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9 minutes ago, popsiclebrandon said:

I applaud their efforts and Ted Haddock has the clout to raise the money in town. So long as they don’t try to level the Lubbe House, I’d be happy to get involved since our local politics have gone into a full snooze lately.

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58 minutes ago, popsiclebrandon said:

Interesting. I assume this means the entire block of property- the 7/11 building, City Centre and the Lubbe House since they are all owned by the same interest. Since that owner has exiting entitlements for development it is going to make the property very pricey. As Spenser pointed out, it is good they have some clout behind them. I wonder if the City will chip in for the purchase.

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On 10/22/2019 at 2:03 PM, popsiclebrandon said:

So the picture is clearing a little. The group is not actually trying to buy the entire block, but only the corner building at 1 N. Rosalind (the 7-11 building). A non-profit group out of San Fran placed an offer on that property. They now have a contract in place and have 18 months to raise the money and complete the deal. During that time, the local non-profit Orlando Land Trust needs to raise $3.5M to step into the San Fran groups place (they are "holding" the contract) and our local group would become the owners and transfer it to the City.

The big twist however, the developer (Bortz) still owns the City Centre building and the Lubbe House. Of course his entitlements to development were contingent on the entire block so his development plan is no longer valid. Bortz says otherwise, but that seems to be posturing. 

I assume there is nothing to prevent Bortz from taking new, down-sized plans to the city and still demo his property, but it would be under a different scenario than the deal was in 2015. 

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Group seeks to halt planned downtown Orlando tower project

Orlando Land Trust Inc. wants to raise $3.5 million to buy a 0.12-acre property 1 N. Rosalind by March 2021 and convert it into a green space. Orlando-area residents affiliated with the group include philanthropist Ted Haddock, city of Orlando Real Estate Division Manager Laurie Botts and former Orlando mayors Glenda Hood and Bill Frederick. If successful, the land would be donated to the city of Orlando. A 7-Eleven Inc. sits on the property. That effort could put the brakes on developer Marc Bortz's 28-story City Centre, a controversial project proposed in 2015 at Rosalind and Central. Bortz told Orlando Business Journal he isn't concerned about the land trust's fundraising. The developer — through entity City Centre Properties LLC — also owns two adjacent properties but has failed to buy 1 N. Rosalind, which is seen as critical for his development.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2019/10/24/group-seeks-3-5m-to-buy-downtown-land-to-halt.html?

 

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I knew Ted Haddock was in this and had heard Glenda was. 

But Mayor Bill being on board practically moves us to Game Over (the riffraff at the 7-Eleven would drive Mayor Bill crazy, he’s always wanted a nice and tidy downtown).

Since Buddy is a protege of Mayor Bill and would be loathe to cross him, even better. Look for this to follow a similar trajectory to how Highwoods backed away from the Eola Five. Score one for the Home Team!

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I’m also really glad to see Mayor Glenda involved in a high-profile project again.

Her party stepped away from her for her light rail apostasy and Buddy also seemed to pretend she didn’t exist.

It’s time to follow tradition and name something for her - perhaps Briercliff Dr. or Wadeview Park or something in Baldwin Park.

I know she’s reticent about it but so was Mayor Bill and he was finally convinced to allow Turkey Lake Park to be renamed in his honor.

Glenda’s efforts on behalf of light rail, Baldwin Park and support of our neighborhoods were huge, even if they weren’t all as successful as we had wished. It’s good to have her back in the fold.

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3 minutes ago, popsiclebrandon said:

Perhaps unpopular opinion but I would rather the building proposed go there than some grass.

I’d love the building elsewhere downtown, although by the time it’s value engineered we probably won’t recognize it.

Eola Park, meanwhile, is already on its way to being overloved. It’s much too small as the centerpiece park of a downtown that keeps adding new residents almost daily, imho. Eventually, it should go from Summerlin to Rosalind and Robinson to Central with as much open space as we can muster, saving only the historic buildings.

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3 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

I’d love the building elsewhere downtown, although by the time it’s value engineered we probably won’t recognize it.

Eola Park, meanwhile, is already on its way to being overloved. It’s much too small as the centerpiece park of a downtown that keeps adding new residents almost daily, imho. Eventually, it should go from Summerlin to Rosalind and Robinson to Central with as much open space as we can muster, saving only the historic buildings.

I think we both agree that Eola should be abandoned for park expansion and it would require zero demolition beyond the road. That would be a much bigger and better addition.

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1 minute ago, popsiclebrandon said:

I think we both agree that Eola should be abandoned for park expansion and it would require zero demolition beyond the road. That would be a much bigger and better addition.

park expansion so the homeless can abuse it like they already do now? If you develop a building and put retail and such, you remove such problems. More park only equals more homeless. I don't know why anyone would want an empty lot there. Downtown can't even control the homeless that currently squat on the property. 

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6 minutes ago, Jvest55 said:

park expansion so the homeless can abuse it like they already do now? If you develop a building and put retail and such, you remove such problems. More park only equals more homeless. I don't know why anyone would want an empty lot there. Downtown can't even control the homeless that currently squat on the property. 

This is an extremely cynical post at best. I really don't think they are looking up park size when deciding to locate themselves in an area. Abandoning a poorly kept up road for more green space while converting a bad corner into a nice building feels like a net positive to me in all ways but I'm open to discussion on that.

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May I suggest Clermont so you don’t have to deal with “those people”? I’ve lived downtown most years since 1983 and across the street from the park since 2003 (in fact, my neighbors and I try to assist those on our side of the park whenever we can with bedding, clothing and toiletries).

I rarely encounter problems but it’s mostly how you approach folks. Those few who have mental health challenges, we call the Ambassadors or assist them to a shelter.

 

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Can I again point out that the Land Trust is only trying to buy 0.12 acres. This is ONLY the building that houses the 7-11, barber shop and locksmith. They do not have a proposal in place to buy the larger segment of land that includes City Centre and the Lubbe House nor does it impact the Rosalind Home. It does not appear the plat actually connects to Eola park. So it seems it would be an outlier green spot of about 1/10th acre at the corner of Rosalind and Central. 

There has to be more to it than this and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. As of now, Bortz does not seem to be inclined to back down and I don't see anyway the City could prevent him from developing within allowed code.

This is gonna be a pie fight...

Edited by AmIReal
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20 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

Can I again point out that the Land Trust is only trying to buy 0.12 acres. This in ONLY the building that houses the 7-11, barber shop and locksmith. They do not have a proposal in place to buy the larger segment of land that includes City Centre and the Lubbe House nor does it impact the Rosalind Home. It does not appear the plat actually connects to Eola park. So it seems it would be an outlier green spot of about 1/10th acre at the corner of Rosalind and Central. 

There has to be more to it than this and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. As of now, Bortz does not seem to be inclined to back down and I don't see anyway the City could prevent him from developing within allowed code.

This is gonna be a pie fight...

It seems pretty clear he doesn't have the money to do this project or he would have by now.

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5 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

May I suggest Clermont so you don’t have to deal with “those people”? I’ve lived downtown most years since 1983 and across the street from the park since 2003 (in fact, my neighbors and I try to assist those on our side of the park whenever we can with bedding, clothing and toiletries).

I rarely encounter problems but it’s mostly how you approach folks. Those few who have mental health challenges, we call the Ambassadors or assist them to a shelter.

 

You're likely the reason homeless congregate to the lake! I've even seen some random cars pull up besides the lake and hand a homeless guy a huge bag of food. LMAO. You know, I pay almost a $2,000 tax for downtown improvement. People wonder why homeless never leave, it's because why would they.

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12 hours ago, smonteserin said:

While we probably will not see eye to eye, hear out a different opinion.  One, of many many reasons the houseless don't leave the area, is because the resources needed to survive are in this area: food by handout or cash donation, (temporary and inconsistent) shelter where they cannot remain during the day, a public restroom for basic hygiene needs, a public area where they are not hassled to keep moving and can rest for a moment, (some) kind people who help alleviate the difficulty of being outcast by offering .  If you have solutions to address the dramatic rise in the houseless population, in our downtown and throughout the country, I encourage you to become civically involved. I'm certain that  blameshifting and denigrating does not thoughtfully solve any of our shared human issues.  

Yes, the solution is don't hand out goods  to homeless on the steps of Lake Eola, period. The solution to getting the bums off the sidwalk in front of empty stores is getting real businesses in downtown that won't put up for this nonsense. That's what shelters and organizations are for and I am happy to support those. As far as rewarding the homeless for laying out in the grass all day, by giving them food or money, no thanks! The only people I see giving out food to the homeless don't live here. 

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18 hours ago, Jvest55 said:

You're likely the reason homeless congregate to the lake! I've even seen some random cars pull up besides the lake and hand a homeless guy a huge bag of food. LMAO. You know, I pay almost a $2,000 tax for downtown improvement. People wonder why homeless never leave, it's because why would they.

 

18 hours ago, smonteserin said:

While we probably will not see eye to eye, hear out a different opinion.  One, of many many reasons the houseless don't leave the area, is because the resources needed to survive are in this area: food by handout or cash donation, (temporary and inconsistent) shelter where they cannot remain during the day, a public restroom for basic hygiene needs, a public area where they are not hassled to keep moving and can rest for a moment, (some) kind people who help alleviate the difficulty of being outcast by offering .  If you have solutions to address the dramatic rise in the houseless population, in our downtown and throughout the country, I encourage you to become civically involved. I'm certain that  blameshifting and denigrating does not thoughtfully solve any of our shared human issues.  

 

5 hours ago, Jvest55 said:

Yes, the solution is don't hand out goods  to homeless on the steps of Lake Eola, period. The solution to getting the bums off the sidwalk in front of empty stores is getting real businesses in downtown that won't put up for this nonsense. That's what shelters and organizations are for and I am happy to support those. As far as rewarding the homeless for laying out in the grass all day, by giving them food or money, no thanks! The only people I see giving out food to the homeless don't live here. 

There is some truth in both of your comments. Homeless people need help, but not every kind of help is the best for everyone.

I've often asked myself what I would do if I found myself in that situation. Based on how I've spent my life and handled my affairs, I figure I would stay in a shelter at night and find some temporary/day labor work from which I could generate income. I'd open up a bank account and put as much of it every week as I could until I had enough saved up to buy an older used car.  I'd continue saving more, then try to move out of the shelter by possibly renting a room from somebody on a weekly or monthly basis. I'd then begin trying to find a regular, permanent job, after which I'd continue building up my savings until I could either find my own small apartment or get into a roommate situation with someone. 

But always, I would stay away from drugs and alcohol, and save as much as possible.

To my way of thinking, that is a doable path to getting out of homelessness.

It wouldn't happen overnight, but usually neither did becoming homeless.

 

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28 minutes ago, gibby said:

If you were destitute and living on the streets, your first priority would be saving up enough money to buy a car?

No, my first priority would be to get off the street at night so I could get a good night's sleep in order to get up and go do day labor in the daytime and start making money so I could get eventually out of there.

In order to get a real job, I'd need a car because, how else is one going to find decent work and a decent place to live without a car?

Sure, it might be possible to get a  decent job while relying on Lynx, but it would severely limit one's prospects and probably make the search a lot longer and more difficult.

At any rate, I'd prefer to have the increased freedom and prospects associated with owning a car.

Of course, maybe it would work out that I'd find a job and a weekly/monthly room rental before getting a car, but getting a car would still be very high on the list of priorities.

My point was that I'd set incremental goals and priorities rather than hang around Lake Eola everyday, then drugging and drinking every night while feeling sorry for myself and asking for handouts.

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21 hours ago, smonteserin said:

While we probably will not see eye to eye, hear out a different opinion.  One, of many many reasons the houseless don't leave the area, is because the resources needed to survive are in this area: food by handout or cash donation, (temporary and inconsistent) shelter where they cannot remain during the day, a public restroom for basic hygiene needs, a public area where they are not hassled to keep moving and can rest for a moment, (some) kind people who help alleviate the difficulty of being outcast by offering .  If you have solutions to address the dramatic rise in the houseless population, in our downtown and throughout the country, I encourage you to become civically involved. I'm certain that  blameshifting and denigrating does not thoughtfully solve any of our shared human issues.  

Most municipalities do discourage publicly feeding, giving money, and supplies to the homeless who are in public. including Orlando. Plenty of YouTube videos of police harassing people for violating  ordinance giving food to the homeless.

I'll also say that in college, I knew numerous people who pretended to be homeless as a job, because they said it paid better then real jobs they could typically get as a college kid... working at subway or some other fast food restaurant. And I mean a lot of people. If people didn't give money to the homeless, a lot less people would be homeless, because a good number are faking.

 

I've also seen a good number of homeless people get picked up in cars when they finish their "workday". Some people put on real good acts.

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