Rida Development Corp's Mixed-Use Complex [Under Construction]

[codypet]

It seems like Orlando would be primed to have a few more hometown microbreweries take off.  If I had the extra time/money I'd seriously consider getting friends together to start one up.  I could advertise that I'm from Denver/Ft Collins and hope that people (wrongly) assume I know how to make good beer!

I've been in Raleigh for a few years.  I know what you mean.  I know a good deal of homebrewers too.  Just have to convince them to join me.

[sunshine]

I couldnt find the development plan of the entire site but I remembered seeing it somewhere. Anybody?

[jrs2]

http://www.wpc.com/projects/aerials/images/fullsize/Crescent.jpg

This looks like an updated aerial shot from the last one.  It looks like they have finished pouring the concrete roof to the retail level all the way to Orange Ave.  If you look closely, the garage portion goes west to the tracks.  This might end up being the height of the Lynx HQ building, and will continue a development "wall" along the south side of Amelia all the way from Magnolia to Garland.  It's a good start for that area.

[codypet]

This looks like an updated aerial shot from the last one.  It looks like they have finished pouring the concrete roof to the retail level all the way to Orange Ave.  If you look closely, the garage portion goes west to the tracks.  This might end up being the height of the Lynx HQ building, and will continue a development "wall" along the south side of Amelia all the way from Magnolia to Garland.  It's a good start for that area.

Unfortunately what I found out today walking to Sunrail from Eola heights is to get to Sunrail you kind of have to cross Amelia at the tracks since the sidewalk is closed and there's no good crossing.

[jrs2]

Unfortunately what I found out today walking to Sunrail from Eola heights is to get to Sunrail you kind of have to cross Amelia at the tracks since the sidewalk is closed and there's no good crossing.

is there eventually supposed to be a path that cuts right through there at the midway point between Amelia & Livingston?

[Jernigan]

Yes

[jrs2]

They finally started the first residential level on this project.

[mrh3]

This looks like an updated aerial shot from the last one.  It looks like they have finished pouring the concrete roof to the retail level all the way to Orange Ave.  If you look closely, the garage portion goes west to the tracks.  This might end up being the height of the Lynx HQ building, and will continue a development "wall" along the south side of Amelia all the way from Magnolia to Garland.  It's a good start for that area.

 

Crescent Central Station means nothing. I hope they come up with something with more appeal.

[jrs2]

Crescent Central Station means nothing. I hope they come up with something with more appeal.

Look, I agree.  It's a cop-out development using cop-out materials.  Just like some of the Ustler properties using the cheapest materials possible.

 

Here's the really interesting thing about their future plans:  Amway is building their entertainment complex and plan on having a future hotel with conference center.  that will screw up Crescent's future hotel plans I think b/c of vacancy rates for the sub-market, which means no hotel.  I'll believe it when I see it.

 

However, no hotel near Amway until the City builds a new OPD HQ.  who knows when that happens.  I wouldn't bee surprised if they get DeVos to give them $$$ towards it.  It may be a race of who gets to build a hotel first.

 

As for Phase I which is this 6 story development- it should've been Skyhouse, but it isn't.  But is does take up 40% of the land there, which is good, and will have retail.  Skyhouse has Subway, and Crescent will have other retail that will cater to Courthouse employees and patrons.  Patrons; man; imagine that demographic.  Who do we usually see in the courthouse: criminals; families of criminals; Jerry Springer types, etc..., and lawyers.  I guess we're getting more 7-Elevens.  I went to Tampa's courthouse once and I feared for my life at the riff-raff loitering around there.  On that note, they should remove the criminal court ala Seminole and move it out to John Young near the Sheriff's office and change the demographic a little bit.

[codypet]

During critical mass I was so disappointed to see this thing being build out of wood on the higher floors.  Ugh.

[prahaboheme]

Within a .25 mile radius on this building is more than just Courthouse types -- you have the Sentinel, BankofAmerica, AT&T, SunRail, OC school board, and Lynx Terminal staff and patrons.  There are more with the smaller businesses along Orange as well as the residents who live in the multiple apartment complexes and homes nearby.  Right now, there is just nowhere in the vicinity to linger and so all you really see is what is coming out of the courthouse. 

[jrs2]

^^

Exactly.  the problem is that peds don't usually walk a .25 mile in downtown Orlando each way for food or what have you.  And now that I think about it, who would want to live there with such a demographic in the immediate vicinity?  Courthouse patrons plus Lynx patrons and Lymmo line patrons- I forgot about those.  I wouldn't- unless there were many other developments adjacent to there- on property and Amelia, the Plus One proposed lot, and the proposal near BOA's south side.  Then, I think it would be ok.

[JFW657]

I doubt young people would mind the "courthouse types" too much.

 

And I doubt many older people will be looking to live there. 

[nite owℓ]

I don't think it's that serious. Most people who have to go to court don't want to be there and don't seem to linger around. It would take a truly moronic person to cause mischief before/after going to court. The drunk & rowdy bar hoppers/ clubbers are worse IMO... The things I've seen at Lake Eola after dark!

[jack]

I don't think it's that serious. Most people who have to go to court don't want to be there and don't seem to linger around. It would take a truly moronic person to cause mischief before/after going to court. The drunk & rowdy bar hoppers/ clubbers are worse IMO... The things I've seen at Lake Eola after dark!

Have you been to the Courthouse? 

[nite owℓ]

Yes I have and in no way am I saying that criminals make good neighbors. However, the general riff raff is not limited to the courthouse or Lynx when they're crawling all over downtown at night before, during and after club hours. Have you seen what happens near Lake Eola at night?

[Pete C]

Yes I have and in no way am I saying that criminals make good neighbors. However, the general riff raff is not limited to the courthouse or Lynx when they're crawling all over downtown at night before, during and after club hours. Have you seen what happens near Lake Eola at night?

 

I lived at the Paramount for a couple years and walked around Lake Eola at night on many occasions, including after drinking at 2 AM. I honestly never saw anything crazy happening around Lake Eola. Just drunk people being loud mostly. My only real complaint about living downtown was the abundance of homeless and the constant pestering.

[Universe_Explorer]

^^

Exactly.  the problem is that peds don't usually walk a .25 mile in downtown Orlando each way for food or what have you.  And now that I think about it, who would want to live there with such a demographic in the immediate vicinity?  Courthouse patrons plus Lynx patrons and Lymmo line patrons- I forgot about those.  I wouldn't- unless there were many other developments adjacent to there- on property and Amelia, the Plus One proposed lot, and the proposal near BOA's south side.  Then, I think it would be ok.

In addition to the "patrons" you speak of, there are also hundreds of county employees, lawyers, paralegals, and law enforcement personnel working permanantly or spending time at the courthouse.  Plus the communters coming too and from the Lynx and Sunrail stations.  Like any other transit and lunch crowd oriented space it probably will be convenience stores and fast/fast causal food.  Maybe a bar/resturant for the residents upstairs. It would also be a great spot for an actual drug store and bagel/coffee shop.  There's nothing wrong with that. 

 

For all of the comparisons to major metropolitan areas and the lack of retail downtown, as a NYC transplant let me be the first to tell you - 90% of the street retail are service-based places like this.  Convenience store/coffee/pizza place/bagel shop/hardware store/laundramat/bar, Repeated in a pattern block after block with some variations, except for the tourist regions and the "malls" of New York (5th Ave, 34th street, Union Square, Canal st area).  If we want a consistent, urban downtown population we need to make these sorts of things convenient - that's one of the big draws of living in a city, riht?  You trade a bigger living space for a smaller one with certain conveniences. 

[SKK]

I lived at the Paramount for a couple years and walked around Lake Eola at night on many occasions, including after drinking at 2 AM. I honestly never saw anything crazy happening around Lake Eola. Just drunk people being loud mostly. My only real complaint about living downtown was the abundance of homeless and the constant pestering.

 

^ Yes, this. I live downtown, and other than being pestered by a homeless person for money or hit on/yelled at by an obnoxious clubber, I've never experienced anything dodgy at any time of day.

[JFW657]

Many years ago back in the 90's, prior to the construction of the Embassy Suites, that parcel was still a parking lot for the old Southeast Bank Building. There is a concrete ramp that runs downward from both Central on one side & Pine St. on the other, meeting in the middle, where they keep the dumpsters & the A/C coolers, utilities, etc. Anyway, there is a concrete barrier wall that separated that area from the parking lot & along that barrier wall, was a row of short shrubs.

 

Down here:

 

 

Late one Friday night I was out walking around the area, still crowded with partiers etc., when I heard moaning & groaning coming from somewhere. I followed the sound until I saw the silhouette of two guys in between the shrubs & the concrete wall, on their knees, one behind the other, going at it.   

 

Another time, around the same time period, I walking east on Church St just off of Rosalind. In the shrub enclosed parking lot across from the County Admin bldg., I saw two hot young young chicks suddenly stand up from behind the shrubs as I walked by, pulling their pants up. Don't know if they were down there relieving themselves or doing something else.

 

Those are about the two oddest things I've seen late at night in DTO.

[jrs2]

^^

in response to several posts about the general downtown "riff raff" and patrons of the Courthouse, I go back to a prior post about the need to start charging for Lymmo.  Dyer also needs to get rid of the areas that allow panhandling.  Wasn't a female assaulted by a homeless guy in the Wells Fargo parking deck a few weeks back off of Central?

 

I mean, seriously, political correctness aside, you gotta get rid of the homeless downtown.  They don't work downtown (my bad- they panhandle) nor pay taxes and some of them take government checks from DCF ala food stamps and SSI or disability.  They are not productive and really taint downtown's scene.  However, Orlando has one of the most vibrant downtowns of most any city ala bars and eateries, etc.- in spite of this.

 

I'm not final word on which restaurant goes where.  I'm only making an observation of what to expect at Crescent.  Look at Skyhouse- Subway.  What's across the street?  That sketchy motel and a Lymmo station populated by homeless people.  Would you, as a tenant at Skyhouse, really want to go out at night and take a walk?  Seriously?  Start charging on Lymmo and that will really curtail the homeless problem- and I don't want to hear any of this noise about keeping a certain sector of people from using a public service; that's ridiculous.  Right vs privilege.  You can use it if you pay for it- just like with the bus.

 

As for comparisons to NYC and generally what one finds ala patronage, etc., downtown Orlando is not also its tourist corridor as is Manhattan.  At the Plaza, at any given moment, the homeless make up a sizable percentage of the population you see on the sidewalk.  I can imagine what one finds at Lynx Central and the Courthouse Lymmo stations.  And these are the closest places aside from the Courthouse, to Crescent.  They used to dog CityVew Apts next to HD Supply for being in a bad neighborhood but I don't think even they have that many panhandlers around there (maybe not).

 

^^

I'll take raunchy partiers- gay or straight any day of the week over homeless panhandlers, some of which are dangerous.

[JFW657]

Homeless panhandlers are just something that have become a part of the urban landscape in every major  American city. I think people have become pretty much inured to them. As long as they don't become too aggressive like they are in some cities, they are not too big of a problem.

 

Besides, trying to get rid of them just invites public outcry & lawsuits.

[Alleri459]

^^

in response to several posts about the general downtown "riff raff" and patrons of the Courthouse, I go back to a prior post about the need to start charging for Lymmo.  Dyer also needs to get rid of the areas that allow panhandling.  Wasn't a female assaulted by a homeless guy in the Wells Fargo parking deck a few weeks back off of Central?

 

I mean, seriously, political correctness aside, you gotta get rid of the homeless downtown.  They don't work downtown (my bad- they panhandle) nor pay taxes and some of them take government checks from DCF ala food stamps and SSI or disability.  They are not productive and really taint downtown's scene.  However, Orlando has one of the most vibrant downtowns of most any city ala bars and eateries, etc.- in spite of this.

 

I'm not final word on which restaurant goes where.  I'm only making an observation of what to expect at Crescent.  Look at Skyhouse- Subway.  What's across the street?  That sketchy motel and a Lymmo station populated by homeless people.  Would you, as a tenant at Skyhouse, really want to go out at night and take a walk?  Seriously?  Start charging on Lymmo and that will really curtail the homeless problem- and I don't want to hear any of this noise about keeping a certain sector of people from using a public service; that's ridiculous.  Right vs privilege.  You can use it if you pay for it- just like with the bus.

 

As for comparisons to NYC and generally what one finds ala patronage, etc., downtown Orlando is not also its tourist corridor as is Manhattan.  At the Plaza, at any given moment, the homeless make up a sizable percentage of the population you see on the sidewalk.  I can imagine what one finds at Lynx Central and the Courthouse Lymmo stations.  And these are the closest places aside from the Courthouse, to Crescent.  They used to dog CityVew Apts next to HD Supply for being in a bad neighborhood but I don't think even they have that many panhandlers around there (maybe not).

 

^^

I'll take raunchy partiers- gay or straight any day of the week over homeless panhandlers, some of which are dangerou

 

Down in Miami Beach, the South Beach Local Circulator basically serves a similar purpose to what the LYMMO does. They, however, charge .25 cents, it runs 24 hours, and it consistently has high ridership. I'm sure a minimal fare like this would certainly help with issues people have been identifying with the LYMMO.  It would have the same effect to what occurred with SunRail lol

[jrs2]

^^

yes my friend.  that is exactly what I've been preaching here.  if they charge a fare on Lymmo, if they really don't need the money (yeah right), maybe they can apply the funds to planting more trees downtown per my other posts.

[Jernigan]

Charge a fare for Lymmo with free transfers from Lynx and SunRail.

That said, don't underestimate how many pay for their bus pass in the first place (unlimited free A/C and comfortable seat) or get them free from a social agency.

I tend to think you can't just "get rid of homeless" - if there were an easy solution it would have been figured out by now. You could move to the burbs if you are willing to sacrifice life's pleasures because of having some guy ask you for a dollar.