Creative Village

[prahaboheme]

Sheraton Downtown to become a Renaissance Hotel by Marriott, and will include a $40 million renovation and double the current meeting space:

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2013/12/26/shearton-employees-will-be-laid-off.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search

[sunshine]

[JFW657]

140 to lose jobs at Sheraton Orlando Downtown, filing states

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-sheraton-layoffs-downtown-orlando-20131224,0,113938.story

 

Assuming this is legit (and investor Nik Patel seems to be legit based on his local track record), it will be interesting to see what he does with this property. Ever since the demise of the Expo Centre, it has seemed a bit of an odd duck (maybe it should have been a Peabody :-). I guess it was designed more as a complement for meetings and once the meeting space went away, its reason for being sort of evaporated. Stay tuned.

 

The building originally opened in 1986 as an Omni International Hotel. I was one of the original employees & was there on opening day. They were still working on it during the week long orientation. The original idea was to provide a hotel for the old Expo Center as well as for performers & visiting NBA teams at the arena that, even though it was not approved yet, they felt confident would be.

 

They told us that the building was designed so that more floors could be added to it in the future.

[truebluecfl]

So are they going to add height?

[sunshine]

Are there going to have any movements with Creative Village? or it will stay as a pile of dirts for a forseeable future...

[Casselberry_Knight]

Are there going to have any movements with Creative Village? or it will stay as a pile of dirts for a forseeable future...

 

Sounds like there is some movement, but yeah, will be dirt for likely all of 2014. Anybody hear anything more promising? 

[Jernigan]

There is a lot more infrastructure up front for this type of project than just putting up a building in an area with sewer, drainage etc.

Check out some of the photos from Encore! in Tampa to get an idea of how this thing will take shape:

https://www.facebook.com/EncoreTampa?ref=ts&fref=ts

[sunshine]

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/24721579/downtown-orlandos-creative-village-still-not-created

[Jernigan]

Synan is such an arse. He actually had a pretty positive piece about SunRail comparing it to Charlotte but still has that "there's a scandal here somewhere!" voice/style

[sunshine]

Politicians kept blaming it on bad economy. Although it is less ambitious, Tampa Encore manged to get off the ground and going.

 

If they keep saying if you build the first one, it will keep "mushrooming". Then they should build the first one.

 

 

[Jernigan]

Take a look at the encore progress - they laid it all out before anything went vertical and it's not as if both started on the same day and they have a village while we have a dirt pile. Dyer may downplay it but he and Ustler have enough skin in the game to be wanting it to happen more than any of us cheerleaders. This is a legacy piece for both of them.

[jack]

That's a tough project and I wish them well. I believe Encore was conceived before CV and is less ambitious. BOA's CDC is involved in both projects. 

[jliv]

here's some ideas:

 

1. Why doesn't they lure a branch of the Culinary Institute of America to the Creative Village?  One thing that Orlando needs is a vibrant independent food culture, and a training academy like this could help draw talent to the area that will become entrepreneurs, who open the kinds of restaurants that make cities exciting places to live. CIA usually runs a training restaurant, which provides Michelin star-worthy meals for a steal.

2.  UCF could do more than an "emerging media" school downtown.  There are several graduate programs (specifically in the fields of art and design) that could be relocated downtown.  It could help create a student population that is crucial to dynamic cities.

3.  How about convincing the local tourism/entertainment companies to relocate some of their administrative and design functions to the "Creative Village"?  Why does Walt Disney World Imagineering have to be based on WDW property? I know enough people who worked for them (and the old Disney Animation Studios) to tell you they would've been happy to work downtown.

4.  Why not some temporary "cargotecture" on the site to demonstrate the site's promise, housing small retail outlets?  Maybe even a few mock buildings, similar to the scaffolding structures imitating buildings around the old Leipziger Platz in Berlin (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Leipziger_Platz_Berlin_-_von_oben.jpg).  It fills in the cityspace nicely, and provides a vision for whats to come.

[prahaboheme]

All interesting options.  In addition, perhaps the city could lure an East Coast version of Disney Apprentice program (currently in Anaheim) to the Creative Village and get some start-up blood running through the city.

[AndyPok1]

here's some ideas:

 

3.  How about convincing the local tourism/entertainment companies to relocate some of their administrative and design functions to the "Creative Village"?  Why does Walt Disney World Imagineering have to be based on WDW property? I know enough people who worked for them (and the old Disney Animation Studios) to tell you they would've been happy to work downtown.

 

 

As much as I would LOVE this living in 55W, I can't see it happening.  Just the distance between property and the buildings near I-Drive and/or Celebration are annoying 20 minute commutes for meetings and gatherings.

[jliv]

As much as I would LOVE this living in 55W, I can't see it happening.  Just the distance between property and the buildings near I-Drive and/or Celebration are annoying 20 minute commutes for meetings and gatherings.

 

LOL...As someone who's lived in San Francisco, Berlin, and London, that fear of a "20-minute commute" just made me chuckle.  Of course, all of those cities have comprehensive, integrated transport links.  Another thing:  in the case of San Francisco, not everyone is riding those controversial "commuter buses" down to the Peninsula.  Google and Facebook both have large office presences in the city itself, to cater to those individuals who dread commuting down the 101 or the 280 (or Caltrain).  There is another reason why they put offices in the area:  there probably isn't a more creative village in the US than South Beach/SOMA.  The value of having the ability to walk a couple of blocks to a potential partner for a business development meeting, or interview a job candidate in a cafe downstairs...can't be understated.  

Edited February 20, 2014 by jliv

[AndyPok1]

LOL...As someone who's lived in San Francisco, Berlin, and London, that fear of a "20-minute commute" just made me chuckle. 

 

Let me restate.  I don't mind the commute to work (obviously I'd prefer walking and/or train but....)  It's the going between buildings for meetings.  If you were to set up an office downtown with lots of Videoconference rooms, that might be one thing.  But most of society hasn't gotten to the point where all meetings can be held over Conference Bridges and/or Lync.  People often have to be in-person for meetings still.  So you're losing an hour out of the day just going between buildings.  It's massively inefficient.

[bulldogger]

There is no longer Disney Animation in Orlando.  Some of the remnants of Disney production is the IDEAS studio and they are located downtown already.

[spenser1058]

UCF may expand its downtown presence in a big way

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/03/ucf-may-expand-its-downtown-presence-in-a-big-way.html

 

Promising early stirrings of UCF finally getting serious about downtown again. 

[prahaboheme]

This really could be the shot in the arm that downtown needs.  I cannot think of a single thriving city center that is not anchored by some sort of higher education institution.  And given that Orlando is really lacking in higher education options that are centrally located, this could prove mutually beneficial for UCF and Orlando.  I wonder if UCF will ever reevaluate it's decision to pull out of the DPAC plan and to locate it's arts center on campus. 

[Boomer136]

Don't see UCF's performing arts coming downtown. They are still moving forward with their Phase Two planning. DPAC doesn't have the other facilities the departments need nor have the interest in building them. What would be interesting in that regard is how many shows they would pull away from DPAC in the way their arena pulls shows for who the Amway is too big.

 

UCF is getting spread out. Lake Nona is taking all the healthcare schools which otherwise would make sense downtown. Now the school of business advising center is already downtown and a new law school also would make sense. With the media art already close by, perhaps some general ed space would be considered so students don't have to commute to the main campus to get those? As well as continuing ed for working folk to get masters perhaps. So dorms maybe?

 

Whatever, it is a cool idea. The Citrus Bowl folks messed up when they brushed off Hitt, so it will be interesting what happens now.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Boomer136

[Jernigan]

UCFs CBA and CPA should be downtown ASAP

[Casselberry_Knight]

The Citrus Bowl folks messed up when they brushed off Hitt, so it will be interesting what happens now.

 

Yeah UCF had some epic plans for downtown about 10 years ago, but Florida Citrus Sports / the newly elected Buddy Dyer / DPAC saw little value in working with UCF at the time. 

In the end it worked out for all parties and UCF has a great on campus stadium and will break ground on phase II of their performing arts center in a few years. DPAC was able to cut their costs down by not building the classroom space. And the Citrus Bowl...well...10 years later it's getting the attention it needed back in 2004....

 

Back in the day UCF had planned to buy the Marriot (????) next to the old Amway Arena and turn it into Student Dorms for their digital media school & planned to move part of music & arts downtown.

 

I'd imagine something the size of the Rosen school would be a great vit for Innovation Village. 1-2 8 story dorm towers, a business tower for MBAs and local partnerships ( similar to reserach park?), and grad level computer science and engineering classes would be great. Knowing Dr. Hitt, I'm sure he'd LOVE a Law School downtown.... get someone like John Morgan to back that (although he's a huge UF dude...) and you have a legit high-education center in the heart of downtown.

[jliv]

Yeah UCF had some epic plans for downtown about 10 years ago, but Florida Citrus Sports / the newly elected Buddy Dyer / DPAC saw little value in working with UCF at the time. 

In the end it worked out for all parties and UCF has a great on campus stadium and will break ground on phase II of their performing arts center in a few years. DPAC was able to cut their costs down by not building the classroom space. And the Citrus Bowl...well...10 years later it's getting the attention it needed back in 2004....

 

Back in the day UCF had planned to buy the Marriot (????) next to the old Amway Arena and turn it into Student Dorms for their digital media school & planned to move part of music & arts downtown.

 

I'd imagine something the size of the Rosen school would be a great vit for Innovation Village. 1-2 8 story dorm towers, a business tower for MBAs and local partnerships ( similar to rIeserach park?), and grad level computer science and engineering classes would be great. Knowing Dr. Hitt, I'm sure he'd LOVE a Law School downtown.... get someone like John Morgan to back that (although he's a huge UF dude...) and you have a legit high-education center in the heart of downtown.

 

If UCF was to create a downtown campus, it would need to host undergrad and grad programs that aren't too dependent on graduate students serving as TA's for undergrad courses. I can't imagine there would be much appeal for students having to shuttle back and forth between campuses.  I think an autonomous school like Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota or SCAD in Savannah would be perfect for a downtown setting, with all of the courses required for the undergrad and grad programs available at the downtown location,  Otherwise, graduate programs working in a public-private partnership would make sense.  The medical city at Lake Nona was founded with this intent; put a cluster of medical schools, research institutions, and teaching hospitals in one area, and private-sector industries formed and/or staffed by alumni will follow.  It's what created Silicon Valley as we know it, as Stanford built an amazing relationship with private industry in the 60's.  The fact that Apple is putting roots at Central Florida Research Park is a preview of things to come... 

[sunshine]

Downtown Orlando missed the ships in so many levels from convetion center, UCF main campus, EA.....

 

Having an instituition like UCF to commit to downtown is definitely a good sign...hopefully they can move this along quickly and get "creative village" started...