Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[popsiclebrandon]

OK ProjectDTO insiders - it's Monday- workshop has happened, where can I find the presentation?! It's not posted online as an attachment (strangely) for Council today.

Help us out!

Also Fox posted that the total cost to implement ProjectDTO is 445 million

Ok so had the presentation meeting this morning at 10. They handed out to the city council the condensed report at the end. The cost over the next 30 years is 450ish mill with tax revenue increases from that reported to be over a billion in additional money so it would be revenue positive. Then it had a list of the items to be done with people to do them. None of this was shown to any of us.

After the meeting I was told they would send out the link to the file with that tomorrow so think it will go up sometime after the 2 PM meeting. I'm told the full report is over 200 pages.

Edited May 4, 2015 by popsiclebrandon

[gibby]

Thanks for the update.

[Jernigan]

Plan is now online ProjectDTO.com under materials

[popsiclebrandon]

That is the same one they sent out last week. Still waiting on the official recommendation list one with costs and everything.

[cwetteland]

Will Robinson become a two lane roadway?

Danger Will Robinson!    Had to do that.

[popsiclebrandon]

The CRA plan with all the good stuff is now available.

http://projectdto.com/materials/

[Jernigan]

Wow! Thanks goodness for I4

[popsiclebrandon]

I might have missed something but appears the only big expense is the $250 mill for the performing arts center. Everything else is relatively small.

[John Hargrove]

Happy to see some more talk about the homeless situation. This seemed important:

 

 

There are 400 chronic homeless living in Downtown Orlando; 900 living within City limits;

 

I think I've harped on this quite a bit and I hate to sound like a broken record, but here I go. 

 

I've lived in 55 West for about 5 years now and my personal experiences have not been great. It's at the point where I just avoid going out after dark because of the incessant begging and often outright hostility. I've been followed home several times for turning a person down. I've been screamed at for saying, "Sorry, I do not carry cash." And I'm a big guy! I definitely think it is worse here than other buildings downtown.

 

I'm not insensitive to these issues at all -- I grew up very poor and I know what it feels like to have no financial security and to be surrounded by bad influences, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic problems -- I get it and have lived through it. I am very thankful that I always had a roof over my head, partly thanks to government assistance programs. I also know that my $5 makes Zero Point Zero difference in helping these people get back on their feet. They need roofs over their heads, substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling. They need _stability_. 

 

On a less sensitive note, I think it totally undermines any effort to plant trees and build parks. If people do not feel safe, and we're stepping over passed out homeless bodies on the streets, it is not a nice place to be. 

 

At the same time, I do not want to overstate how bad it is and make it sound like there's a dystopian nightmare outside my windows, because it is not. It could be _way_ worse. Many cities have it worse than here.

 

It looks like there is $5M targeted at permanent housing in this plan, and Dyer had aimed to create housing for 300 homeless. I hope that sees the light of day and we can start making some progress on the issue. Can anyone speak to the likelihood of parts of this plan being implemented? I am unfamiliar with the process.

[cwetteland]

SIAP .... I didn't see anything posted about this.

 

A few weeks ago I posted how confused I was with the slow progress on Ace Cafe'. Confused no more. There was a real ground breaking or "ground shaking" last Thursday.  It seems like, what has been going on 'til then was just been careful gutting and recovery of artifacts that can be reused (basic archaeology). On Thursday the lot was full classic cars and bikes, and there was a big ceremony with Dyer and all the Ace folks to kick off the real work.  I heard, someone say open in September.

Edited May 6, 2015 by cwetteland

[tm68]

Talked with someone who attended the Ace Café groundbreaking and he said there was 500 people there.  Sounds like a pretty good following already

[jrs2]

^^

Apparently there was a news report about a month ago that the City of Hollywood bussed a bunch of homeless to Orlando.  If true, that's bullsh@t; and now we have to deal with this?

[mcn11]

^^

Apparently there was a news report about a month ago that the City of Hollywood bussed a bunch of homeless to Orlando. If true, that's bullsh@t; and now we have to deal with this?

Wow. After reading this I did a quick google search. Looks like Hollywood ousted a homeless shelter that they felt was an eyesore. City Commissioners said "hallelujah" that they're no longer in an area they're trying to redevelop. They bused 110 chronically homeless to Orlando. What a crapty way to address the homeless problem. Edited May 6, 2015 by mcn11

[popsiclebrandon]

Lots of the homeless in Orlando were bussed here from other towns. With Florida Hospital coming on board I believe we'll see the permanent housing happen soon. Andre Bailey has done a great job making it a priority of the current administration and I believe he spoke to most of the DTO groups.

[Universe_Explorer]

Wow. After reading this I did a quick google search. Looks like Hollywood ousted a homeless shelter that they felt was an eyesore. City Commissioners said "hallelujah" that they're no longer in an area they're trying to redevelop. They bused 110 chronically homeless to Orlando. What a crapty way to address the homeless problem.

To clarify, this group moved into a building in Polk County, not the city of Orlando or Orange County.  The homelessness issue has been at the front of both Mayors (Dyer and Jacobs) agendas for the past half year.  The city has brought in a consulting firm that focuses on permanent supportive housing, Florida Hospital has pitched in a large donation, and the county has proposed to add millions to their (already fairly substantial) budget directed toward homelessness and affordable housing.  On this board it's easy to focus on the downtown, chronically homeless, but there are many times that number living in the woods, squatting in abandoned buildings, and living out of cars throughout the county.  The availability of booze, food, and easy marks for pan-handling (i.e. drunk folks walking out of bars) has definitely led the downtown group to  more "aggressive" tactics. The venues and new approach to downtown living has finally forced the city and the business community to begin addressing the problem (The Chamber of Commerce is compassionate all of the sudden)...Recent successes in cities like Houston and Phoenix are driving the mantra of permanent supportive housing here (a "housing first" model - put a roof over their heads and provide services without asking them to stop drinking, etc).  Only time will tell. Carefully watch as NIMBYism will make it difficult to provide the acutal inventory of housing - even if the money is there to spend.

[popsiclebrandon]

I believe the city is about to start work on the permanent housing near the Citrus Bowl. They bought the property out of foreclosure and I want to say Florida Hospital and Dr. Phillips donated to make it happen.

[sunshine]

I think the idea of making Magnolia into pedestrian street is quite interesting. I always thought the idea street for "Lincoln mall" kind of development is Church Street from Orange to OBT.

[bulldogger]

I have a general question.  Now that I-4 is under construction, I have seen yellow barriers in the water along the shoreline at Lake Ivanhoe.  I have seen these in the past and always wondered about their purpose.  What are these and why are they used?

 

Thanks in advance.

[smileguy]

I have a general question.  Now that I-4 is under construction, I have seen yellow barriers in the water along the shoreline at Lake Ivanhoe.  I have seen these in the past and always wondered about their purpose.  What are these and why are they used?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

They're Floating Debris Booms that help contain any pollution generated at the construction site that may fall in the water. Many also will have a silt curtain that hangs a foot or so below the floating boom that help keep any disturbance associated with that construction site from stirring up silt and sediment throughout the lake. 

[Jernigan]

Anyone know any updates about the University Club tower? It was mentioned in a different thread that it was still a-go (vs Citi which isn't) but I haven't seen any updates on the permitting site.

Orlando Central goes to MPB this month

[jrs2]

^^

I'm assuming the Miami developers already have financing in place, yes?

[smileguy]

It looks like Ustler's Residence Inn is booking rooms beginning in Mid-August (8/10 is the earliest day I could find available.)

[jack]

Equity maybe but you typically don't get debt until you are much further along. 

[Jernigan]

$15 parking at new Residence Inn seems low

[jrs2]

June is almost here.  What should be the next project to break ground downtown?  SO far two of the projects that I thought would be numbers 1 and 2, Citi and Magic complex, haven't broken ground yet and one might not ever.