Downtown Orlando Tallest Buildings (Meters/Feet)

[spenser1058]

2 minutes ago, sunshine said:

Well, our highway keeps going higher and higher while other cities went underground...does that count?

Projects of that scope (like the Big Dig) happen due to federal largesse and mostly in cities that aren't competing with other places within their state.

As long as we're competing with three other top 50 MSAs and until we get much more federal clout, something like that will be hard to come by.

We'd also need a very different Legislature. Today's legislators are directing resources to their small-town and suburban bases more than to the cities. 

[HankStrong]

4 minutes ago, sunshine said:

Well, our highway keeps going higher and higher while other cities went underground...does that count?

Do you want the Big Dig?  Because you can keep the Big Dig.

[spenser1058]

1 minute ago, HankStrong said:

Do you want the Big Dig?  Because you can keep the Big Dig.

My only knowledge of Boston is through the Spenser novels (RBP was a fiscal conservative but loved Boston and he seemed OK with it so that's most of what I know except the politics to pay for it.)

For the rest, I defer to prahaboheme since he lived there.

[idroveazamboni]

Orlando does not have many big companies HQ here.  The city is home to one Fortune 500 company Darden and they have their  HQ in the burbs.  Their are not too many big companies based in the area. Orlando is also a golfing Mecca and when people want to move to Orlando they move to one of the subdivisions in the  Burbs not some downtown high rise. All the latest activity downtown has been apartments(renter) not condo’s. I’m waiting to see when Orlando builds another condo building downtown. 

 

 

[prahaboheme]

10 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

My only knowledge of Boston is through the Spenser novels (RBP was a fiscal conservative but loved Boston and he seemed OK with it so that's most of what I know except the politics to pay for it.)

For the rest, I defer to prahaboheme since he lived there.

I’m not sure I can understand how a fiscal conservative would be OK with the big dig considering it went 10 billion (yes, billion) dollars over budget. It’s impact on the city cannot be ignored, though.

Unrelated, but something to ponder: 

http://www.wbur.org/news/2012/07/12/7-things-that-cost-less-than-the-big-dig

[spenser1058]

6 minutes ago, prahaboheme said:

I’m not sure I can understand how a fiscal conservative would be OK with the big dig considering it went 10 billion (yes, billion) dollars over budget. It’s impact on the city cannot be ignored, though.

Unrelated, but something to ponder: 

http://www.wbur.org/news/2012/07/12/7-things-that-cost-less-than-the-big-dig

Long-time Bostonians were willing to overlook a heck of a lot to sew the city back together. I got the impression that's how he justified it. He was also practical: once it had Tip and Teddy and God knows who else behind it, I think he believed it a done deal.

Of course, Dr. Parker has passed, so we'll probably never know.

Edited October 2, 2018 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

2 hours ago, cwetteland said:

I'm not too concerned about Maitland.   The Wynn Dixie and its parking lot had been vacant for years; and 5-6 floors isn't too tall for that.  Maitland Station was a lumberyard.  However, I'm in total agreement regarding Lake Nona.  There you're replacing trees.

People or companies own the vacant lots downtown.  If someone is offering a million or two to build 9-floors, I'm sure they don't give a rat's ...  what it's "designated" for.  Are they supposed to sit on the lot a few more decades, pay taxes and  pass it down to the grand kids? 

Absolutely, 100% true. The market is what the market is re: demand for office and residential high rise space. 

I just wish the demand was high enough so that we could get a more dramatic looking skyline along with the street level density.

You can have a cool, street level urban environment without skyscrapers, but it's a better and more complete experience when you have both.

[JFW657]

2 hours ago, Dale said:

Yes, I do. And FYI: LA is a great big freeway.

So I hear.

I also hear you can put a hundred down and buy a car.

But what will happen in a week, maybe two, is anybody's guess.

[Dale]

I miss those days when a hundred down would get you a car.

[HankStrong]

I visited Boston before/during/after the Big Dig.  It made a world of difference and is an amazing fix to a massive problem.

The end will ultimately justify the means because people will forget the budget-geddon that it was and how horrible the construction process was and so on and so forth.  It will fade into history like so many other crazy projects and will just exist.  Unless you take the dam tour or happen to somehow rabbit hole to the wiki page, you don't really think about the all the problems at Hoover Dam or any other similar project in history.

[sunshine]

I would assume the Big Dig significantly improve the neighbourhoods around the above ground highway and make a lot of money for the property owners.  The return rate might be higher than the 23 billions. Did they ever do a study?

If they are anything like Central Florida, they can always put a toll there till infinity time.

[WAJAS]

Is anybody actually suggesting something similar to the big dig here? I’ve gotten lost in the last few posts, but that simply is not a possibility with our high water table.

[orlandouprise]

You  know, ive always known about that, BUT, how come we can dig down deep for entire building foundations but we cant make a simple basement for a small home? i'm perplexed

[Dale]

14 minutes ago, WAJAS98 said:

Is anybody actually suggesting something similar to the big dig here? I’ve gotten lost in the last few posts, but that simply is not a possibility with our high water table.

Yeah, if you think that Ultimate I-4 is a massive and hugely expensive disruption/endeavor ...

[spenser1058]

1 hour ago, WAJAS98 said:

Is anybody actually suggesting something similar to the big dig here? I’ve gotten lost in the last few posts, but that simply is not a possibility with our high water table.

Boston's elevation is only a little higher than our own and with a lot more water nearby. So it is doable but as prahaboheme pointed out, they went $10 billion over budget to get it done.

A more likely strategy would have been to follow the examples of San Francisco and Seattle and simply dismantle the road.

To do so would have required rerouting thru traffic on the beltways  like Memphis did when it concluded a decades-long battle that fought the completion of I-40 through Overton Park.

Any thoughts of doing that (and it was never seriously considered) came to an end once I4 Ultimate was greenlighted. What we now see is what we'll live with for the next 50 years or so.

https://gizmodo.com/6-freeway-removals-that-changed-their-cities-forever-1548314937/amp

From Gizmodo

Edited October 3, 2018 by spenser1058

[dcluley98]

You could have a basement if you wanted to, but it wouldn't be very cost-effective. Concrete/masonry is permeable, so you would have to waterproof and/or put a vapor barrier in to stop moisture from entering the building.  They are actually doing this with the DPAC underground construction because they had to go really deep to accomodate the equipment/lifts etc. for the variable stage and seating configurations and under-stage areas. It costs a lot of money and is complicated to do. Usually not worth it for an individual home-owner in Florida, unless you live on a hill or are very wealthy and just want a basement. As somebody pointed out above, anything is possible if you throw enough billions of dollars at it. Is it worth it? No, that's why we got an elevated I-4 instead of a tunnel. (Well that and the logistics/time of coordinating and MOT, which would have been a nightmare). 

[JFW657]

2 hours ago, orlandouprise said:

You  know, ive always known about that, BUT, how come we can dig down deep for entire building foundations but we cant make a simple basement for a small home? i'm perplexed

A friend and his brother rented a house with a full basement over in Holly Hill back in the 80's. It was weird going in it after living in Florida since '65 and not having seen one for over 20 years.

[sunshine]

There is a tunnel in Miami. Everything is possible but to get rid of I4 is not possible ATM.

[WAJAS]

8 hours ago, sunshine said:

There is a tunnel in Miami. Everything is possible but to get rid of I4 is not possible ATM.

The tunnel goes down to the bedrock. To do that in Orlando would mean no direct exits to downtown. I-4 would completely bypass any area is is underground for.

[dcluley98]

An interesting concept would be a direct express lanes tunnel. We already have the lexus lanes now, but imagine if they had underground express lanes with very limited access, say around the 429 before Disney, one entrance/exit Downtown, and up by 417 in Sanford. That would be freaking amazing. Bypass all the awful tourist area, Fairbanks curve, crazy interchanges downtown, gawkers, etc. 

I am sure it is nigh impossible to do now, but that would be worth several Billion dollars to me, hahaha. Let's get Elon Musk on the phone, stat, and promise him a couple of blunts and a direct route to the Cape for his rocketship dreams if he brings his boring machines! Hahaha 

Edited October 4, 2018 by dcluley98

[Jvest55]

On 10/2/2018 at 2:49 PM, idroveazamboni said:

 Orlando is also a golfing Mecca and when people want to move to Orlando they move to one of the subdivisions in the  Burbs not some downtown high rise. All the latest activity downtown has been apartments(renter) not condo’s. I’m waiting to see when Orlando builds another condo building downtown. 

My wife and I moved to downtown Orlando, in a condo, bringing our business with it. Not everyone goes to the burbs or wants to be there. Right now rentals are hot because 97% of rentals are occupied and rent prices are going up, so that's where the money goes. Condos are slow to get built because there is risk on a single entity, the developer. Banks don't want their risk in one entity, they prefer it being spread across hundreds of people (renters). Developers in downtown Orlando have not had a good track record. Three of the largest condos went bankrupt after 2007. They have all recovered but this is what the banks look at. The only way to see more condos is to see lending lighten up with condos, as the financing is stricter than a SFH purchase.

I will say in addition to that, it's not just an Orlando-thing. Nationwide, there are more renters than ever before. Micro-apartments, co-living, this is where the future is going. Like it or not (I don't!)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-rent-98-square-foot-br-in-co-living-apt-community-included-1538053200

Edited October 4, 2018 by Jvest55
quoted incorrectly

[AndyPok1]

Also the condo prices are insane, AND insanely difficult to get mortgages for.  I would've loved to buy a unit downtown.  Hell, it was always my plan.  But a $400+ HOA monthly on top of a $1000-$2000 mortgage?  Yeah, I rented 5 years for a reason.

[JFW657]

37 minutes ago, AndyPok1 said:

Also the condo prices are insane, AND insanely difficult to get mortgages for.  I would've loved to buy a unit downtown.  Hell, it was always my plan.  But a $400+ HOA monthly on top of a $1000-$2000 mortgage?  Yeah, I rented 5 years for a reason.

Ten years from now, that $400 monthly HOA will be $800 monthly. 

And twenty years from now.... 

 

[orange87]

1 hour ago, AndyPok1 said:

Also the condo prices are insane, AND insanely difficult to get mortgages for.  I would've loved to buy a unit downtown.  Hell, it was always my plan.  But a $400+ HOA monthly on top of a $1000-$2000 mortgage?  Yeah, I rented 5 years for a reason.

I've never understood why condos have HOAs. There's basically no exterior of condos to be maintained, and the common areas are just basically gyms. So $400/month to make sure people wipe down the gym equipment when they're done or make sure people don't hang towels on their balconies? I don't get it.

Edited October 4, 2018 by orange87

[jrs2]

25 minutes ago, orange87 said:

I've never understood why condos have HOAs. There's basically no exterior of condos to be maintained, and the common areas are just basically gyms. So $400/month to make sure people wipe down the gym equipment when they're done or make sure people don't hang towels on their balconies? I don't get it.

roof of the building; modernization; security; liability insurance; window washing; painting the building exterior/ hallways; changing out carpet in common areas; etc., etc.