55 West

[Hisma]

I've heard nothing but good things about 55W from those who have looked at it, and the prices are very comparable to what I'm paying right now at The Aspire.

I think when my lease is up in May I'm going to take a serious look at 55W. Hopefully the prices will still be as reasonable.

[surina777]

those pictures look great! definitely great staging thats for sure love the grey cabinetry! if only they were going to open when i had to move somewhere but like hisma said, this may be up for a possible move after my lease is up at aspire as well!

[JRS1]

I've heard that those elevators are really fast as well.

I missed the open house on Saturday. But I've been over there several times to tour the first and second levels where the retail will be going. I love that place. It will be such a classic when it is up and running. The hallway connecting Pine to Church is ultra cool. It's brick with a fountain and water fountain near one of the units. It kind of reminds me of what you would see on a college campus; it's weird like that.

The other awesome thing is that Firestation One is continuing the "wall" of Pine St. all the way to the tracks. Now, they should continue building on that lot between the tracks and Garland.

[GTR]

Something I haven't seen anyone mention is the parking entrance. To me that would deter me from even thinking about this place.

The only entrance is on Pine Street (one way.) The only way to get to Pine Street is by Garland (one way.) If you are coming from North Orange you are going to have to go all the way down to South if its past 6pm and do a loop. Depending on what time of the day it could easily add an extra 10 minutes of traffic time just to get stuck at the train. I live in the Solaire and that's a pain as is during busy times but there are several different routes.

[surina777]

Something I haven't seen anyone mention is the parking entrance. To me that would deter me from even thinking about this place.

The only entrance is on Pine Street (one way.) The only way to get to Pine Street is by Garland (one way.) If you are coming from North Orange you are going to have to go all the way down to South if its past 6pm and do a loop. Depending on what time of the day it could easily add an extra 10 minutes of traffic time just to get stuck at the train. I live in the Solaire and that's a pain as is during busy times but there are several different routes.

agreed, i lived in solaire before and i was able to figure out multiple different routes to get there... i suppose you could always turn right earlier (washington) on orange? make a left on hughey and come down church then garland then pine? gah! too much...can't stand the one ways!!!

i'm glad i live in aspire/dynetech...traffic is so much less of an issue

[GTR]

agreed, i lived in solaire before and i was able to figure out multiple different routes to get there... i suppose you could always turn right earlier (washington) on orange? make a left on hughey and come down church then garland then pine? gah! too much...can't stand the one ways!!!

i'm glad i live in aspire/dynetech...traffic is so much less of an issue

Yeah or you could turn on central I guess, but good luck in peak traffic and god help you when the new magic arena opens and your parking garage is a madhouse. I got in the mentality that I wouldn't ever pull my car out of the parking garage in Solaire Fri/Sat night once the theater opened but I did it last week and it wasn't bad at all. Pine St. blocks up with drunks but going down Church is quick.

Dynetech and Vue probably have the easiest enterances but that block feels like a ghost town to me. Funny how segregated downtown Orlando is. You have Thorton Park and the CBD and anything else feels like tumbleweeds are blowing in even though it's two blocks over.

[Jernigan]

How are rentals working in this building? I'm reading here about tours and a leasing office but when I check out rentals on Craigs List it looks more like a condo with different realtors listing units.

[jack]

They are not condos anymore. Go to Zom's website or 55 west and there should be a number. Or just stop by.

[JRS1]

parking:

Garland northbound, make left at Pine. Magnolia or Rosalind northbound, make right at South St. goto Garland then to Pine. Orange southbound, make right at Central, goto Hughey, go south to Church and loop to Garland and up to Pine again- right?. Or, Orange southbound to Church or South St. and goto Garland to Pine. I guess stay off of Central...

maybe they could build a driveway along the west side of the tracks to Central...

I think they're going to have to make Pine St. 2-way from Garland to Orange...

[orlandonative]

That Hughey route is a breeze. I'd almost bet that getting home to Dynetech at 5:00pm on Friday would take twice as long, thats assuming of course that your Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic aren't playing (had to get that in ) then you'll be hating life.

Edited August 7, 2009 by orlandonative

[JRS1]

^^

OMG, that would be murder.

I also just realized that the route I take to work everyday, I-4 WB to Anderson, will not be an option on gamedays-- that is, in the late afternoon.

Now, people will still get off at Colonial straight down Hughey as well as go to Anderson St.

That's the price of progress.

[orlandonative]

The price of progress and the price of getting the building built. Had they nixed (sp?) the public access to that garage the building would have never been built. Development is a very strange business, even the slightest conflict can derail an entire project. Case and point there is a tall building downtown which i'll leave nameless that at the 11th hour wasn't going to get built over a sum of money less than 100k. It's crazy.

[demon]

^^

OMG, that would be murder.

I also just realized that the route I take to work everyday, I-4 WB to Anderson, will not be an option on gamedays-- that is, in the late afternoon.

Now, people will still get off at Colonial straight down Hughey as well as go to Anderson St.

That's the price of progress.

I moved downtown from Metrowest a few months ago. Yes, getting to my building can be a bit of a pain depending on which direction I'm coming from and how much traffic there is. There will be (more) construction on South St in the near future and that will affect me.

But I keep it all in perspective. I don't drive as much as I used to. I can walk to the movies, library, nightlife & restaurants now. I'm much closer to work, and to groceries. In the end I'm spending less time in my car, less $$ on gas, and more time walking.

[Jernigan]

They are not condos anymore. Go to Zom's website or 55 west and there should be a number. Or just stop by.

Thanks - I got that which is why I'm confused by ads like:

New CL add for 55 West

The price/availability etc etc all are in line with Zom's. Maybe they're "outsourcing" - I just don't really know the biz.

[FrigginGr8est]

Thanks - I got that which is why I'm confused by ads like:

New CL add for 55 West

The price/availability etc etc all are in line with Zom's. Maybe they're "outsourcing" - I just don't really know the biz.

Funny, that "one bedroom" looks awfully like an alcove studio. Can you say false advertising?

[DowntownDarryl]

Thanks - I got that which is why I'm confused by ads like:

New CL add for 55 West

The price/availability etc etc all are in line with Zom's. Maybe they're "outsourcing" - I just don't really know the biz.

Steve, ZOM pays a Realtor, like me, a commission to bring them tenants. Alot of us advertise on Craigslist and other websites for potential renters. Alot of the advertisements have old rent prices as agents sometimes do not update to the new prices, which sometimes increase Daily, as they rent them out. I hope that clarifies how the Biz works alittle. It also does not Cost the potential renters any more when they use a Realtor and their knowledge to find the best deals for them.

[Jernigan]

Steve, ZOM pays a Realtor, like me, a commission to bring them tenants. Alot of us advertise on Craigslist and other websites for potential renters. Alot of the advertisements have old rent prices as agents sometimes do not update to the new prices, which sometimes increase Daily, as they rent them out. I hope that clarifies how the Biz works alittle. It also does not Cost the potential renters any more when they use a Realtor and their knowledge to find the best deals for them.

Thanks Darryl - that answered it 110% - appreciate it!

[GTR]

parking:

Garland northbound, make left at Pine. Magnolia or Rosalind northbound, make right at South St. goto Garland then to Pine. Orange southbound, make right at Central, goto Hughey, go south to Church and loop to Garland and up to Pine again- right?. Or, Orange southbound to Church or South St. and goto Garland to Pine. I guess stay off of Central...

maybe they could build a driveway along the west side of the tracks to Central...

I think they're going to have to make Pine St. 2-way from Garland to Orange...

They are going to have to do something. Forgot about the fire station as well as how Orange frequently gets blocked off at night, preventing people from getting out.

[JRS1]

last night there were about 5-6 units lit up on the east side of 55W.

[JRS1]

the lobby is open.

yesterday, 5-6 units were scheduled to move in. Today, another 5-6. This thing is starting to roll. Very exciting. There is life in this building now. That is HUGE for downtown, especially because of where it is.

A few months ago, the Plaza Cinema opened. That was huge. This is huge like that... and right down the street, the Amway Center is moving right along.

I think they said there are over 50 units leased already. It is my understanding that not all of the floors are built out yet; only the lower floors. I think levels 11-28 are still U/C... I don't know... I'm just so happy that 55W is alive now.

[smileguy]

Now that there are residents in the building, what type of retail do you want to see go in to 55W? What fits in the ground floor spaces, 2nd level, and breezeway?

I would like to see a fine dining and a casual resturant (Panera, maybe) on the second level. Some kind of apparel retail and a drug/sundry store would also be nice. What are your thoughts?

[prahaboheme]

^I agree w/ the mix of restaurant options. A fine dining (moderately priced) such as a brasserie style eatery would be a good option. Anything that encourages a cafe style experience would fit the bill. That courtyard is just begging to be crowded with tables and chairs and helping tripping over each other. It could grow up into a cool little spot.

[sunshine]

I would like to see real retails and no more restaurants. Drove by Park Ave the other day and saw that most stores are replaced by restaurants. It really doesnt make me feel like parking my car and see a bunch of restaurants.

Las Olas blvd would be a great example and so is Lincoln road...more actual retails than restaurants.

But with that being said, I would like to see a Buffalo Wing House there or a Border bookstore.

But for Orlando standard, they will probably put a cellphone store there.

[prahaboheme]

Major retail works best in a cluster. I don't see that happening at 55 West. Promoting cafe culture on Church Street, and downtown in general, will bring in pedestrians which will ultimately bring in retail. Pedestrian volume must increase for retail outlets to risk a location downtown.

[JRS1]

^^

I saw a 55W resident walking their dog on Church St. this am. That's a start. That place has a homey feel to it. It should fill up quickly once the next phase of buildouts are completed.