Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[jnorlando]

So with retail being Rosalind, does that mean there will be street parking? Also, does this mean residents will park in that garage, elevator down, walk across to the building, and elevator up?

One of the sketches shows a ped. bridge to the main building.

[Jernigan]

I'm not so negative about Rosalind's potential, and I usually am when a stroad (street/road hybrid) is involved.

- Cambria Suites is replacing an old office building...this should help the retail at the MET.

- The northern LYMMO expansion will go up Rosalind (well, Magnolia) at Livingston and points north

For such a bad road downtown, you actually have a good amount of people crossing the street at any given time, on foot. I think the only thing lacking is destinations and don't know if the failure of a few places that were themselves isolated and probably depending on traffic from Lake Eola Park versus pedestrian traffic on the street itself, means that it can't work in the future if the population is increased, which it will be through the apartments and hotel.

The area retail could also thrive if it lures in business from the Landmark Centers and 5/3 bank building.

I live in Lake Eola Heights now and while it would make sense to take Livingston down to the LYMMO station and either catch it or just keep walking to Orange to get into the entertainment area, I always cut through the park. It feels much safer and is much more interesting. I'd imagine that once Skyhouse is there, my route would change to Rosalind. Even with underperforming retail, just the number of people going in and out would make for better people watching than the park after dark.

It will help if blighty businesses like the drive through dry cleaner and Travel Lodge were replaced!!

[prahaboheme]

I've always been surprising that Rosalind - at least from Anderson to Robinson - has not been made pedestrian friendly. This must involve FDOT? Ideally, this would be a narrowed, two-way street. Instead of simply a pass-thru from one end of downtown to the other, it would be a slow moving destination with restaurant/retail on the Western edge overlooking Lake Eola. This cooridor is just screaming for some attention.

Edited July 5, 2012 by prahaboheme

[spenser1058]

I've always been surprising that Rosalind - at least from Anderson to Robinson - has not been made pedestrian friendly. This must involve FDOT? Ideally, this would be a narrowed, two-way street. Instead of simply a pass-thru from one end of downtown to the other, it would be a slow moving destination with restaurant/retail on the Western edge overlooking Lake Eola. This cooridor is just screaming for some attention.

Rosalind is the northbound component of a one-way pair (the southbound is Orange Ave). Together, they make up FL 527. As a result, the city will have to get approval from FDOT for changes. Although not impossible (they did it on Edgewater Drive), 527 is more of a major arterial carrying a lot more traffic.

Magnolia was the NB route of the pair until the Southern Gateway was completed and Lymmo was added. Magnolia was a narrower route and calmed traffic by default. While Mayor Bill did a lot of great things for downtown, he was not a proponent of getting people out of their cars.

Edited July 7, 2012 by spenser1058

[nite owℓ]

I've always been surprising that Rosalind - at least from Anderson to Robinson - has not been made pedestrian friendly. This must involve FDOT? Ideally, this would be a narrowed, two-way street. Instead of simply a pass-thru from one end of downtown to the other, it would be a slow moving destination with restaurant/retail on the Western edge overlooking Lake Eola. This cooridor is just screaming for some attention.

An estimated 17,829 vehicles use that stretch of Rosalind on a daily basis. If reconfigured where would the traffic get routed to? The section you mentioned fronting Rosalind is either a church, city owned, or condo/apts - doesn't seem like much space left for restaurants/retail. There were plans to build a mixed use building on the corner of the 200 E Robinson lot but it was embroiled in a lawsuit with the Vue since it would essentially block their view of Lake Eola & add traffic to Rosalind. Haven't heard anything since the market crashed though...

This.

I love Indian food. I miss it.

Me too. It's just so odd that we seem to have almost every other cuisine within the Uptown, CBD, Parramore & SODO districts except for Indian. Gateway to India in Longwood is now my favorite since Udipi closed down.

[prahaboheme]

LDG, isn't that the point though, that the current configuration is a huge wasted opportunity? With the amount of traffic, this could be a thriving district. Sure, what is currently there isn't terribly exciting but a few alterations could pave the way to a better cityscape.

Downtown should not simply be a pass through.

[FLClarkKent]

Ground breaking today for Aloft Hotel (in the old OUC building). Awesome infill project. Banner on the construction fence said a 2013 opening date.

Aloft hotel broke ground today in the former OUC building. $20 million investment with 118 rooms and 40 full-time jobs. pic.twitter.com/K2sv94H9

— Sara K. Clarke (@SKClarke)

July 10, 2012

[FLheat]

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.

Well I don't like the looks of things. The building was torn down over a month ago and they have installed chain link fence around the site, planted grass and now have planted a few bushes where they tore down the old building. It looks like things are at a standstill for the start of the Cambria Suites.

[JFW657]

Remember, this is Orlando.

Should come as no surprise.

[tennis32801]

Noticed driving today passed the intersection of Colonial and Magnolia that they were changing (or adding) MLK Blvd to Colonial? I can see them doing that near Pine Hills, but not too sure about at this intersection.

[Jernigan]

Noticed driving today passed the intersection of Colonial and Magnolia that they were changing (or adding) MLK Blvd to Colonial? I can see them doing that near Pine Hills, but not too sure about at this intersection.

I might be reading that wrong...

[uncreativeusername]

Noticed driving today passed the intersection of Colonial and Magnolia that they were changing (or adding) MLK Blvd to Colonial? I can see them doing that near Pine Hills, but not too sure about at this intersection.

yikes. are only poor black people allowed to have streets in their neighborhoods named after the perhaps most significant civil rights figure in our country's history?

[FLheat]

Noticed driving today passed the intersection of Colonial and Magnolia that they were changing (or adding) MLK Blvd to Colonial? I can see them doing that near Pine Hills, but not too sure about at this intersection.

Several weeks ago, they added MLK to the intersection of Mills and Colonial as well.

[tennis32801]

sorry, i did not mean to offend anyone. Was just thinking that since they already renamed Colonial to MLK in Pine Hills and Ocoee area, strecthing it to downtown is kinda long distance. Economically, this intersection is attempting to thrive with new developments. Has any developments in other city's MLK designated streets (ie. Tampa) thrive?

[Jernigan]

There is a Chris Rock joke about this - that while MLK stood for noble things, any street named after him is not a place anyone would want to be.

Maybe we can buck the trend?

FWIW, it's not a rename if i remember correctly - just an honorary thing. That's why it still says Colonial and the MLK part is brown.

Anyone notice that the font on the Colonial sign at Magnolia is HUGE!?

[nite owℓ]

sorry, i did not mean to offend anyone. Was just thinking that since they already renamed Colonial to MLK in Pine Hills and Ocoee area, strecthing it to downtown is kinda long distance. Economically, this intersection is attempting to thrive with new developments. Has any developments in other city's MLK designated streets (ie. Tampa) thrive?

I think it's a misuse of good intentions, and it needs to stop because naming random roads after MLK cheapens his legacy. Not to mention confusing because Colonial Dr doesn't have any historical significance to MLK. I could understand creating a memorial, but renaming streets as an honorary symbol IMO is the equivalent of getting a tattoo of your lovers name; it's tacky. Are we now going to start naming streets Jesus Blvd in order to wash the crime away or improve traffic flow?

Instead we should be looking at reasons that caused various ares not to thrive. (i.e. What happened to the once thriving neighborhood of Parramore?) If they really wanted to make a statement, they should have thought about renaming Division St. From the stories I've heard, it was a literal street for segregation/racism era (in addition to the placement of the train tracks, I4, a landfill, homeless shelters & incompatible zoning in Parramore).

The change needs to come from a community itself - organically over time.

[Jernigan]

Not to mention confusing because Colonial Dr doesn't have any historical significance to MLK.

What could possibly be confusing about MLK Drive / Colonial Drive / 17-92 / Highway 50?

[spenser1058]

What could possibly be confusing about MLK Drive / Colonial Drive / 17-92 / Highway 50?

Don't forget, part of W. Colonial is also "W.B. "Bill" McGee Highway." That was done by the Legislature, as I'm guessing adding MLK to it is also. I have no problem with naming a road for MLK or old "Bill" for that matter (I've never been exactly clear on who he was, though.) My problem exists, as Steve notes, in multiple names for the same road, especially one as primary to the region as FL 50. It's bad enough when you have different names for the same road as they run through different jurisdictions (Orlando Ave/Mills Ave.), but this is even worse.

As I recall, part of E. Colonial was at one point the "new" Cheney Highway (you can still find parts of the "old" one over near 436 and someone decided to clean that up as well as to move to a consistent numbering scheme across Orange County (so the numbers are consistent through Orlando, OC, Ocoee and WG.) Now we're going in the wrong direction again. *Sigh*

[spenser1058]

$4.3B blitz of transit projects may mean thinking small in future

http://articles.orla...nd-bike-gas-tax

Whatever one thinks of these projects and the aftermath post-2021 or so, for the next 9 years or so the economic impact of this is going to be amazing for the region. Best of all, it's construction, the one area of our local economy that is still suffering the most.

Edited July 15, 2012 by spenser1058

[nite owℓ]

Ground breaking today for Aloft Hotel (in the old OUC building). Awesome infill project. Banner on the construction fence said a 2013 opening date.

https://twitter.com/...7373058/photo/1

They've been gutting the building for several months. It looks like the entire building has been gutted and is now ready for floor/wall coverings. Can't wait to see the final product.

Edited July 16, 2012 by LDG

[Jernigan]

I like Lynum's quote about adding lanes resulting in increased congestion. It's counter-intuitive and therefore can not be said enough by our leadership.

[nite owℓ]

Well I don't like the looks of things. The building was torn down over a month ago and they have installed chain link fence around the site, planted grass and now have planted a few bushes where they tore down the old building. It looks like things are at a standstill for the start of the Cambria Suites.

From their website:

The site has been recently cleared and fenced, in anticipations of the start of construction, pending the arrangement of financing.

[nite owℓ]

Came across this bit of info:

An investor from a 3 star restaurant met with the Metropolitan at Lake Eola about converting the Club Room back into a restaurant.

[sunshine]

Not neccesary the real thing but this is what intedned for that location...

[sunshine]

and here is the other