Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[popsiclebrandon]

Crescent is going to look even more out of place if this new project goes in next door.

[alex]

At the risk of starting the high-rise/mid-rise debate again, I personally wish Orlando would build out a few neighborhoods of consistently four- to ten-story buildings like Crescent or Nora. It's done wonders for places like Dallas and even Houston, making them feel like walkable cities and promoting their streetcar lines. It just feels more urban than a single 30-story tower surrounded by dilapidated one-story buildings and parking lots, and a lot more feasible than waiting on a proposed first phase of a three-phase project.

[bqknight]

3 minutes ago, alex said:

At the risk of starting the high-rise/mid-rise debate again, I personally wish Orlando would build out a few neighborhoods of consistently four- to ten-story buildings like Crescent or Nora. It's done wonders for places like Dallas and even Houston, making them feel like walkable cities and promoting their streetcar lines. It just feels more urban than a single 30-story tower surrounded by dilapidated one-story buildings and parking lots, and a lot more feasible than waiting on a proposed first phase of a three-phase project.

If 520 ever actually got started and maybe a few more projects, South Eola would feel that way to me. I think 520 is a HUGE missing piece to that whole area. Makes me sad. 

[dcluley98]

I just saw a flat-bed semi hauling out 4 printing presses from the sentinel building. . . Hmmmmmm. . . 

[popsiclebrandon]

I believe they outsourced their printing a while ago.

[spenser1058]

2 minutes ago, popsiclebrandon said:

I believe they outsourced their printing a while ago.

IIRC, it's done in Lake County now. Which makes sense - closer to the retirees between there and The Villages that still get the dead tree version. (I'm old, but I've been subscribing online for 20 years.)

[codypet]

I go by there all the time.  They've been gutting the Sentinel for the better part of 3 weeks now.  There's a few dumpsters at all the loading areas and some of the bay's doors are boarded up.  It's not going to take much to move the newsroom into one of the nearby office buildings and level the whole block.   Right now Wawa uses most of it to store trucks.  Wood has their surveying group based out of there, but signage is still AMEC which was 2 mergers ago.

Edited April 12, 2018 by codypet

[IAmFloridaBorn]

What is replacing the newspaper place?

[spenser1058]

23 minutes ago, codypet said:

I go by there all the time.  They've been gutting the Sentinel for the better part of 3 weeks now.  There's a few dumpsters at all the loading areas and some of the bay's doors are boarded up.  It's not going to take much to move the newsroom into one of the nearby office buildings and level the whole block.   Right now Wawa uses most of it to store trucks.  Wood has their surveying group based out of there, but signage is still AMEC which was 2 mergers ago.

Originally, the newsroom was staying put. Has that changed? That has a cool, open-air 50's vibe I'd rather not lose. Plus the clock!

[dcluley98]

I know they outsourced the printing a while back, but they seem to be getting ready to do something there. That was my point. I hadn't noticed them slowly gutting the building as Cody said they were until today when I saw the presses. 

I have not heard any updates at all since probably 2016. Last I remember was a multi-phase mid-rise mixed-use development with about 400 units per phase, 4-5 stories with ground floor retail, parking garage. Phase II  was about the same but they added a hotel and some office space.  I remember it being really ugly looking massing plans with a courtyard in the middle. 

[spenser1058]

OK, I found this from last year about the plan to shut down the printing press operations. It sounds as though the papers will be printed by the News-Journal and Ledger.

Indications are the newsroom stays put, at least until somebody in Chicago changes their mind.

Scott Powers worked for the Sentinel for years, so probably has decent sources on this.

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/239624-orlando-sentinel-shutting-printing-plant

From Florida Politics

Edited April 12, 2018 by spenser1058

[smileguy]

3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Indications are the newsroom stays put, at least until somebody in Chicago changes their mind.

I understand that the entire newsroom was recently "laid off" and asked to re-apply for their positions under yet another restructure.  I wonder how long the paper will last.

[camstrang]

Updated Golden Sparrow renderings (sorry if these are a repost, I didn't see them in any threads yet). Really hope this project happens. It'd transform that part of Orange:

 

 

[spenser1058]

7 hours ago, smileguy said:

I understand that the entire newsroom was recently "laid off" and asked to re-apply for their positions under yet another restructure.  I wonder how long the paper will last.

Of course, things may have changed, but for years, the Sentinel was more profitable than the Chicago Tribune which owned it after 1976. As a result, I suspect if Tronc continues to fall apart, someone, be it GateHouse (meh) or Poynter (yay!) will take over. 

Whether a new owner would keep the downtown newsroom is another matter. (Cox, which owns WFTV, infamously abandoned downtown Atlanta for their flagship daily and moved out to the Perimeter *sigh*.)

[alex]

15 hours ago, IAmFloridaBorn said:

What is replacing the newspaper place?

There was talk of redevelopment back in 2014, including the massing model below, but the Orlando Sentinel's lease still has some renewals left. More here.

[Jernigan]

Midtown has always said they were fine sitting on their properties for a long while.  Was relieved when the empty lot next to Crescent changed hands last month

[prahaboheme]

4 hours ago, alex said:

There was talk of redevelopment back in 2014, including the massing model below, but the Orlando Sentinel's lease still has some renewals left. More here.

I'd rather the lot sit empty for a while than for something with this massing to come to such a prime location. We don't need another Crescent here.

[I am Reality]

11 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Of course, things may have changed, but for years, the Sentinel was more profitable than the Chicago Tribune which owned it after 1976. As a result, I suspect if Tronc continues to fall apart, someone, be it GateHouse (meh) or Poynter (yay!) will take over. 

Whether a new owner would keep the downtown newsroom is another matter. (Cox, which owns WFTV, infamously abandoned downtown Atlanta for their flagship daily and moved out to the Perimeter *sigh*.)

The controlling shareholder of Tronc sold all his shares to the McCormicks (the former owners for years when it was called Tribune Media) today.

[Jernigan]

Lincoln Plazas new name is “300 S Orange”

[jrs2]

9 hours ago, alex said:

There was talk of redevelopment back in 2014, including the massing model below, but the Orlando Sentinel's lease still has some renewals left. More here.

If you all recall, when The City saw this massing study, they criticized it for being too Steelhouse.  I don't think this is how that would play out...

[spenser1058]

39 minutes ago, I am Reality said:

The controlling shareholder of Tronc sold all his shares to the McCormicks (the former owners for years when it was called Tribune Media) today.

Although the politics of the McCormicks are a bit frightening, if this presages some return of family control it has to be an improvement over the mess that Tronc has been for the better part of a decade now. Thanks for posting this.

Edited April 13, 2018 by spenser1058

[prahaboheme]

11 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Although the politics of the McCormicks are a bit frightening, if this presages some return of family control it has to be an improvement over the mess that is Tronc has been for the better part of a decade now. Thanks for posting this.

Tronc really did a number to the once great LATimes. Their new owner, a local billionaire, has a personal stake in returning the newspaper to its former glory.

It was just announced today that the LATimes will vacate their DTLA home of 80 years and possibly relocate to the location of their printing press in the Arts District just south of Little Tokyo.

The historic Deco structure of the original LATimes will be preserved by its new owner,  Onni group of Vancouver, who plan to turn it into a mixed use development. Onni has gone all in on DTLA with at least 5 projects under construction or proposed.

https://urbanize.la/post/los-angeles-times-will-relocate-el-segundo

[spenser1058]

1 minute ago, prahaboheme said:

Tronc really did a number to the once great LATimes. Their new owner, a local billionaire, has a personal stake in returning the newspaper to its former glory.

It was just announced today that the LATimes will vacate their DTLA home of 80 years and possibly relocate to the location of their printing press in the Arts District just south of Little Tokyo.

The historic Deco structure of the original LATimes will be preserved by its new owner,  Onni group of Vancouver, who plan to turn it into a mixed use development. Onni has gone all in on DTLA with at least 5 projects under construction or proposed.

https://urbanize.la/post/los-angeles-times-will-relocate-el-segundo

They also ditched the Tribune Building in Chicago. a major landmark there. There was a time in the '80's when Tribune was investing in the Sentinel and it was arguably Florida's 3rd best newspaper(in a state where it was no shame to follow behind the St. Pete Times and the Miami Herald.) 

When the internet and private equity funds decimated the newspaper business, however, Tribune/Tronc took the hit more directly than many - much of it was self-inflicted.

[Don't Talk To ME]

They reportedly have a big handful of editorial lay-offs coming

[JFW657]

Looks like they will soon  be just a website.