Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[sunshine]

where is this located?

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-failed-parramore-development-20140427,0,7369937.story?page=2

[gibby]

From what I've read, it's usually property owners in the immediate area that issue comments for consideration and from what I've seen, there are quite a few neglected properties next to the lot. So they may not give a damn. Maybe you could start a petition? But we all know that whatever Lola wants, Lola gets! For some reason, I always thought the row homes were planned for the vacant lot catty-corner on the Thornton Park side....

 

As Orlandoguy said, the lot really isn't suitable for townhomes. But maybe the change in zoning will eventually allow the adjoining properties to go commercial? I would be okay with a lift station BUT ONLY IF the city:

 

-keeps all industrial machinery hidden from view

-installs streetscaping pleasing to the eye

-disguises the lift station using decorative/stamped concrete walls & fencing like OUC does with their chilled water plants

 

Honestly I think something like this would be a decent compromise:

OUC1.jpgOUC2.jpg

The property catty-corner is also zoned for multi-family but there is room on that site for many more units.  The property directly north is also zoned for multi-family.  The fourth corner is the quasi-commercial former ABC lounge.  I think the City has it zoned perfectly.  It has R-3A/T running from Mills to Summerlin on the south side.  The corner is awful now but three corners of multi-family and one corner of future commercial seems great.  The new sound wall on the 408 is very effective.  The traffic noise from South Street is an issue but I really don't think 408 is so bad.  I live nearby.

[nite owℓ]

Yes thank G-d for that sound wall, especially in terms of appearance. I think you'd have an easier time forcing the city to "dress up" the lift station rather than trying to stop them from building there altogether. An eye pleasing design could do wonders for that corner - just look at what GAI did for the Summerlin/408 area. Have they mailed any renderings to the surrounding homes yet? If not, I'd start making a few phone calls if I were you. Now is the time to act while they're still in the planning stages... Keep us posted.

Edited April 28, 2014 by nite owℓ

[jrs2]

FYI, they are already digging up the easement for the 436 & 17/92 overpass.  I was there on Saturday.  wow.  for a few blocks south of 436 on the west side of 17/92 and for a few blocks north of 436 on the west and east sides of 17/92.  17/92 will be the overpass akin to 436 & 50.

 

^^

I hope Maglev gets built.

This Lexus lane business on 528- the single extra lane in each direction is BS.  They need two lanes in each direction- but, they did say to allow for future growth.

[alex]

where is this located?

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-failed-parramore-development-20140427,0,7369937.story?page=2

 

The video says corner of Parramore and Conley, so just south of 408.  Looks like this is/was part of Wells Landing.

[JFW657]

If anyone is interested, The City has bought the property shown above and will be building a sanitary lift station.  We were close to getting a nice infill project which could have helped tie the Greenwood-Lake Davis area to Thornton Park.  Instead, we will get a lift station.

 

Hopefully they'll at least be able to keep the trees that are there.

[JFW657]

This looks like it could be very interesting...

 

Apr 29, 2014, 1:10pm EDT

 

Details emerge on redevelopment of Orlando Health's Lucerne hospital

 

The  razing and redevelopment of Lucerne Pavilion may not have a name yet, but it may have a model: Think Mills Park, with a healthy twist.

 

Orlando Health Inc. announced April 28 that it awarded exclusive negotiation rights to GDC Properties and Weingarten Realty Investors  as the team to rebuild the property site. Orlando Health had initially planned to close Lucerne Pavilion down after  its new $297 million patient tower was finished, but  accelerated the plans to save money.

 

The initial redevelopment plans include a specialty grocery store, retail, restaurants and multi-family residential apartment homes. I spoke with Karl Hodges, Orlando Health’s vice president of business development, about the project. Here's what he had to say:

 

Question: What kind of a deal will this be?

Answer: For up to nine months, GDC Properties can market the property, do their due diligence, tie things down and so forth. They also will complete the due diligence on the site itself, and go through the city for some minor changes to the planned development. Through the end of it, what will come out of it is a purchase and sale agreement, whereby we’ll just sell the property to reinvest back into the system. But that’s not a given, not an absolute. It will depend on the due diligence as we finalize commitments.

 

Question: In the announcement, you talked about a specialty grocery store, retail and multi-family housing. I’m picturing a grocery-anchored development similar to Mills Park, with The Fresh Market, on Mills Avenue. Is that a close model?

Answer: I’d like to defer on specifics with GDC, but definitely there are multiple uses. I believe you’ll see something similar, but maybe more innovative.

 

Question: What about the proposal was exciting to Orlando Health?

Answer: It was unique and exciting. It’s bold, some of the same things we’ve talked about in the Project Downtown Orlando task force meetings, that will draw people to the site. It’s not just another development. We want something that is going to create a wow factor. As one of our board members said, we want to look back 35 to 40 years and say we did something special.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/04/details-emerge-on-redevelopment-of-orlando-healths.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vertical_17+(Human+Resources+Industry+News)

 

Edited April 30, 2014 by JFW657

[prahaboheme]

Another mid-rise apartment development proposed for 336 N Orange (adjacent to BOA) called Tribridge Apartments, 206 residential units and integrated parking structure and commercial space on the groundfloor.

 

Rendering here:  http://www.downtownorlando.com/site/uploads/2014/04/1Q2014DevelopmentProfile1.pdf

[orlandoguy]

I will die a happy man if that plot of land gets redeveloped. It has to be one of the ugliest pieces of property in DTO. The old diocese building, the former Nations Bank drive-thrus that are now used as parking, and poorly maintained surface lots make this corner a real eyesore.

Thanks for the update - hopefully this is real and we'll have details soon.

[prahaboheme]

Couldn't agree more - I absolutely despise that corner and development here would really bridge that gap between the CBD and Central Station / Lynx Terminal. 

[sunshine]

Another underwhleming project, I wish the city would have the gut to tell them to come back with a better design that will fit in the overall appearance of the skyline. That project is better for Eola or Paramorre or College Park area (outskirt of the CBD). I know we want residents to move to downtown but this is not the way to do it. A prime location like this close to sunrail....I rather they slap that ugly mega mall project here.

[CalvinEggnog]

How depressing is it to see all of these proposals and projects?  Every morning I wake up and hope that there will be a new thread or a new rumor or proposal in the works of something that is actually architecturally significant.  I guess I'll be waiting a long long time and will simply have to watch as cities like Austin, Minneapolis, and Seattle continue to improve their downtowns with beauty, function, and height, while Orlando just flounders around with boring 5-8 story tall apartments where towers should be.

[nite owℓ]

Here's my theory: The lot is owned by the Diocese. I think the reason for the underwhelming development is because the Diocese is not in the business of being a landlord to heathens - too many potential incompatibilities in lifestyle. Even if they could afford to, I can't see them building a Skyhouse-like project and then renting it out to rowdy young adults living in sin . In the past, they've taken the safe route when providing housing, so they rent apartments to the elderly (e.g. St. Joseph's Courts). But why hang onto the lot and not sell it to a developer? Probably because they still need to utilize the lot for parking; 200 of the 480 parking spaces will be dedicated to the church per the proposal.

 

So yeah it's another missed opportunity (seemingly on top of many)... but at least it won't be a wasteland anymore.

Edited May 6, 2014 by nite owℓ

[Pete C]

It's disappointing, yes, but how many tall condo towers can downtown realistically support...especially in the CBD? It's not like businesses are clamoring to build tall buildings down there either. I think it is just realistic for that particular area to have a low rise at this time. My main complaint isn't the height, but rather the design that looks almost completely identical to RIDA.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Pete C

[Universe_Explorer]

It's disappointing, yes, but how many tall condo towers can downtown realistically support...especially in the CBD? It's not like businesses are clamoring to build tall buildings down there either. I think it is just realistic for that particular area to have a low rise at this time. My main complaint isn't the height, but rather the design that looks almost completely identical to RIDA.

Agreed.  Plus, there is still a lot of downtown real estate that could support taller buildings if/when the demand ever reappears - including the creative village area and many vacant/near-vacant lots just west of I4. 

[JFW657]

My main complaint isn't the height, but rather the design that looks almost completely identical to RIDA.

 

Same here. And even though it resembles RIDA too closely, it has none of the small design elements that at least make RIDA slightly interesting looking.

 

This thing just looks like RIDA's ugly (uglier) sister.

[jack]

We can't support towers at this point. Not enough wealth here. And Skyhouse is a poor example. It is not too often that a developer builds 6 or more identical projects across the country with the exact same team. And it still is the most expensive building in downtown. 

 

Tribridge is being realistic. They most likely have it under contract from the Church without any stipulations. maybe for the retail. 

 

This is probably a stick frame building (just a guess). And it will still be on the top end of costs downtown. 

 

I understand the architecture criticisms. But this is the initial rendering. I am sure ARB will have some recommendations. 

[alex]

A livable city is made up of good streets, good street interaction, and street walls--not high-rise buildings.  Would you rather have a city full of Vues or a city full of Thornton Park Centrals?  Vue is sterile and inactive: the vertical equivalent of a gated residential community. Thornton Park Central, on the other hand, is a cornerstone of one of Orlando's most active neighborhoods.

 

While I'm not a fan of Tribridge's architecture (which could still change), check out what cities like Portland and San Francisco are building in terms of housing styles. You'll see it's similar to what's going on in downtown Orlando.

[jrs2]

Very interesting how it will interplay with Southern Bank & BOA and the businesses across the street, and the proximity to the gym, The Vue, and Skyhouse...

 

It's light years better than what's there now...

[RedStar25]

Wow, some of you guys are really off base. 

Do some research, please.

Stop Whining! 

[JFW657]

But.... whining about UGLY ARCHITECTURE is what we do here!!!! 

[sunshine]

There are demands to move downtown. But this is Orlando...

 

Plenty of lands not name CBD for them to put their low rise. ie creative village...

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-americans-are-fleeing-the-suburbs-155653589.html

[jliv]

It's funny, but this morning I was pondering how food supply chains have directed where humans settle over the eons.  I firmly believe one of the biggest contributors to sprawl in the US has been the modern supermarket, with their enormous footprints requiring people to drive to them for even the bare essentials.  The big chains here in Europe (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Carrefour, Monoprix, Rewe, El Corte Ingles, etc.) have adapted for urban environments with "express" formats that carry those essentials, like smaller selections of fresh meat, dairy, produce, drinks, and promotional items, in environments where their customer base arrives on foot.  They're usually a little bigger than a convenience store, and you won't find any shopping carts; they only provide hand baskets (some with wheels and extendable handles) to shrink the aisle size requirements.  Everything leaves the store in bags to be carried home.  Unfortunately, there's been little innovation by the big US supermarket chains to scale their operations for urban dwellers.  Usually, the inner cities are given a "metro" concept, which is really just a compressed supermarket still requiring parking and large aisles for shopping carts.  They're fine for providing a wide selection of items, but their customers may only want some fresh produce to make a salad, maybe a glass of Pinot Noir, and some milk for tomorrow's breakfast.  Then, I read this in the OBJ today:

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/05/sources-publix-quietly-working-on-smaller.html

 

If anything can catalyze urban development and ignite the street, it's a small grocery store.  It would be great if Publix chose Uptown/North Orange to experiment with this format!

 

BTW Trader Joe's does not fall into this category; their formats are too large for inner-city neighborhoods, and are notorious for their parking requirements.

Edited May 8, 2014 by jliv

[sunshine]

Whole food is testing smaller urban store as well. But nothing wrong with a regular size store with shopping cart if they r build like the publix we have here in downtown.

[truebluecfl]

It's funny, but this morning I was pondering how food supply chains have directed where humans settle over the eons.  I firmly believe one of the biggest contributors to sprawl in the US has been the modern supermarket, with their enormous footprints requiring people to drive to them for even the bare essentials.  The big chains here in Europe (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Carrefour, Monoprix, Rewe, El Corte Ingles, etc.) have adapted for urban environments with "express" formats that carry those essentials, like smaller selections of fresh meat, dairy, produce, drinks, and promotional items, in environments where their customer base arrives on foot.  They're usually a little bigger than a convenience store, and you won't find any shopping carts; they only provide hand baskets (some with wheels and extendable handles) to shrink the aisle size requirements.  Everything leaves the store in bags to be carried home.  Unfortunately, there's been little innovation by the big US supermarket chains to scale their operations for urban dwellers.  Usually, the inner cities are given a "metro" concept, which is really just a compressed supermarket still requiring parking and large aisles for shopping carts.  They're fine for providing a wide selection of items, but their customers may only want some fresh produce to make a salad, maybe a glass of Pinot Noir, and some milk for tomorrow's breakfast.  Then, I read this in the OBJ today:

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/05/sources-publix-quietly-working-on-smaller.html

 

If anything can catalyze urban development and ignite the street, it's a small grocery store.  It would be great if Publix chose Uptown/North Orange to experiment with this format!

 

BTW Trader Joe's does not fall into this category; their formats are too large for inner-city neighborhoods, and are notorious for their parking requirements.

 

Sound like we need more grocery stores like that downtown. I don't even remember the last time I used a shopping cart...