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55 West


Tim3167

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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.

 

I somewhat agree. What types of trees are planted isn't something that has generally concerned me. Actually my biggest concern with that plaza as its shaping up is that it will basically go from a cluttered mess of potters and broken fountain to a huge open brick pavement with 4 palm trees in front of it. I hope very much that the new business in 54 West (Red, I think it is) takes advantage of it.

 

The ideal would be if all of those businesses are able to take advantage of it, like was proposed in the renderings. A mini food court wouldn't be so terrible. Amura is rock solid, and Jersey Mike's seems like they're doing pretty well.

 

I have worries about Flame Broiler ... I really enjoy their food, but I often eat dinner at 9 or 10 PM, and they close up shop every day at like 7 PM, even on Fridays. They attempted late hours one weekend and it flopped, so they seem to have given up on it all together. Does not bode well ... but I am no restaurateur, and their grand opening isn't until next month officially. I eat there 4-5 times a week. I've been keeping my receipts and comparing the order #'s day to day to get an idea of how they're doing. They seem to be growing. Fingers crossed.

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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.

I think there are orange trees on orange in the planters. They don'y bloom because of their confinement. 

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I've never paid much attention to the downtown landscaping until reading these comments. I appreciate everyone's insights. I noticed last night on my way home that there are Washingtonian-type palms in the back of the CNL/City Hall complex (along Anderson/Boone) and near the old OUC (now Aloft) building along Orange. Had never noticed them.

 

But whether you planted plams or elms or oaks, not sure if the trees could necessarily improve the Church Street Market plaza. It's an especially uninviting space, in my opinion. I've always felt that the shops were a little too far removed from the street, so much so that the entire complex feels uninviting.

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How are we not LED lit downtown yet?

How is the top around the amway not LED to match the Spire. Every other arena around the country has awesome matching LED lights to their team or event. How hard is it to change out and put a DMX controller or give some intern a remote. Hell, ALOFT did it! What the heck! C'mon!

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codypet, on 27 Feb 2014 - 6:29 PM, said:snapback.png

How are we not LED lit downtown yet?

How is the top around the amway not LED to match the Spire. Every other arena around the country has awesome matching LED lights to their team or event. How hard is it to change out and put a DMX controller or give some intern a remote. Hell, ALOFT did it! What the heck! C'mon!

 

whispering.gif(pssssssssst..... this is Orlando. We are a third rate city....)

 

  ;) 

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  • 1 year later...

My neighbors:

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-orlando-police-swat-shot-20150529-story.html

 

Not the kind of crap you want to deal with when you pay $2-3k/month in apartment rent, and especially so if you family and children to worry about. 

 

Do not move here.

 

Probably an anomaly.

 

Or are there a lot of thug types living there?

 

It's getting harder & harder to get away from that kind of thing nowadays no matter where you go.

 

Sign of the times we live in.

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They don't do background checks?

 

Well it's not clear whether he was an actual tenant?

 

Probably an anomaly.

 

Or are there a lot of thug types living there?

 

It's getting harder & harder to get away from that kind of thing nowadays no matter where you go.

 

Sign of the times we live in.

 

I don't know. There have been multiple issues. The building security is basically non-existent on one of the public-facing entrances. There is no per-floor key card access, either. You can pretty much walk into any floor of 55 West without interacting with a security guard. Just have to make it through one key card controlled door which is sometimes broken and always unguarded. You can just follow someone in and take the elevator wherever you want. It's a joke. Especially embarrassing given how many vagrants and homeless there are just lingering around the building.

 

There have been other incidents. Break-ins, etc. I have a hard time imagining its as bad in other buildings downtown.

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From the very first time I heard about the plans to demo that side of Church St Market & put up a high rise residential building, I wondered why anyone would want to live on that part of Church St right next to Rosie's & in the middle of such a commercial district like that.

I dunno. Just seems like Eola South is so much more suited for residential living, if that is even a term.

Maybe one day they'll convert 55W into another downtown hotel, which is what that spot is more suited for anyway.

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With all it's drawbacks, 55 still maintains adequate occupancy. Seems the market has spoken, it is well suited for residential living, just not for everyone. But that goes for living downtown in general.

Anomaly or not, sounds like they need better management. I cringe every time I hear news like this about downtown. Overall I feel safe though, especially in my building. I'm also hopeful that things will get better with time. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

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55 West is in a prime location, really. My complaint isn't with the location so much as the property management failing to address security issues that are blatantly obvious. Every other well-known downtown high-rise seems to have better security than this one, and this is the one located in the place that needs it the most. 

 

Additionally, if the person who shot at SWAT was on a signed lease and has a violent criminal history, that's a pretty awful oversight on the part of the property management.

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The issues you brought up are pretty valid and the steps to rectify them seem quite minimal... if not standard procedure. Maybe you could start a Change petition and post a bulletin in the mail area to let everyone know. Publicly shine a light on the problems to light a fire under the management team.

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