteria will begin to breed in the material