How to revitalize Parramore?

[corpkid]

I was wondering if anyone can provide links/info on other cities that fixed up and developed their "rough parts" with success...

Also, does anyone know if there are any plans (official or rumored) on how Dyer plans to revitalize Parramore?

Finally - what are YOUR ideas of how Parramore should be revitalized (short of dropping a small bomb) What areas to start with? What type of projects? What issues are preventing developers from using this cheap land?

Figured this would be an interesting topic of conversation (apologize if it's been hashed out before)..

[hueblue]

Back in December there was some discussion of this on the boards. I scrolled back a few pages and it looks like it's been dropped from the list. But I googled "Buddy Dyer" and Parramore and found it. If you click on this link you should be able to see the old Urban Planet/Orlando forum discussion of plans and renderings, along with mention of a similar project in Cincinnati called Hope IV. If you can't see it, go to google.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7360

I don't know what the latest is, though. Maybe there's something on the city of Orlando web site.

[jack]

I was wondering if anyone can provide links/info on other cities that fixed up and developed their "rough parts" with success... 

Also, does anyone know if there are any plans (official or rumored) on how Dyer plans to revitalize Parramore? 

Finally - what are YOUR ideas of how Parramore should be revitalized (short of dropping a small bomb)    What areas to start with?  What type of projects?  What issues are preventing developers from using this cheap land?

Figured this would be an interesting topic of conversation (apologize if it's been hashed out before)..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The land is not that cheap for larger parcels. Land owners have marked it up pretty high and I think that is limiting development. In my opinion, the first step to revitalize Parramore is for individuals to go in and revitalize it themselves. It is easier to buy a small piece of land and develop it yourself then to wait for a large developer or the city. If you go to Mcfall ave (it runs into Gore ave on the South side), you will see individual families doing this. Most of the are professionals that are under the age of 35 and made a commitment to the area. I talked to a OPD officer that patrols the area and he told me the crime rate is not that high compared to other parts of the city, and it is lower then the core of the city. It is the perception of crime that drives people away. San Francisco/Oakland, Harlem, LoDOo in Denver, NE in Washington DC , and Atlanta have gone through or is going through the same thing that Parramore is. All of those cities have seen or is seeing positive results. Just look up Gentrification and you will find examples. But you have to look past the negative publicity to find something truthful and accurate. Gentrification is better than Slumification.

[sunshine]

To do it overnite, the easiest thing to do is to build a multi stories giant mall with no surface parking. It needs a mega development to do in one phase.

But, my suggestion is to develop it into an urban version of "University Research Park" in downtown Orlando, just to compete with Orange County.

[prahaboheme]

a multi-story giant mall? we have enough of those, we need dense housing in the downtown area and parramore is the perfect place to do it considering that there is not much there to be saved.

[cwetteland]

^ So the occupants of this dense housing has to get in their cars and drive to the burbs to shop? I thought the idea of urban living is that everything is in walking distance. Where are the stores?

[bobliocatt]

The last thing the city needs to do is wipe out the community, for some mega development, like the arena and its massive surface parking lots. Imo, the city should seriously lead the revitalization process by re-zoning the community to out-law incompatible land uses, such as warehouses, factories, auto repair shops and soup kitchens). Then enhance the area a little, by adding or cleaning the neighborhood parks and schools. Giving its centralized location and current land values, everything else will take care of itself.

[prahaboheme]

^ So the occupants of this dense housing has to get in their cars and drive to the burbs to shop?

[cwetteland]

^ OK

[sunshine]

But u still need a mega project, if u just build one 20 stories tower, nobody will want to live there, if u build twenty skyscrapers at once, it will create a neighbourhood that people want to move in and more projects will follow. I agree that there is nothing to save there. I wish they would make the Parramore Central Park larger.

[bobliocatt]

Most of the old urban low-rise commercial corridor along Parramore Avenue, between Church Street and the East-West Expressway is worth saving. The historic Wellsbilt Hotel, a couple of churches and an older elementary school is worth saving, as well. Believe it or not, there's still a couple of decent old houses in that area, surrounded by projects and slum lord apartment buildings. Imo, the city needs to leave some of these things in place, instead of Disneyfing the whole thing. Focus on getting all of those homeless shelters and 1970's era warehouses and auto repair shops out of there first.

As far as urban infill go, I think its better off being a dense pedestrian friendly low rise area (under 5 stories). If you want highrises, build them in CBD where there's still lots of room for more.

BTW, has construction started on that HOPE IV project in the community yet?

[corpkid]

BTW, has construction started on that HOPE IV project in the community yet?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is the HOPE IV project all about?

[jack]

What is the HOPE IV project all about?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hope IV is the Federal Government recognizing that there answer to afforadable housing by lumping low income families in a large development. Hope IV has demolished exisitng public housing projects and replaced them with mixed income communities that are aesthetically pleasing. The only other Hope IV project in the city is Hampton Park which is a pretty nice neighborhood. The Orlando Housing Authority has pics and info on their website. www.orl-oha.org

[giovoni]

Hi Everyone,

I just arrived in Orlando from Denver about a month ago. This was after interviewing for my job in January and spending a week here and then spending the 5 months in between researching all the areas I interviewed at. When Match day came in March I learned happily that I would be moving here. I'm single and have no children and will be working at ORMC on Gore and Orange (both are mildly important to the point I'll eventually try to make).

I'm now renting a room in Colonial Town for the very short term and will be looking to buy somewhere shortly, I've gutted and rebuilt the last two homes I've lived in and plan to do that again here. I've been following this thread closely and I really like some of the ideas brought up here. Now keeping in mind that I'm not a native here and have only been here a month I do have the experience I had in Denver to draw parallels to what may be happening here in Orlando, although I realize some of them may not perfectly transfer here.

There were quite a few neighborhoods in Denver with some of the same problems as Parramore about 10 - 15 - 20 years ago depending on what part of town you're thinking of. The most well known is LODO which used to be THE place to avoid in Denver. What happened there all started with dropping Coors Field for then new baseball team on the outskirts of that neighborhood, notwithstanding the complete utter disastrous failure that the team has become, over the last decade or so that almost by itself sparked LODO to become one of the hip places in Denver. However, that neighborhood was the exception and it's not the best idea I think to just drop new stadiums everywhere to try to fix a place up, plus LODO is MUCH more entertainment/shopping/sports oriented than Parramore and the impression I get is that Parramore has a brighter future as a residential neighborhood.

All other places in Denver that were 'fixed up' (Curtis Park, Five Points, Highlands, Jefferson Park is in the middle of it now, etc.) the MOST important thing to have happen from what I've seen is not any new big projects, not any government crack own on crime or bad zoning, not repaving streets and putting new cubs and gutters and such; it all starts and continues very simply with people like the posters on here actually moving there and rehabilitating the neighborhood one house at a time. The people suitable for doing this are almost built in as the housing prices are low enough that people looking are younger, more energetic, usually don't have children, have lots of future left to spend in the new community they would be building, in short they have what it takes to get cheap housing and spend the time slowly remodeling or restoring.

OK so the reason I say no kids is important has a couple parts. One, there is no hiding that the schools in these areas in Denver were BAD, similar to the problems I hear about in Parramore, even if the neighborhood is relatively safe for adults you still have the temptations that younger people may not do so well with like drugs, gangs, prostitution, etc. Also, since you would probably be tearing up the inside of wherever you live that's not always the best environment for a child.

Almost done... sorry for the huge post. One last thing that I don't hear mentioned for Parramore which turned out to be very important to all these neighborhoods in Denver is that it is downtown adjacent. From what I can see Parramore looks like it's either the last or it's very close to the last downtown adjacent neighborhood in Orlando that hasn't been 'gentrified' With the quick maturing of Downtown Orlando (correct me if I'm wrong but it DOES seem to me that it IS quickly maturing) I think it will become an extremely important asset to Parramore that it's right there on the western edge of downtown, this asset is one which no one has to do anything about either, doesn't cost anything, it's built in.

So with that being said, my plans right now are to buy something, probably a duplex type building in Parramore actually the southern part of it (because from most places there I can walk to ORMC imagine walking to work in Orlando lol), restore it, etc., and see how that goes. This is after going to the neigborhood and various times of the day and night, weeknight/weekend talking to a couple of the older folks there and determining my actual life won't ever be in danger if I'm not a moron about what I do. -- which leads to another short point... the 2nd worse crime neighborhood in Denver is Washington park right now --- VERY expensive and VERY white... if that neighborhood was a part of town that already has a stigma or the type of devirsity that Parramore has everyone would know about it - knowingly shake their heads slowly and wonder what needed to be done about 'those types of places' -- stigma stigma stigma I think may have SOME not all to do with Parramore's problems too.

I've always been kinda sad that I it was just a little bit too early for me to get in on the beginning of such places in Denver, I hope it's as much of a fun challenge here as it seems to be.

[prahaboheme]

First of all, welcome to Orlando! Second, that sounds like a very promising plan and I'm glad that you have the ability to get in on the ground floor. If you are truly thinking seriously about it, it might be in your interest to head down to city hall and talk to the development board, they might be giving out special grants and incentives to build/renovate in Parramore. If Parramore is rebuilt/gentrified correctly, it could really be a great extension of downtown to the West, especially down Church St.

[sunshine]

If you found anything, pls let me know. Just a question and dont mean to offence anyone...what is your ethnic?

[giovoni]

Ive found several places I'd like to look at.. but I'm going back to Denver to attend a graduation ceremony so I won't finalize anything until probably the middle of the summer.

I'm white....mostly Italian descent

[jack]

Ive found several places I'd like to look at.. but I'm going back to Denver to attend a graduation ceremony so I won't finalize anything until probably the middle of the summer.

I'm white....mostly Italian descent

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am glad to have a forward thinker like yourself move to Orlando. You are right on track by saying that the best way to revitalize a neighborhood is for younger people to move in themselves, house by house. The Downtown Develoemen Board can answer any question you have. The office is in City Hall, 407-246-2555. The DDB also has a specialist in Parramore, a Mr. Walter Hawkins.

[bobliocatt]

Good luck on your plans. Now is definately the time to invest in an area like Parramore.