Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[prahaboheme]

Are those Copley Place condos 100% occupied? They are a bit awkward looking, but I like the intent. We need this type of infill to add character to our streets.

[JFW657]

It's hard to tell because the parking is in the back, but it looks like all the real estate signs are down.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

I'd rather see a SoDo look. That copely look is rather unfitting.

[klstorey]

Picture This: New Mad Cow Theatre Tour

Just posted 56 pictures and two videos from my tour of Mad Cow's new Church Street Marketplace location. Lot's of great stuff happening with the new location. I tried to take pictures of each detail and made a video of what walking from the lobby into the Harriett Theatre will be like. Check it out and let me know what you think. After seeing all of what's going on there I'm even more excited about Mad Cow's move.

Here are all the locations I took photos from, many include multiple photos and angles. The walk along the second floor from the elevator to the front doors is amazing, looking out over the plaza and into the lobby windows really gives a suspense to the experience. Also standing in the 'wine room' area (7) and looking west over Church Street Station and at the Amway Center is a one of a kind view that will make this lobby one of the my new favorite spots in town.

[prahaboheme]

KLStorey -- enjoying your blog! Keep it up.

[klstorey]

KLStorey -- enjoying your blog! Keep it up.

Thank you! I love this city and hope that we get to see a lot more amazing things coming out of it. We are truly making history here, unlike most cities our size we get to be apart of helping this great city define who it is. The story of this city has yet to be written and we are the authors of that story everyday.

My friends are enjoying the blog too as now I don't annoy them with constantly talking about all this Orlando stuff, that is the main reason I started the blog, everyone told me I was talking about interesting stuff but maybe I should do it in a more structured way and not bring it up in the middle of watching TV or driving down the road. :-)

[nite owℓ]

Yes, the building has been knocked down and all the debris has been removed from the site and the ground is leveled. They did not remove the trees and bushes around the perimeter of the lot; however. When they knocked down the building two weeks ago, a swarm of rats exited and have been running around Lake Eola and the downtown area.

That was just the tip of the iceberg. Rats are downtown Orlando's best kept secret.

[alex]

That was just the tip of the iceberg. Rats are downtown Orlando's best kept secret.

Looks like our city's growing up! Bad jokes aside, you'd think they'd fumigate before tearing down an older building...

[Martinman]

Ugly building but I love vertical development. Also I don't think the location of skyhouse is 1.5 miles away from LCS/SunRail Central Station.

Its certainly nothing special but heres a realistic rendering (as opposed to a drawing) of Skyhouse. This is the one in Atlanta but as I said before, they will all be essentially the same building.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/533075_248384305274940_39734898_n.jpg

[prahaboheme]

Not a bad looking tower -- I can live with it.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Its certainly nothing special but heres a realistic rendering (as opposed to a drawing) of Skyhouse. This is the one in Atlanta but as I said before, they will all be essentially the same building.

https://fbcdn-sphoto..._39734898_n.jpg

That rendering is actually nice.

[FLheat]

World Trade Center Orlando returns - New Location Orange & Robinson

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/print-edition/2012/06/15/world-trade-center-orlando-returns.html

[prahaboheme]

Wow this is entirely unexpected, and welcome news. I'm very excited to see their proposal.

This is such a great location for infill. That parking lot has been an eyesore for decades.

Edited June 15, 2012 by prahaboheme

[nite owℓ]

World Trade Center Orlando returns - New Location Orange & Robinson

http://www.bizjourna...do-returns.html

I like the new location b/c it's closer to the CBD. It was previously planned as "twin towers" so it will be interesting to see the change to a single tower. Maybe it will be taller? Just for comparison, here's the old MPB & renderings:

MPL2007-00036

[Jernigan]

Definitely more appropriate in our Financial district than in our "Health Village" area. Not that connectivity between both won't be a breeze in by the time this is built anyway

We are living in exciting times.

[XpressEnterprise]

World Trade Center Orlando

I know FLHeat beat me to it, but this is some exciting news for Orlando.

[Pete C]

Wow, fantastic news!

[prahaboheme]

So a 450,000 sq ft single tower at that location would have to include some considerable height. Are we discussing a new tallest here?

[XpressEnterprise]

Well Orlando Business Journal did mention that it is about 30 stories tall.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Doubt it happens.

[klstorey]

I like the new location b/c it's closer to the CBD. It was previously planned as "twin towers" so it will be interesting to see the change to a single tower. Maybe it will be taller? Just for comparison, here's the old MPB & renderings:

MPL2007-00036

This is good news as it means that the historic WDBO building still has time to be saved. If you haven't joined the Facebook group to help save this building make sure to do so and keep contacting the city to save this building.

As far as the new World Trade Center site, I love the site and the proposal for a 30 story building. I'm just going to keep my excitement a bit reserved until we know for certain that the project will actually happen. It's good news that the Diocese is selling that property, it is one of the final pieces along Orange Ave for in-fill.

Now with WTC, Skyhouse and Central Station maybe this will make +1 wake up and get in on the action or the One East Robinson building directly across from WTC to be revived.

[XpressEnterprise]

Here is a rendering I did of the Skyhouse, World Trade Center Orlando, Rida Development (Grand Central) and the Dr Phillips Performance Arts Center. I am updating it, please let me know what I missed. I cannot fit the Colonial area on the map.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/gallery/image/3021-rendering/

Edited June 15, 2012 by XpressEnterprise

[Ocityst]

Very cool news. Can't wait until we see some renderings. A modern glass tower sans balconies will be a nice addition to the I-4 skyline.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Ocityst

[IAmFloridaBorn]

So looking at the height of other buildings and what not, I've come to the conclusion this building will (Depending on the exact scale( be a 400 ft. er. Thats great. Won't be a new tallest Unless it's super skinny or slim but thats a pretty wide lot to build on in the sense the same or a tad bit smaller than the Bank of America Center. Which if you take the staircase look away from Bank of America Center, and put everything into a skinny form, the building would be much taller. So We shall see. Either way from my calculations nothing less than 375 ft. Thats great news for this area.

It sucks cause you won't be able to see Sky House that much from I-4.

[prahaboheme]

To me, the Orange/Robinson parking lot has always been one of the most irritating corners in downtown. It's such a gaping hole in Orange Ave's streetscape. I feel like it represents the no man's land between the vibrant downtown district and the emerging Uptown district. If this project manages to give us some height, and some retail along Orange/Robinson, it'll be a success. More importantly, it'll represent a true emergence of investment along the corridor which has not seen significant development since the BoA tower (I hesitate to consider the Courthouse, as it is public development despite there being some positive revenue return for local businesses).

I also think this development will be psychologically important to pedestrians, especially those who choose SunRail as a transportation alternative and will presumably walk to the CBD. There needs to be a continuous, unbroken street wall from Anderson to Colonial. The elimination of parking lots is key.