Parramore's Future: Highrise Development or No?

[uncreativeusername]

The base is cool - why the funky setback of the residential portion though? It looks like somebody dropped one building on top of another...

[bulldogger]

The base is cool - why the funky setback of the residential portion though? It looks like somebody dropped one building on top of another...

The last rendering they had looked like they dropped a building on top of a building on top of another building. That's why I think this one is better.

[sunshine]

err....who would go there to shop and eat with that 19000 sqft retails. maybe during the game... definitely a pioneer on that location. Isnt CityView retails are mostly empty?

[prahaboheme]

That rendering cannot be serious. How...stupid looking.

[Dale]

Obviously, the architect had a lot of ideas running through his mind simultaneously.

[sunshine]

Is it not that bad, they just bring Disney downtown.

[bulldogger]

err....who would go there to shop and eat with that 19000 sqft retails. maybe during the game... definitely a pioneer on that location. Isnt CityView retails are mostly empty?

There is retail and restaurants on the ground level of the City parking garages along Church Street and they seem to do fairly well. They also have cheap rent from the City of Orlando. Sometimes I go over there to Big Apple for a cheap lunch and the Caribbean place has excellent coconut shrimp and the jerk chicken is awesome. The problem with the City View is that the anchor restaurant, Henry's Kitchen, sucked. I went in there and the food was horrible and the service matched it in quality. Johnson's Diner is now in there and that should help bring more traffic. I have to shamefully admit that I haven't eaten there yet. Walking traffic is continuing to increase along Church Street and up Hughey towards FAMU Law. Throw in a new arena, the new Federal Courthouse, more digital media companies on the north end by the TD, and the renovations along Church and Division and this area will be the next wave of the downtown renaissance (if they can figure out what to with the homeless shelters ).

[WeNeed2Progress]

... along Church and Division and this area will be the next wave of the downtown renaissance (if they can figure out what to with the homeless shelters ).

The shelter and the rude bums who harrass you at night walking from Orange through Church. Didn't even make it to Absinthe without "hey! You! HEEEY!"

Uch.

[uncreativeusername]

The last rendering they had looked like they dropped a building on top of a building on top of another building. That's why I think this one is better.

I agree, the last one was a seriues of ugly buildings dropped on top of each other. This one is an ugly building dropped on top of a sort of cool building

Edited October 13, 2006 by uncreativeusername

[orlandonative]

Looks like they jacked 101 Eola's design and painted it.

Jacked!

It is Parramore, these things do happen

[DelGreco]

And i'm a jerk? You guys are brutal.

You know whats funny is that I really dont think it was a joke. At first I thought he was serious, then the more I read it, I thought somebody was pulling our leg like that a-hole from SSC. But this dude is for real.

LOL you guys are brutal! Makes o'native look like Mother Teresa!

In all fairness he does make some business sense in terms of converting "The View" to condos. Not a bad idea. Let's be realistic, nobody currently living in Parramore is going to be able to afford to live in this property even if a Low-Med Income rental rate is applied.

If they sold these units for low $200's, alot of people on police officer and teacher salaries might be able to buy. I wouldn't mind living in this one, especially after the Events Center is built....alot of foot traffic on the horizon!

[jack]

I think they are restricted for another 22 yrs. Thouh I am not sure what the penalty would be.

[bulldogger]

LOL you guys are brutal! Makes o'native look like Mother Teresa!

In all fairness he does make some business sense in terms of converting "The View" to condos. Not a bad idea. Let's be realistic, nobody currently living in Parramore is going to be able to afford to live in this property even if a Low-Med Income rental rate is applied.

If they sold these units for low $200's, alot of people on police officer and teacher salaries might be able to buy. I wouldn't mind living in this one, especially after the Events Center is built....alot of foot traffic on the horizon!

You're talking about Sergeants and up and Asst Principals, right? I know you're not talking about beat cops and teachers being able to afford anything in the 200's. Maybe if they took up anorexia as a hobby.

[gumpking1]

You're talking about Sergeants and up and Asst Principals, right? I know you're not talking about beat cops and teachers being able to afford anything in the 200's. Maybe if they took up anorexia as a hobby.

Are you kidding.I have been with Lake County for 14 years and am a corporal.No way i could afford this

[jack]

If it was converted, I bet it would be a lot cheaper then in the 200's. Bank of America owns it I believe and ONIC is involved. So at least 40% of the units would have to be affordable. Remember Park North, The Grande and The Wavery were reasonable if you got in there pretty early.

[DelGreco]

Are you kidding.I have been with Lake County for 14 years and am a corporal.No way i could afford this

Forgive me....I keep forgetting that our mortgage rates here in Europe range between 1-3%. I guess if yours are 7-8%.....it would significantly reduce your buying power.

What about $150K-$175K? That should be reasonable for a family with two working members. Right? I really hope someone is looking into converting these to condo....the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.

[mrh3]

Obviously, the architect had a lot of ideas running through his mind simultaneously.

Very astute observation, Dale.

[sunshine]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...=orl-home-promo

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Just wonder why taxpayer have to subsidize cost so certain people can live downtown and those of us want to live downtown but cant afford it get nothing.

[mrh3]

That is an interesting way to put it Sunshine. I don't know if I can agree 100%, though. I don't know the specifics of your situation, but I think that the city is in the process of making a commitment to a segment of its citizens that have historically been disenfranchised. It's more about "righting" wrongs than just subsidizing housing for Parramore residents. I'm sure that if you looked hard enough you can find something something downtown with your name on it. You just might have to sacrifice some amentities.

[sunshine]

I guess u are right in some way, but we all work hard for what we have, they should do the same too. Some of the elderly there do need this kind of the assiatance but driving thru parramorre daily to go to work, I start to change my mind and start questioning if all the people live there deserve to have their house subsidized.

[DelGreco]

I guess u are right in some way, but we all work hard for what we have, they should do the same too. Some of the elderly there do need this kind of the assiatance but driving thru parramorre daily to go to work, I start to change my mind and start questioning if all the people live there deserve to have their house subsidized.

I agree. The older folks and the decent hard working people should be assisted. And they will be! The drug pushers/users and prostitutes should be offered rehab services. Drug addicts and alcoholics that have been living for years in rundown slums, run by slumlords, will not appreciate or respect a new home given to them. The few major slumlords in Parramore (the City knows who they are) didn't care about revitalization because they were getting decent rental income without spending a dime on maintenance and upkeep...they prefered to look the other way instead of investing in quality housing for their tenants. Those type of slums of course attract tenants that are not exactly law abiding citizens.

This area appears to be finally getting the attention and help it deserves thanks to Dyer, Crotty, and Lynum. Years of neglect and the City's zoning errors of the past have allowed this area to deteriorate. Parramore of old used to be thriving with small businesses and decent, educated, and hardworking people. Allowing industrial businesses, that shutdown after 5pm, to move into residential neighborhoods was a big City mistake. With the slow rise of crime and slums, the decent people raising families moved out of Parramore out of fear. They all went to Washington Shores and other suburban areas.

Low to medium income housing should be an integral part of Parramore's revitalization. Once these venues start getting built, the private investment will flow into Parramore and like a domino effect, the tranformation of Parramore will take place. This should be a mixed use, race and income level community. Commercial and retail investment will follow, thus creating badly needed jobs. As decent people move in, the drug activity will move out, and crime will go down again. This is normal....it's called Progress! I've seen it in Europe and in downtown Philadelphia....it's happening in many cities. Let's undue the wrongs...by doing the right thing! Go Buddy....Go Magic! Go Orlando!

[palmtree73]

I guess u are right in some way, but we all work hard for what we have, they should do the same too. Some of the elderly there do need this kind of the assiatance but driving thru parramorre daily to go to work, I start to change my mind and start questioning if all the people live there deserve to have their house subsidized.

I think people of all socioeconomic backgrounds are living on the dole. When I drive through Avalon Park, I wonder why my tax dollars were spent building the roads, sewers, schools, power grid etc. for these people to be able to live their oversized SUV lifestyle. There will be enough condo units downtown to build two or three Avalon Parks. Which housing option is the best use of land and infrastructure?

I hope the government is not just paying lip service to the idea of doing something for the residents of Parramore. If you look at where stadiums and interstate corridors have been built all across the country and the demise of those neighborhoods, you can see that it may just be more the fault of the government for the sorry state of those communities than the residents who were originally there. The scum moved in, and now that gives them more eminent domain powers to do more damage to the neighborhood if they aren't careful.

Edited October 27, 2006 by palmtree73

[jack]

Just wonder why taxpayer have to subsidize cost so certain people can live downtown and those of us want to live downtown but cant afford it get nothing.

Edited October 27, 2006 by jack

[gumpking1]

Just wonder why taxpayer have to subsidize cost so certain people can live downtown and those of us want to live downtown but cant afford it get nothing.

Good question, though the answer is very difficult and delicate. I would love to live downtown and Parramore is my only option. But I am not elderly and do not currently live in the community, therefore I am not on the priority list. But I would like to think that I would add greatly to the community if I lived there.

The elderly should be the priority for the community. 1st come 1st serve for everyone else. If OC and the City provide options for the elderly, I believe that they will have 100% support of the community. The rest of the pushers, pimps, prostitutes, slumslords and whomever else (i.e non voters) can kiss my *** and leave.

As i have commented on here before.Why cant the government county state and feds build some nice high rise Apartment complexes in Parramore.Just thing 2 or 3 30 or 40 story high rises in the area.Everyone would be happy even all of us her 0n Urban Planet!

[palmtree73]

As i have commented on here before.Why cant the government county state and feds build some nice high rise Apartment complexes in Parramore.Just thing 2 or 3 30 or 40 story high rises in the area.Everyone would be happy even all of us her 0n Urban Planet!

Are you talking about high-rise projects? That proved to be the wrong solution in the '60s and '70s. High concentrations of poverty create their own set of social ills that are hard to combat. Didn't Chicago demolish all of their high-rise projects and replace them with mixed-income housing? In parts of Manhattan, public housing dominates some neighborhoods like Central Harlem so much that "gentrification" will never take hold even when condos are selling for more than $1M two blocks over.

I personally won't be happy with the government warehousing the poor. I'd much rather the government invest in the schools of Parramore and give the children a realistic chance to dream of being something more than football/basketball players and drug dealers. The aesthetic of the built environment of the neighborhood does matter a lot, but high-rises that look good from the East-West or I-4 as we drive by aren't the answer.