Orlando Magic Entertainment Complex [Proposed]

[uncreativeusername]

14 hours ago, AmIReal said:

So I'm still trying to figure out their plan. Invest a lot of money and let it sit idle so they can...?

How could we figure out their plan when they clearly haven't?

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

22 hours ago, AmIReal said:

So I'm still trying to figure out their plan. Invest a lot of money and let it sit idle so they can...?

They don’t have anything concrete in my opinion 

[orange87]

AdventHealth Practice Facility

[codypet]

So they are capable of building things when they want to.  

[Jerry95]

Anyone else feel like this project is just a way to make sure there isn’t a good development next to the Entertainment Complex that could piggy back off their foot traffic?

[uncreativeusername]

1 hour ago, Jerry95 said:

Anyone else feel like this project is just a way to make sure there isn’t a good development next to the Entertainment Complex that could piggy back off their foot traffic?

Interesting; could be.  My own cynical thought was that they are trying to isolate the MEC block from the rest of the neighborhood to make the project look more attractive to partners/potential tenants. 

[codypet]

One thing that continues to annoy me is the design of the Amway Center was such that there were Windows facing west for the practice courts so people on the street could see into the facility and watch the Magic practice.  Right away they put shades and would draw them down every time they practiced citing that the sun was blinding people on the court.  Then later they put a more permanent façade over the windows.  I suspect the Magic didn't like being watched or worse yet something bad like them getting flashed by a homeless person prompted them to block the windows.  It just always bugged me that the intent was to activate the street level with the practice court, and now that whole west wall is just a wall now.

IMO the old Orena design would have been perfect for this spot from a street activation standpoint, since you could access the building from 3/4 sides.  With the way the Amway Center is designed, you have two dead blocks right there.  Thankfully the garage block would have been dead on two sides anyway (with I-4 and Anderson there), but still.

Edited February 2, 2021 by codypet

[AndyPok1]

On 2/1/2021 at 10:34 PM, Jerry95 said:

Anyone else feel like this project is just a way to make sure there isn’t a good development next to the Entertainment Complex that could piggy back off their foot traffic?

Potentially, but its moving an organization from Maitland into downtown.  I'm okay with it.

On 2/2/2021 at 12:56 PM, codypet said:

One thing that continues to annoy me is the design of the Amway Center was such that there were Windows facing west for the practice courts so people on the street could see into the facility and watch the Magic practice.  Right away they put shades and would draw them down every time they practiced citing that the sun was blinding people on the court.  Then later they put a more permanent façade over the windows.  I suspect the Magic didn't like being watched or worse yet something bad like them getting flashed by a homeless person prompted them to block the windows.  It just always bugged me that the intent was to activate the street level with the practice court, and now that whole west wall is just a wall now.

IMO the old Orena design would have been perfect for this spot from a street activation standpoint, since you could access the building from 3/4 sides.  With the way the Amway Center is designed, you have two dead blocks right there.  Thankfully the garage block would have been dead on two sides anyway (with I-4 and Anderson there), but still.

If I were an NBA team I would not want anyone to be able to see into my practice.  That's a massive competitive disadvantage.

[Tim3167]

The standalone practice facilities often with a local healthcare provider partner are all the rage in the nba and actually all pro sports right now.

it’s a bit of an arms race to keep up with amenities. I suspect much less financial risk for the Magic with this than the entertainment and office project.

[prahaboheme]

On 2/1/2021 at 10:34 PM, Jerry95 said:

Anyone else feel like this project is just a way to make sure there isn’t a good development next to the Entertainment Complex that could piggy back off their foot traffic?

Well at the moment the entertainment complex is doing a standup job of that.

[orange87]

A while ago the Orlando City Soccer Club said they were gonna build a training facility on one of the lots next to the stadium. What ever happened to that?

[prahaboheme]

1 hour ago, orange87 said:

A while ago the Orlando City Soccer Club said they were gonna build a training facility on one of the lots next to the stadium. What ever happened to that?

Didn’t they end up at Osceola heritage park?

[dcluley98]

They took over the Osceola County Stadium complex at Heritage park and re-purposed it for their soccer training ground instead: 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/pusa-orlando-city-training-ground-luiz-muzzi-20200117-story.html

[codypet]

9 hours ago, AndyPok1 said:

If I were an NBA team I would not want anyone to be able to see into my practice.  That's a massive competitive disadvantage.

Fine, then why build it like that in the first place and advertise it as something a family could do to get a closer view of the players?  I'm not saying they have to have the curtains up while they try out plays, but if they're doing a shoot around, it would be nice.

I'm hoping this new practice facility has some street level activation.  The weight rooms and the courts could be on a 2nd or 3rd floor technically.

NASCAR put big glass windows at the Daytona Garages precisely so the fans could see what was going on.   I know they're different sports, and you still need tickets to get into the fan zone and these garages aren't on Division St,  but there's a benefit to letting fans access the sport like this.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

On 2/4/2021 at 8:00 PM, dcluley98 said:

They took over the Osceola County Stadium complex at Heritage park and re-purposed it for their soccer training ground instead: 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/pusa-orlando-city-training-ground-luiz-muzzi-20200117-story.html

So lame of them to put it in Kissimmee. Ugh. No connectivity for that

[bqknight]

11 hours ago, IAmFloridaBorn said:

So lame of them to put it in Kissimmee. Ugh. No connectivity for that

I get what you're saying, but I also think Kissimmee is a good location for that. That area is growing fast and it's important for the team to plan its roots beyond just downtown. 

[Urban Mail Carrier]

I’m sure transportation will be provided to that area once a comprehensive mass transit system is funded and organized.

[orange87]

It would have made much more sense for Orlando City SC to make use of all that vacant land next to the stadium.

Edited February 16, 2021 by orange87

[leondecollao]

24 minutes ago, orange87 said:

It would have made much more sense for Orlando City SC to make use of all that vacant land next to the stadium.

A soccer team needs multiple full size fields in a practice facility so they need far more space than available next to the stadium.

I do recall the team had announced plans to turn the lot next to the stadium into a park and a pre-game festivities area. I know they ran into remediation issues when they first started excavating but haven’t heard anything for a couple of years. Guess they must have abandoned those plans. 

[prahaboheme]

1 hour ago, leondecollao said:

A soccer team needs multiple full size fields in a practice facility so they need far more space than available next to the stadium.

I do recall the team had announced plans to turn the lot next to the stadium into a park and a pre-game festivities area. I know they ran into remediation issues when they first started excavating but haven’t heard anything for a couple of years. Guess they must have abandoned those plans. 

The Lions fan base also skews a bit to Osceola County where the class B team may thrive.

[prahaboheme]

Lest not forget that the largest rodeo East of the Mississippi is at Osceola Heritage Park (this weekend in fact). Perhaps the Lions will use that as an opportunity to further integrate into the larger Orlando metro.
 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by prahaboheme

[spenser1058]

1 hour ago, prahaboheme said:

Lest not forget that the largest rodeo East of the Mississippi is at Osceola Heritage Park (this weekend in fact). Perhaps the Lions will use that as an opportunity to further integrate into the larger Orlando metro.
 

 

Yeehaw - Go Kowboys!

[spenser1058]

In this article about real estate winners and losers from the pandemic, we’re told what we’ve pretty much known - MEC is indefinitely delayed:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/real-estate/os-bz-coronavirus-real-estate-year-later-20210324-4kmcx4uym5ht5dhbyfh7ader6i-story.html

From The Sentinel 

Church Street Plaza II is a tad better - it’s “on hiatus”.

 

[tc01]

Delayed for the last 6 years..... The pandemic don’t have anything to do with this. 

[prahaboheme]

Bring back the garage and it’s ground floor tenants. At least it wasn’t disrupting the streetscape.