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Orlando: SoDo (South of Downtown) development

zaadee

By zaadee
in Orlando

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neon9 Hamlet

neon9

Posted
Posted

I was joking. Interesting about the FDOT bids though. I have zero experience with DOT work, that said my only major concern would be GC change orders, on a large project it's easy to make up that 50%. Seems like most of the projects i'm dealing with lately are CM At-Risk and thats fine by me, i'll gladly take a GMP to avoid litigation.

I think FDOT work is a strange animal (heck, FDOT itself is strange)...compared to private work. If I'm not mistaken, the contractor gives prices per item (i.e., per linear foot of 4' concrete traffic seperator), so if there are change orders then at least the price is already determined. I can't imagine a project like, say, the huge overpass at 436 and 50, not having quite a few of them.

One bid in particular was mentioned to me for just maintaining ditches. The bid came in at about 25% of what they estimated-they could only assume that it was a family operation and they already owned a grade-all or whatnot and didn't have much overhead. No actual materials needed, except diesel and a lowboy maybe.

Hopefully by the time the big projects (436/50, Edgewater and Lee schools, the Arena, W SR 50...et al) wind down we'll see commercial work pick up. My company doesn't do gov't work either. Personally, I wish we'd see more infill and redevelopment than more sprawl in the middle of nowhere...but that's probably preaching to the choir around here. Kind of like this Target, actually....now if only something would come of that rumor about the Orlando Brewery moving into the old Albertsons...

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codypet City

codypet

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....now if only something would come of that rumor about the Orlando Brewery moving into the old Albertsons...

Now there's an idea! Half the Brewery and the other half Aldi. Perfect.

About FDOT you'd be surprised what the contractor will try to get away with as far as change orders. I dealt with a lot of this stuff before I was laid off :angry: . Right before I was let go the contractor tried to pull a $28k increase per drainage structure because they purposely low bid and they argued the plans for certain large drainage structures weren't called out right. They were called out per FDOT standards so their point was moot.

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Jaybee Hamlet

Jaybee

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The rumore is that the Brewery pulled out of the odl Albertson's site, and is now negotiating with Pineloch Managment for a site on, you guessed it, Pineloch. This is after they were thinking about the Goodyear site on Grant and Lucerne.

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codypet City

codypet

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Anyone know what is going up between the Taco Bell and the BB&T Bank at SoDo, right on Orange?

Well they just opened the BB&T and still havn't gotten the sign up but all that construction is the conversion of the Marathon gas station to a Shell station. I'm curious to know what's going in next to the Banco Popular though. I know there was talk about an Ale House.....I hope its that.

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surina777 Whistle-Stop

surina777

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I tried to give rockin joe's coffee a try last week, while there were 3 customers in there sipping on coffee and on their laptops... no one was behind the counter and after about a minute or so of looking at the menu...i looked around all sides of the counter and there was no one to take my order...waited a couple minutes and walked out...

i guess they didnt need my money...

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FLheat Hamlet

FLheat

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Posted

I tried to give rockin joe's coffee a try last week, while there were 3 customers in there sipping on coffee and on their laptops... no one was behind the counter and after about a minute or so of looking at the menu...i looked around all sides of the counter and there was no one to take my order...waited a couple minutes and walked out...

i guess they didnt need my money...

Surina, been reading your blog...you've been busy...I keep forgetting about all the downtown holes in the wall, thanks for bringing them to light. I think we should make a comprehensive list of all downtown restaurants.

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surina777 Whistle-Stop

surina777

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Surina, been reading your blog...you've been busy...I keep forgetting about all the downtown holes in the wall, thanks for bringing them to light. I think we should make a comprehensive list of all downtown restaurants.

thanks for reading! downtownorlando.com has a good list .. not sure how often they update though ...

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Jernigan Town

Jernigan

Posted
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A few quick hits on SoDo:

1) Chili Daddy has opened on Michigan in the plaza with the Rajun Cajun bicycle shop -

2) Still can't figure out where the Olive Garden is going to go - could be blind or just missing it

3) LYMMO expansion and the ORMC Sunrail stop will be huge for the "SoDo complex" and the rest of that area

4) Great photos of the main complex there. I'm really not sure how I'd rate the complex itself. After visiting this weekend I realized that there is nowhere to "play" there. It's better than a Colonial Plaza/Waterford layout - by far - but for all the money/planning that went into it - how did they come so close yet fall so short? Not to be pessimistic - just those lawns in the front should be flip-flopped with the front structure to add to the Orange Ave streetscape while providing a realistic green/square that could be used and not, "Ok kids, go play but don't run into Orange Ave!"

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John Hargrove Hamlet

John Hargrove

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I go to SoDo for my grocery shopping and other necessities. I live in downtown, but given that I realistically have to drive to the Publix if I'm getting any significant amount of purchases, I may as well go to Target where the prices aren't way high.

I love the concept ... but also, very confused by the way it's set back from the road. I actually drive past it mistakenly quite often because you barely notice it from Orange.

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prahaboheme City

prahaboheme

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I think it fails because it's inward looking, like any average mall or strip mall. It doesn't engage the neighborhood around it, and when it does, it's at the frontage on Orange that is the least urban part of the project. I'm still perplexed by the decision to build fast food joints at the East side. That never gave this development a chance to realize it's potential.

That said, it's still successful from a retail standpoint (if not from an urban one) and as the area around Michigan/Orange urbanizes (see the city plan for this area on the City website), I think overall SODO will begin to "fit in" more so than it does now.

Lymmo will of course be a huge impetus for this.

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Jernigan Town

Jernigan

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Great point. Orange could still be streetscaped - but the sidestreets to the east and west just have residential. I guess it's not that different than Central/Eola to Central/Osceola with Post Parkside's townhouses - just a longer stretch. What eventually goes in across the street could determine pedestrian life. The basic set up is there though thanks to the widewalk and parallel parking.

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