55 West

[sunshine]

Is the retails @ Exchange coming along?

[FLheat]

In addition to the build-out, it says they have new leases on the 55 West side for Aston Woods??? and on the 54 West side Flaming Broiler.  Here is the website if I have the right place:  http://www.flamebroilerusa.com/menu.html

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-downtown-apartments-55-west-20130409,0,3590768.story

Edited April 10, 2013 by FLheat

[prahaboheme]

Ashton Woods, as in the home builders?

[RedStar25]

You know, I came up with the name for this building. 

[smileguy]

Ashton Woods - the homebuilder - has had a "coming soon" sign for a while on the 2nd floor right at the top of the big staircase... Maybe so they can sell some houses to Magic Fans?

[FLheat]

Updates from OBJ:  Downtown Orlando’s 55 West last week introduced its newest luxury residential lofts and announced a couple of new commercial tenants on the way.

And here are some updates on those tenants:

• Homebuilder Ashton Woods Homes, which has seven active communities in Central Florida, plans to start buildout this month on a design center in a 3,250-square-foot space just above the apartment tower’s residential lobby. The builder is gearing up to open by Aug. 1.

• The Flame Broiler — a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based fast-casual restaurant known as The Rice Bowl King — has started construction on its first Central Florida location in a 1,494-square-foot space that was formerly Touch Orlando nightclub on the south side of Church Street. Still no word on when it’s going to open, but check back for more.

[John Hargrove]

Flame Broiler opened yesterday. Checked it out this evening. I was pretty happy with it! Give me a bowl with rice, veggies and chicken and I'm a happy camper. This hit the spot for me. I hope they stick around.

 

Bungalower posted a good article about it:

 

http://bungalower.com/2014/01/flame-broiler-opens-church-street/

[John Hargrove]

"Red" will open up next week according to OBJ.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/02/church-street-to-welcome-graffiti.html?ana=twt

 

"The owner of Orlando-based burger chain Graffiti Junktion plans to debut his new concept called Red in downtown Orlando on Feb. 20, real estate sources toldOrlando Business Journal."

"... Red will be an American cafe featuring finer foods and a fancier atmosphere."

[John Hargrove]

Also worth noting that for the last 2 days they have been doing serious work on the 54 West plaza. The large planters were completely dug up and as of today they closed off the area to foot traffic. I assume this is the exterior cafe for Red? I know there had been a discussion in the past about revitalizing the plaza to make it friendly to the restaurant patrons. Not sure if this is that or just landscaping work. 

[AndyPok1]

This news saddens me... mainly because that means I haven't walked out the front door in the past 2 days.

[smileguy]

Also worth noting that for the last 2 days they have been doing serious work on the 54 West plaza. The large planters were completely dug up and as of today they closed off the area to foot traffic. I assume this is the exterior cafe for Red? I know there had been a discussion in the past about revitalizing the plaza to make it friendly to the restaurant patrons. Not sure if this is that or just landscaping work. 

 

Is it these improvements? I sat in one ARB meeting about this (didn't make it to the second) and it didn't seem like the landlord was serious about doing the second/final phase, but really wanted to get the trees and fountains out, so it may look like the version on Page 15 for the next decade or two. 

 

http://www.cityoforlando.net/planning/cityplanning/ARB/2013/08Aug/ARB2013-00063.pdf

[John Hargrove]

That looks accurate. There was little change from yesterday to today but I did see piles of bricks. Guess we'll see how it starts to shape up over the next week or so. I'm all for it ... that plaza has never looked nice to me. 

[John Hargrove]

Yep, really shaping up like the 'first phase' above. Palm trees went in today:

 

[spenser1058]

Palm trees provide zero shade, are notoriously bug infested and die off quickly in cold weather. Further, non-native trees anchoring the Historic District - great idea! *sigh* (we've been here before in an 1970's era "streetscape" attempt in the Langford administration - the palm trees that hadn't died were removed in the "official Mayor Bill streetscape in the early 1980's: ""Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it") 

[jrs2]

^^

yeah.  they should've planted Oaks I think.

[smileguy]

^^

yeah.  they should've planted Oaks I think.

 

They took the oaks out to clear up the line of sight to the 2nd floor tenants in hopes of leasing the old Olive Garden space.  

 

 

Palm trees provide zero shade, are notoriously bug infested and die off quickly in cold weather. Further, non-native trees anchoring the Historic District - great idea! *sigh* (we've been here before in an 1970's era "streetscape" attempt in the Langford administration - the palm trees that hadn't died were removed in the "official Mayor Bill streetscape in the early 1980's: ""Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it") 

 

Unfortunately, I think some of the historic preservation people at the City are pushing for palms instead of the elm(?) trees currently on Church Street as they obscure the historically contributing facades. 

 

^^

yeah.  they should've planted Oaks I think.

They took Oaks out to clear the line of sight to 2nd floor tenant spaces in hopes of leasing the old Olive Garden.

[spenser1058]

"Unfortunately, I think some of the historic preservation people at the City are pushing for palms instead of the elm(?) trees currently on Church Street as they obscure the historically contributing facades. "

 

Which I think tells you all you need to know about the quality of the City's historic preservation folks these days. I have attended several HPB meetings and have been less than impressed by most of Buddy's appointments; but then, historic preservation has been the last thing on the mind of this mayor since Day 1.

"They took Oaks out to clear the line of sight to 2nd floor tenant spaces in hopes of leasing the old Olive Garden."

 

Given the old Olive Garden overlooked Church Street (both east and west), I'm not sure how that's a problem, but then I'm just a good ol' boy from the orange groves. Bottom line: this is an administration that could really care less about aesthetics - it's what really separates it from the Frederick administration.

[prahaboheme]

Cypress or another native species would have been more appropriate at this location.  It surprises me that the city's "Appearance Review Board" has not made a recommendation to discontinue the use of non-native landscaping.

 

The Lincoln Road Mall extension, Miami Beach, incorporates native plant species into the mall to spectacular result :

 

Edited February 25, 2014 by prahaboheme

[jliv]

Yep, really shaping up like the 'first phase' above. Palm trees went in today:

 

 

Gross.  Certainly not the Orlando from my childhood.  It was all cypress, palmetto brush, and orange trees.

[mrh3]

Gross.  Certainly not the Orlando from my childhood.  It was all cypress, palmetto brush, and orange trees.

 

I'm certainly not botantist, but I thought that the Oaks downtown Orlando were not originally there and were planted during hte 50's. Also, are we sure that those palms aren't native? If they're Sabal's that's the state tree so I don't see much of an issue there, but I don't have a dog in that fight so I digress.

[spenser1058]

I'm certainly not botantist, but I thought that the Oaks downtown Orlando were not originally there and were planted during hte 50's. Also, are we sure that those palms aren't native? If they're Sabal's that's the state tree so I don't see much of an issue there, but I don't have a dog in that fight so I digress.

 Actually, it was Mayor Matthew Marks who started the drive to plant oaks downtown way back in 1889 (there's a small plaque to that effect in Eola Park). Orlando was mostly carved out of pine scrub, as befitting its location in east central Florida. However, pine scrub gives way to more deciduous  growth in the Florida interior just north of Orlando.

 

Sabal palms tend to be squattier than the majestic palms we think of from California (and which non-native developers imported to south Florida for their "look", not unlike, ummm, pink flamingoes). It has been observed that the sabal palm looks more like a "palmetto bush on steroids" (they can grow up to 60' tall, but that's unusual). Sabal palms grow well in most of peninsular Florida, but are especially salt-tolerant and therefore quite popular along the coast.

 

So, the oaks go back to 1889 - that's certainly historic by Orlando standards. For Church Street, which goes back to the same era, oaks would seem especially appropriate. Oaks also have the advantage of creating shade, which is so important given our lack of sea breezes. For decades, the idea of outdoor dining was ridiculed here because for so many months of the year, it's not comfortable in the least. Shade from oaks can mitigate that.

 

Finally, however, it's as much cultural as anything else. Just as north and south Georgia are delineated by an imaginary "gnat line" running through middle Georgia, oaks are a symbol of interior Florida outside the realm of the ersatz traditions of Miami and environs. As I often have to remind non-natives, "WE AIN'T MIAMI." That's not to take away from the interesting traditions that have been created down there: in fact, whenever we try to copy Miami we inevitably look like a pale imitation. Miami's development comes from very different traditions than Orlando's. We should each play to our strengths.

 

London and Paris are two great cities, but neither wishes to be the other. We should look at it the same way.

Edited February 25, 2014 by spenser1058

[jack]

I believe that there is a push to move from oaks to elms in downtown. Some of it is because of sidewalk maintenance, also for site lines (FDOT). I don't think the City is to blame 100%. It may be a multitude of factors.

 

 

For the record, I dislike palm trees. They are such a waste of space in my opinion. 

[spenser1058]

I believe that there is a push to move from oaks to elms in downtown. Some of it is because of sidewalk maintenance, also for site lines (FDOT). I don't think the City is to blame 100%. It may be a multitude of factors.

 

 

For the record, I dislike palm trees. They are such a waste of space in my opinion. 

 

That's certainly correct and the Mayor Bill streetscape of the early 1980's used maples and elms for many of those reasons (of course, in the winter, they just look dead - as a Floridian, I never adjusted to that). Since Church Street is hardly a major thoroughfare, however (and of couse not any sort of state highway), I would like to see whatever we can do to provide shade in that plaza area - otherwise, like so many similar areas downtown, it will go unused.

 

While on that subject, isn't it fascinating given the name of the county and our history, there isn't a single decorative citrus tree to be found anywhere downtown? I always thought the county missed the boat by not planting a few orange trees at the Administration Center. They could have even allowed folks to take them home in season when they were ripe (avoiding some of the maintenance issue). Of course, back when it was built before the '83-'84 freezes, no one but Paul Pickett imagined citrus to be an endangered species in the region.

[AndyPok1]

I don't really have an issue here?  If I'm patio dining in an urban environment, I expect roofs or umbrellas to protect me from the environments.  If I want trees, I go to a park.

[prahaboheme]

 Actually, it was Mayor Matthew Marks who started the drive to plant oaks downtown way back in 1889 (there's a small plaque to that effect in Eola Park). Orlando was mostly carved out of pine scrub, as befitting its location in east central Florida. However, pine scrub gives way to more deciduous  growth in the Florida interior just north of Orlando.

 

Sabal palms tend to be squattier than the majestic palms we think of from California (and which non-native developers imported to south Florida for their "look", not unlike, ummm, pink flamingoes). It has been observed that the sabal palm looks more like a "palmetto bush on steroids" (they can grow up to 60' tall, but that's unusual). Sabal palms grow well in most of peninsular Florida, but are especially salt-tolerant and therefore quite popular along the coast.

 

So, the oaks go back to 1889 - that's certainly historic by Orlando standards. For Church Street, which goes back to the same era, oaks would seem especially appropriate. Oaks also have the advantage of creating shade, which is so important given our lack of sea breezes. For decades, the idea of outdoor dining was ridiculed here because for so many months of the year, it's not comfortable in the least. Shade from oaks can mitigate that.

 

Finally, however, it's as much cultural as anything else. Just as north and south Georgia are delineated by an imaginary "gnat line" running through middle Georgia, oaks are a symbol of interior Florida outside the realm of the ersatz traditions of Miami and environs. As I often have to remind non-natives, "WE AIN'T MIAMI." That's not to take away from the interesting traditions that have been created down there: in fact, whenever we try to copy Miami we inevitably look like a pale imitation. Miami's development comes from very different traditions than Orlando's. We should each play to our strengths.

 

London and Paris are two great cities, but neither wishes to be the other. We should look at it the same way.

 

While we "aint" Miami, we are Florida and even in Miami they are recognizing the beauty of native plant species landscaping (as I stated a few posts ago).  I'd like Orlando to jump on this bandwagon immediately -- let's plant ONLY native species and see what this does for perception and identity (of citizens and outsiders, alike).  I cannot tell you how many people have visited me over the years and did not realize how scenic the "natural" Orlando was - it's lakes, swamps, cypress, etc.  There is literally not a single convincing argument that I can conjure up to fight for palm trees (ugh) vs. oaks, cypress, elms, or red maples.