Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[spenser1058]

Beth Kassab had an interesting column in the Sentinel today about making Orange Avenue two lanes again:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...,3841567.column

This is of course a popular idea in urban planning circles these days. Of course, this would have to tie in with some of the work they have planned as part of the next phase of Trans4mation, and of course SunRail and the Lymmo expansion will probably impact whether this is doable. FDOT was against the idea years ago, I recall, but FDOT has been thinking outside the box a lot more lately and did allow for the narrowing of Edgewater Dr. It was also interesting to read about the various "violations" of pedestrian space going on downtown.

[prahaboheme]

This is a great idea -- throw in Rosalind while you're at it!

[gibby]

I'm curious as to what other members think about converting South Street and Anderson Street to two way traffic, or at least reducing them to two normal sized lanes instead of the super skinny three lane setup like South Street has now. I'm only talking about east of Summerlin. I think west of Summerlin would be more difficult. Also, the toll at the westbound Bumby on-ramp seems to be a bad idea. If someone wants to go downtown from that area and they want to avoid the toll, they will take South Street (that is good why?). If someone wants to go to Ocoee from that area and they want to avoid the toll, they will also take South Street and take the free westbound on-ramp near OUC. This is also the case if someone want to get on I-4 (especially northbound) from that area. Thanks.

[FLClarkKent]

Interesting idea...out of the box thinking, to say the least.

State Rep. Proposes Gondolas For Orlando

[prahaboheme]

It seems a little ridiculous at first but then upon further analysis, the cost effectiveness of this, matched with Orlando's unique and varied landscape (mainly sprawl), might make something like this actually work. Of course, this would never "fly".

[mrh3]

I don't really get the point. It seems to me that all it would do is shift more traffic to I-4.

[Migman]

Wekiva Parkway plans are slow going now

By Dan Tracy, ORLANDO SENTINEL

10:29 PM EDT, May 23, 2010

Metro Orlando's road-building agency asked Lake and Seminole counties six months ago for permission to construct a tolled highway in their jurisdictions.

The Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority is still waiting for a reply.

But that silence should not be taken as a no, Lake and Seminole officials say. In fact, they say, they likely will give the authority written consent to build the so-called Wekiva Parkway on their soil within 60 to 90 days.

"We're very supportive of the parkway," said Lake County Commissioner Linda Stewart, whose district would be bisected by the road.

Added Seminole County Chairman Bob Dallari: "We're hashing it through."

But that's not to say everyone agrees on everything.

Both Seminole and Lake officials want a seat on the policy-setting board of the authority. And Lake wants to ensure that a toll-free road will run along the parkway so that local residents will not be forced to pay, for example, to drive from Mount Dora to the Seminole Towne Center mall.

Agency officials say they cannot accommodate the request to enlarge the five-member board because it was established by the Florida Legislature, meaning a state law would have to be passed for the additions.

State Sen. Andy Gardiner, R- Orlando, has pushed for a regional authority but has not found enough support in the Legislature.

As for the toll-free road, the authority is working on plans for a local-access road, but is wrangling with Lake over who and how to pay for what could be a $90 million undertaking.

The 26-mile Wekiva Parkway would complete the beltway around greater Orlando by cutting through parts of Orange, Seminole and Lake counties. Construction on the $1.8 billion project could start as early as 2014, with completion in 2018.

Probably the biggest holdup has been acquiring the necessary state and federal approvals for the road because it would run through environmentally sensitive land, primarily the Wekiva River and surrounding wetlands. Hemmed in by housing and commercial tracts, the river starts at Wekiva Springs in Orange and mingles with more springs as it flows 14 miles between Seminole and Lake counties to the St. Johns River.

Right now, three bridges cross the river, the most prominent being State Road 46 between Mount Dora and Sanford. Wildlife often is killed attempting to cross the road, which rolls through largely rural land.

Ecologists such as Charles Lee of Audubon of Florida support the parkway because they believe a limited-access road would reduce environmental damage by preventing large-scale development that often follows new roads.

But Lee said he is worried the project is in danger because, in his estimation, the authority is moving too slowly on winning permits and getting the signatures of Lake and Seminole counties. He fears the road might get bogged down in administrative hassles and never be built.

"I'm very concerned," Lee said.

Road builders have talked about the parkway for years, but no one had enough money to build it. That changed a year ago, when the authority voted in a 25-cent toll increase, as well as a series of future inflation-adjusted rate increases.

Over time, the agency should have the cash it needs for the parkway, but that has not stopped authority director Mike Snyder from looking for a funding partner. Paying for the entire road would almost double the agency's existing debt of $2.1 billion, and $360 million worth of other projects are already in line ahead of the parkway.

Former authority Chairman Rich Crotty recently wrote a letter seeking up to $450 million from the federal government to pay for the road's planned interchange with Interstate 4. That request helped prompt the agency to undergo the rigorous federal environmental assessment of the project.

Snyder said the authority should finish the federal paperwork within weeks and could begin holding public hearings on the road's alignment by the end of the summer. That could lead to final federal approval near year's end.

"It doesn't look like it from the outside," Snyder said, "but we really have made progress."

___

orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-wekiva-lake-seminole-tolls-20100523,0,7304508.story

[cwetteland]

The 408 downtown has some of the best landscaping in the median that I've seen on any road or highway. Does anyone know when they plan to extend that to the just complete section across Lake Underhill and to the toll plaza? It looks like they're done with the construction but the median beds are just dirt and weeds.

[bic]

This thread is for the discussion of all of Downtown Orlando's new projects that don't already have their own threads. It also includes a list of all significant proposals and projects currently under construction.

Under Construction

Amway Center

New events center to replace the Amway Arena, home of the Orlando Magic. Broke ground July 25, 2008 and expected to be completed October 10, 2010.

Amway Center Parking Garage

Completion expected by October 2010.

Dr. P. Phillips Performing Arts Center (Phase I)

Groundbreaking in July 2010. 2,800-seat amplified hall and 300-seat theater expected to be completed in 2012.

GAI Building

7-stories, 105,000 sq. ft. of office space expected to be completed in the 1st quarter of 2011.

First United Methodist Church of Orlando

Orlando Regional Medical Center Building

5-stories, 150,135 sq. ft. of Class A medical office space.

Proposals

Oasis on Robinson

2-phase mixed project at the corner of E. Robinson and N. Summerlin, on the site of the Day Building, a 7-story 84,000 sq. ft. office building constructed in 1976. Phase I consists of a 63,500 sq. ft. 100-foot tall building with ground floor retail, three levels of parking, and three levels of office. Phase II requires the demolition of the existing Day Building, constructing in its place a 181,000 sq. ft. building 135-feet tall with ground floor retail, 3 levels of parking above the ground floor, six levels of office space and up to 30 residential dwelling units. Phase II also includes a pocket park to provide a buffer for the residents of the 30-units from the Phase I office building.

55 Columbia St.

6-story (100') 138,000 sq. ft. office building on Columbia St. between Lucerne Terrance and S. Orange Ave., in the neighborhood of ORMC and Winnie Palmer.

Lymmo Expansion

Expansion of the free bus service in Downtown Orlando. A 15-month long study is to begin in February 2011 to determine costs, routes, and rights-of-way issues, after which a timeline for the expansion will be determined.

Creative Village

3.6 million sq. ft. - 2,000 residential units - 2 hotels with 250 rooms - 9,000-car parking garage - urban village of art galleries, digital media and technology related companies, retailers, students, and a mix of residents on the site of the Orlando Centroplex.

[John Hargrove]

Nice! I saw UrbanPlanet announce a new Orlando moderator on twitter. You were one of the people I figured it might be. Glad to see we have some administration here again.

The next year or two will be very exciting to discuss!

Congratulations on becoming a moderator!

[bic]

Thanks castorvx! Glad to have you aboard our forum. Keep the great photo updates coming!

[prahaboheme]

A few others we can add to the master list are:

Under Construction:

Orlando Regional Medical Center Building

Link to project website

Proposals:

Creative Village (status: City and developer have applied for grant TIGER II funding):

Project Website

[DeepEyez]

I thought Magnolia Circle was NO LONGER happening.....where did you hear that it was still one of the proposals that might still happen?

[bic]

A few others we can add to the master list are:

Thanks for the links, Praha! I wanted to include those projects as well but had trouble finding the renderings for them. I just updated the list with the new info.

I thought Magnolia Circle was NO LONGER happening.....where did you hear that it was still one of the proposals that might still happen?

Personally, I honestly don't think that Magnolia Circle will come to fruition but I decided to include it in the proposals list because it has popped up again on the Municipal Planning Board's most recent agenda.

[bic]

Refresh my memory, have we seen these renderings for a proposed W Hotel at Lake Eola? I know there has been much discussion about this in the past with some different plans but these images don't look familiar to me:

[prahaboheme]

I noticed those too and that was surprising to me. The previous images were similar, but less glassy. A place the possibility of a W Hotel downtown high on the potential list considering Starwood is already familiar with the downtown Orlando market (former owners of the Westin Grand Bohemian).

[John Hargrove]

Quite a bit different from the previous design ... I'm not sure which I like better.

Here's a very detailed document on the original proposal:

http://www.cityoforlando.net/planning/cityplanning/MPB/2008%20MPB%20Agenda%20Minutes%20and%20Staff%20Reports/May/ZON2008-00003.pdf

[tc01]

I am sure this is not getting built, I would not get my hopes up if I were you.

[i_cre8]

CreativeVillageOrlando.com

[prahaboheme]

I am sure this is not getting built, I would not get my hopes up if I were you.

Care to share your knowledge on this?

[spenser1058]

Care to share your knowledge on this?

Wasn't this project tied in with Cameron Kuhn? (I seem to remember that it was and henceforth dismissed the likelihood of it taking place in light of his fall from grace; although Cameron is one of the developers I respect in town for leaving downtown in better shape than he found it, the last I heard his big project for now was wagons selling crepes). The old Masonic Lodge on the site is padlocked at the moment and the historic old house is currently being used by the Florida Tea Party for temporary offices during the 2010 election season. Maybe Jack or someone knows something, but count me as a skeptic on this one for the foreseeable future.

[DeepEyez]

It looks like Magnolia Circle will someday see the light of day.

The downtown condo project makes a comeback, lender takes title to site near courthouse, seeks OK on master plan.

Read more: Downtown condo project makes a comeback - Orlando Business Journal

[prahaboheme]

Will this project honestly see the light of day? I'd love for this to increase the skyline density around the courthouse area.

[DeepEyez]

The people behind the project seem pretty serious. The permit expired last year and they are trying to renew it, unless there's another reason to renew the permit on the property without actually building anything. I surely hope it does comes to fruition, in terms of jobs, and increasing downtown population density. I think it would also be a welcomed addition. But I don't expect downtown Orlando to go through another wave of construction until after the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and SunRail have been active for at least 2-3 years, sometime around 2016.

What I truly want to see happen is the demolition and reconstruction of the Centennial Bank building on Orange Ave. it is smack dab in the middle of the city and needs some structural updating.

[jack]

The people behind the project seem pretty serious. The permit expired last year and they are trying to renew it, unless there's another reason to renew the permit on the property without actually building anything. I surely hope it does comes to fruition, in terms of jobs, and increasing downtown population density. I think it would also be a welcomed addition. But I don't expect downtown Orlando to go through another wave of construction until after the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and SunRail have been active for at least 2-3 years, sometime around 2016.

What I truly want to see happen is the demolition and reconstruction of the Centennial Bank building on Orange Ave. it is smack dab in the middle of the city and needs some structural updating.

Entitlements create value with a minimum investment. They are positioning the property to sell it.