Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[prahaboheme]

Alright guys, who is going to get us out-of-towners a much needed photo update of the construction around downtown?  It has been a while, and we have some progress going down!

 

1)  Dr Phillips Center

2) Steel House Apartments

3) NORA

4) SkyHouse

5) Lymmo Expansion progress

6) SunRail Station stops at Church Street and Lynx Central Station

7) Aloft?

[Captain.Metro]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but does anyone know what the status of the Monarch Tower and Montage projects is? The Monarch "sales office" always seems to be kept manicured, as if waiting to open. The Montage sign has been sitting on the corner of that lot for years and it seems the time is right for building an apartment tower in the area.

[alex]

Alright guys, who is going to get us out-of-towners a much needed photo update of the construction around downtown?  It has been a while, and we have some progress going down!

 

1)  Dr Phillips Center

2) Steel House Apartments

3) NORA

4) SkyHouse

5) Lymmo Expansion progress

6) SunRail Station stops at Church Street and Lynx Central Station

7) Aloft?

 

I took a few pics of Church Street station for a recent blog post.  I'll be Downtown again this weekend to take some more pictures of the apartment buildings.

 

In the last picture, does the platform look too far from the tracks?  Edit: I guess it's just a walkway to the actual platform...

Edited January 17, 2013 by alex

[smileguy]

Alright guys, who is going to get us out-of-towners a much needed photo update of the construction around downtown?  It has been a while, and we have some progress going down!

 

1)  Dr Phillips Center

2) Steel House Apartments

3) NORA

4) SkyHouse

5) Lymmo Expansion progress

6) SunRail Station stops at Church Street and Lynx Central Station

7) Aloft?

 

I posted photos of Dr. Phillips and SkyHouse in their theads - here's Aloft.  It doesn't look like a lot has happened from the outside, but there are windows in (if I remember correctly, windows were out last time I looked.)

 

[truebluecfl]

Yeah, thats just the walkway to the actual platform. I also saw workers with extra pieces of new track on the south side of South street checking how they are going to widen the tracks. I guess the sun rail cars have a wider track base or something.

[FLheat]

I posted photos of Dr. Phillips and SkyHouse in their theads - here's Aloft.  It doesn't look like a lot has happened from the outside, but there are windows in (if I remember correctly, windows were out last time I looked.)

 

On New Year's Day they demo'd the concrete steps and planters around the front and back of the building.  That was the only activity I saw on the building in months.

[smileguy]

Speaking of the great 7-11pocalypse of downtown. I was recently told that another 7-11 will be going in at the corner of Fern Creek Ave. and Colonial where the old gas station that was converted into a lawnmower and scooter repair shop with the tiny convenient store was.

 

NTDWO - Nothing to do with Orlando (or everything) but activists in the East Village are protesting what they're calling a "Metastization" of 7-11.  According to the article, the chain wants to open 100 locations across Manhattan by 2017 

http://gothamist.com/2013/01/17/east_village_activists_mobilize_to.php

[JFW657]

I posted photos of Dr. Phillips and SkyHouse in their theads - here's Aloft.  It doesn't look like a lot has happened from the outside, but there are windows in (if I remember correctly, windows were out last time I looked.)

 

 

I like that building & I'm glad it's gonna stay there, etc., but I cannot wrap my mind around it being a hotel.

 

It just looks like an office building in my mind.

 

I'd like to have seen them add some kind of exterior features, like maybe reflective glass panels running vertically up the middle of the side facing Orange Ave. above the entrance to sort of visually divide it into two halves. Maybe do something to the corners.

[XpressEnterprise]

New Website: I-4 Ultimate Project

 

FDOT releases new website for I-4 project. 

[gibby]

Very awesome.  Thanks for that.

[popsiclebrandon]

I'm looking forward to the grand opening. At first I was a little skeptical about a popsicle shop especially since "gourmet" seems to be a term thrown around pretty loosely these days (e.g. Jimmy John's). But after reading the reviews and visiting their FB page, I suddenly had a popsicle craving. Their website (http://thehyppo.com/kitchen.html) could use some work, but I love the fact that they try to source fresh and local ingredients. Will they offer a different menu for the winter? And I'm a little surprised (but thankful) that Dr Phillips wasn't the default location of choice.

Had a neighbor let me know about this discussion and thought I would poke my head in if you don't mind. We got our building permit approved today so we are just a few weeks from opening (finally!).

 

First I agree the website is bad but that is something that should be fixed shortly and it will look much better.

 

I'm glad you looked up our reviews to see we don't take our pop making lightly. There is real science to what we do and we take pride in our ability to flash freeze every flavor at the perfect temperature to avoid any iciness like you will find in pops sold elsewhere that are made in regular freezers. Think 15 minutes for a hard freeze compared to 6-8 hours in a regular freezer so the ice crystals line up and allow for a smooth flavor.

 

Almost all of our herbs and vegetables are grown in our own garden at our production facility and we source a large amount of our fruits from local farms. We could easily produce our pops with cheaper ingredients but the taste we strive for would not be possible.

 

In terms of menu it is constantly rotating based on seasonal availability. We did more creamy flavors like Elvis (PB, Honey, Banana (Also added a version of this with bacon in it that is mind blowing if I may brag a bit)) and Mexican Hot Chocolate compared to summer being a more fruit focused product so we make a few strawberry variations (plain, spicy, basil) and a lot with pineapple and other fruits. We do some like coconut throughout the year but the menu will update daily and feature 10-15 flavors in limited quantities.

 

As a UCF alum myself who lives in the Winter Park area we didn't give much thought to starting on that side of town. We have some plans for additional spots throughout the region but we feel pops are great walkable food and being near Lake Eola seemed like the perfect first spot for us.

 

Hope you all don't mind me rambling on here. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them and hope to have you all stop by once we get open.

[orlandoguy]

As someone who has enjoyed many a Hyppo pop in St. Augustine, welcome to Thornton Park!!!

[John Hargrove]

The better resolution on the renderings is certainly nice to look at:

 

[prahaboheme]

What a clusterf*%$.

[spenser1058]

What a clusterf*%$.

 

And to think I4 was not supposed to go through downtown at all - what a fascinating counterfactual to ponder over...

[Abent1988]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-magic-entertainment-complex-20130123,0,4081380.story

[mrh3]

Too bad that they can't bury it... Orlando's BIG DIG.

[spenser1058]

Too bad that they can't bury it... Orlando's BIG DIG.

 

Sadly, we don't have elected leaders in town with the clout of Tip O'Neill and Ted Kennedy to pull that one off. Oh, if only...

 

Of course, one has to be careful what one wishes for. It was Martin Andersen (the godfather of most of Orlando's growth after WWII) whose clout led to I4 running through downtown in the first place. 

[prahaboheme]

^What were the other options?

[spenser1058]

^What were the other options?

 

Of course, the exact route moved several times before it was finally constructed (most famously because of ever-contentious WP managing to hold off a route much closer to Denning Drive because it would take out what was then an almost-new state office building; the law they got passed moving the road west was later used by Edgewood to derail OOCEA's Central Connector that would have provided a direct link between downtown  and OIA, but I digress.)

 

I am not sure of the exact route as originally proposed but it would have been several miles west, not unlike the way I4 currently skirts Lakeland and Winter Haven.

 

An interesting side note which I think was noted in Rick Foglesong's "Married To the Mouse:" the Florida Turnpike did not have an I4 exit and it was a last minute addition after WDW was announced (which also explains the pitifully inadequate interchange there.)

[gibby]

It's too bad they won't bridge it between Washington and Livingston like it is between Church and Washington.

[bulldogger]

Most of the traffic jams on I-4 in downtown would be alleviated on day 1 of eastbound I-4 to eastbound 408 opening and it appears to be the easiest portion to build.  

Edited January 24, 2013 by bulldogger

[alex]

Random: I was looking at Genesis Studios's facebook page and came across this rendering with this title:

 

"One from our own backyard. This one is a watercolor of Downtown Orlando for Baker Barrios Architects."

 

 

Is this from a past project?

[Jernigan]

Based on the angle of Bank of America - that would be the World Trade Center site, I think.   I don't know what the bulding in the back would be though. 

[XpressEnterprise]

Magic Asks for Extension on Planned Entertainment Complex