Radius | 13-Story Residential [Under Construction]

[codypet]

13 hours ago, JFW657 said:

In sweaty, humid Orlando, they'd just make people wetter that they already are. 

[ChiDev]

We were dissuaded from doing a planned water feature by the City actually, they essentially told us it would become a public urinal, and since we intend to include food service in the retail, you can see why we changed course.  Don't worry though, we reallocated those dollars into some pretty awesome metal sculpture art that will be placed in 3 locations within the plaza,  look forward to those being added soon.  

[JFW657]

12 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

How about a couple of shade trees to humanize the “plaza”?

I agree. 

12 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

My apologies for interjecting this important discussion about gravity.

Trees are a subject that has always carried a lot of gravity with me.  

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, ChiDev said:

We were dissuaded from doing a planned water feature by the City actually, they essentially told us it would become a public urinal, and since we intend to include food service in the retail, you can see why we changed course.  Don't worry though, we reallocated those dollars into some pretty awesome metal sculpture art that will be placed in 3 locations within the plaza,  look forward to those being added soon.  

Shade, SHADE, SHADE!!!!  

[prahaboheme]

11 hours ago, ChiDev said:

We were dissuaded from doing a planned water feature by the City actually, they essentially told us it would become a public urinal, and since we intend to include food service in the retail, you can see why we changed course.  Don't worry though, we reallocated those dollars into some pretty awesome metal sculpture art that will be placed in 3 locations within the plaza,  look forward to those being added soon.  

Still no shade trees though? 

[orlandouprise]

22 hours ago, ChiDev said:

We were dissuaded from doing a planned water feature by the City actually, they essentially told us it would become a public urinal, and since we intend to include food service in the retail, you can see why we changed course.  Don't worry though, we reallocated those dollars into some pretty awesome metal sculpture art that will be placed in 3 locations within the plaza,  look forward to those being added soon.  

how about just fixing the homeless problem. like shipping them off to a desert or bringing back the blue boxes...

[orlandocity87]

14 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

Still no shade trees though? 

I've heard businesses don't want their signage covered by trees, which helps explain the obsession with palm trees in Orlando developments... 

[JFW657]

52 minutes ago, orlandocity87 said:

I've heard businesses don't want their signage covered by trees, which helps explain the obsession with palm trees in Orlando developments... 

They don't have to use trees, though.

Lots of attractive canopies and umbrellas that create shade without blocking views. 

[spenser1058]

Just now, JFW657 said:

They don't have to use trees, though.

Lots of attractive canopies and umbrellas that create shade without blocking views. 

I have been told even the awnings that are now disappearing on various buildings are to discourage the homeless. Of course, given our heat, it also discourages everyone else. Great solution!

[prahaboheme]

3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

I have been told even the awnings that are now disappearing on various buildings are to discourage the homeless. Of course, given our heat, it also discourages everyone else. Great solution!

Until the country has a reckoning on what the homeless epidemic has done to many cities — especially LA - we will continue to see these types of plazas.

Edited November 17, 2021 by prahaboheme

[jliv]

 

16 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

Until the country has a reckoning on what the homeless epidemic has done to many cities — especially LA - we will continue to see these types of plazas.

I've always wondered why they don't just pipe Wagner or Tchaikovsky though tamper-resistant speakers into areas vagrants are most likely to sleep.  The acoustics could be set up so nearby residents never hear the music, but a drunk vagrant will find it impossible to escape at 3 am.  Piped music could scare away more than vagrants, which is a lesson retailers learned years ago with Muzak as a tool for behavior manipulation.  15-year-olds on skateboards won't respond well to the "1812 Overture" either! Probably doesn't sound the most compassionate, but creating shared environments where public safety isn't guaranteed is also intolerable.

Also, how about we stop using the term "homeless" to reframe the problem?  "Homeless" also includes families who have fallen on hard times, and I have endless compassion for them in the midst of an affordable housing crisis.  Vagrancy has additional dimensions which you can't just solve by fixing the affordability and jobs problem.  

Edited November 18, 2021 by jliv

[TRENCH]

Quick shot 

[F-L-A]

On 11/17/2021 at 8:25 AM, orlandouprise said:

how about just fixing the homeless problem. like shipping them off to a desert...

[JFW657]

On 11/18/2021 at 7:34 AM, jliv said:

 

I've always wondered why they don't just pipe Wagner or Tchaikovsky though tamper-resistant speakers into areas vagrants are most likely to sleep.  The acoustics could be set up so nearby residents never hear the music, but a drunk vagrant will find it impossible to escape at 3 am.  Piped music could scare away more than vagrants, which is a lesson retailers learned years ago with Muzak as a tool for behavior manipulation.  15-year-olds on skateboards won't respond well to the "1812 Overture" either! Probably doesn't sound the most compassionate, but creating shared environments where public safety isn't guaranteed is also intolerable.

Also, how about we stop using the term "homeless" to reframe the problem?  "Homeless" also includes families who have fallen on hard times, and I have endless compassion for them in the midst of an affordable housing crisis.  Vagrancy has additional dimensions which you can't just solve by fixing the affordability and jobs problem.  

I've heard about the classical music trick before and heard also that it works. 

I think you can keep the sk8rz away just by making the surfaces of any low concrete walls unusable for the purposes of doing "grinds" (sk8r term) on. 

The wood planks they installed throughout the plaza at Radius are both functional in that regard as well as attractive. 

[eq1974]

On 11/20/2021 at 10:20 AM, JFW657 said:

I've heard about the classical music trick before and heard also that it works. 

I think you can keep the sk8rz away just by making the surfaces of any low concrete walls unusable for the purposes of doing "grinds" (sk8r term) on. 

The wood planks they installed throughout the plaza at Radius are both functional in that regard as well as attractive. 

Visual backup of functional as well as attractive:
 

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, eq1974 said:

Visual backup of functional as well as attractive:
 

Those pictures look amazingly similar to the ones I took and posted earlier in this thread!!!!

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/topic/118089-radius-13-story-residential-under-construction/?do=findComment&comment=1773879

It's amazing!!!!   

[nite owℓ]

Terminating vista at night (NB Rosalind):

I wish Radius would take advantage of the prominent location and illuminate the elevator tower to provide some visual interest (similar to the way The Vue illuminates their stairwell which can be seen from far away).

[ChiDev]

Heck of a lot better than an empty triangle in my opinion (note that I am probably heavily biased).

[codypet]

Here's my list of things you should have in my opinion to make it better!  You'll sit here and hear about it!!!! rabble rabble rabble!

Seriously though.  I agree considering what that corner looked like in 2011, I think we can all agree the corner in 10 short years has seen a hell of an upgrade.

[nite owℓ]

20 hours ago, ChiDev said:

Heck of a lot better than an empty triangle in my opinion (note that I am probably heavily biased).

17 hours ago, codypet said:

Here's my list of things you should have in my opinion to make it better!  You'll sit here and hear about it!!!! rabble rabble rabble!

Seriously though.  I agree considering what that corner looked like in 2011, I think we can all agree the corner in 10 short years has seen a hell of an upgrade.

I don't recall anyone saying that intersection looked better before, unless I missed something. Considering the sequence of events that made construction possible, we're lucky something of this size was even built there at all.

UP members wishing for shade trees, water features, anti-vagrancy/anti-skate measures and lighting isn't the same thing as wishing it was never built lol.

Edited November 30, 2021 by nite owℓ

[codypet]

I think the anti-skate measures they put in there look great!  Hope they hold up because if it does, its a well executed deterrent.

I agree with you on the shade trees/umbrella etc.  I was more joking that my personal gripes about little things on the project like ac units (I understand why it was done) are outweighed by the massive benefit this project brings.

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, nite owℓ said:

I don't recall anyone saying that intersection looked better before, unless I missed something. Considering the sequence of events that made construction possible, we're lucky something of this size was even built there at all.

UP members wishing for shade trees, water features, anti-vagrancy/anti-skate measures and lighting isn't the same thing as wishing it was never built lol.

What about those of us who wish it was taller,  TALLER!! TALLER!!! TALLER!!!! TALLER!!!! 

[ChiDev]

We were height limited by both the city, and the change in construction form that would be needed over 150'.  Crossing certain height thresholds brings excess cost, something we were willing to explore, however the city started off demanding we stay at 8 stories on the eastern side & that made the vertical fight seem too up-hill.  We eventually got them to okay the uniform height you see now, and not without some concessions. 

Bottom line on height, we wish it was taller too!

As far as water features - we were assured they would essentially become public urinals, if you look back at my posts to this forum, our original plaza-scape plan included a central water feature.  Do you really want to dine in a public plaza that smells like the kiddie-end of the pool?

Shade trees can often hurt retail visibility (as many of you have noted), and once planted are extremely inflexible.  Our retail will have outdoor seating with umbrella tables, so don't fret too much about roasting while sitting in the plaza.

Antivagrant/anti-skate are two very different concepts, but ultimately the plaza is still private property and we will do what is necessary to make sure it is clear of nuisance.  Any irritant designed to combat vagrancy can also effect tenants, so there is a fine line to skirt.

 

I hear your points, and I certainly wasn't trying to ignore them.  Moreover, to me this has been a substantial point of completion a long time in the works, and looking through old pictures it is hard to believe what was on the ground prior to this project.

 

We are still a small ways out from delivering the sculpture works that will adorn either side of the plaza, I am excited to hear what you guys think once they are in place.

[RedStar25]

On 11/18/2021 at 7:34 AM, jliv said:

 

I've always wondered why they don't just pipe Wagner or Tchaikovsky though tamper-resistant speakers into areas vagrants are most likely to sleep.  The acoustics could be set up so nearby residents never hear the music, but a drunk vagrant will find it impossible to escape at 3 am.  Piped music could scare away more than vagrants, which is a lesson retailers learned years ago with Muzak as a tool for behavior manipulation.  15-year-olds on skateboards won't respond well to the "1812 Overture" either! Probably doesn't sound the most compassionate, but creating shared environments where public safety isn't guaranteed is also intolerable.

Also, how about we stop using the term "homeless" to reframe the problem?  "Homeless" also includes families who have fallen on hard times, and I have endless compassion for them in the midst of an affordable housing crisis.  Vagrancy has additional dimensions which you can't just solve by fixing the affordability and jobs problem.  

What's wrong with classical music? If you really want to scary vagrants away blast some Schoenberg.

[Uncommon]

2 hours ago, ChiDev said:

We were height limited by both the city, and the change in construction form that would be needed over 150'.  Crossing certain height thresholds brings excess cost, something we were willing to explore, however the city started off demanding we stay at 8 stories on the eastern side & that made the vertical fight seem too up-hill.  We eventually got them to okay the uniform height you see now, and not without some concessions. 

Bottom line on height, we wish it was taller too!

As far as water features - we were assured they would essentially become public urinals, if you look back at my posts to this forum, our original plaza-scape plan included a central water feature.  Do you really want to dine in a public plaza that smells like the kiddie-end of the pool?

Shade trees can often hurt retail visibility (as many of you have noted), and once planted are extremely inflexible.  Our retail will have outdoor seating with umbrella tables, so don't fret too much about roasting while sitting in the plaza.

Antivagrant/anti-skate are two very different concepts, but ultimately the plaza is still private property and we will do what is necessary to make sure it is clear of nuisance.  Any irritant designed to combat vagrancy can also effect tenants, so there is a fine line to skirt.

 

I hear your points, and I certainly wasn't trying to ignore them.  Moreover, to me this has been a substantial point of completion a long time in the works, and looking through old pictures it is hard to believe what was on the ground prior to this project.

 

We are still a small ways out from delivering the sculpture works that will adorn either side of the plaza, I am excited to hear what you guys think once they are in place.

Who is the retailer?