Downtown South (Sunrail/Amtrak, SODO, Orlando Health, Lymmo, Orange/Michigan Avenues)

[sunshine]

The pavillion site is a short walk to the same 10K garage you are talking about. If they have great product, people will come if they have to walk, bike, take a cab or even hitch a ride. I am just saying, once someone start to push the boundary, it will force the transit to be developed. I know all of us here would rather see them spending the billions dollar on a new light rail than keep putting money into I-4.

 

On side note, there are a lot of empty parcels around the hospital, how does a hospital own so many prime real estate and keep building stuff?

[HankStrong]

I also love the Taco Bell, generally speaking, not just this specific one.

[AndyPok1]

The pavillion site is a short walk to the same 10K garage you are talking about. If they have great product, people will come if they have to walk, bike, take a cab or even hitch a ride. I am just saying, once someone start to push the boundary, it will force the transit to be developed. I know all of us here would rather see them spending the billions dollar on a new light rail than keep putting money into I-4.

 

The closest garage is the City Commons garage which is a half mile away.  I walk that far to the grocery store, but I live downtown and most people think I'm insane.  Expecting people to frequent a place where the closest place to park is that far away simply isn't viable.  People will do it for events, not for retail/business though.  What do you consider great product?  

 

(Also, I love the I-4 project, its horribly outdated and needs it badly.  With or without rail, the Highway System is vital to moving people around the nation.)

[Universe_Explorer]

The pavillion site is a short walk to the same 10K garage you are talking about. If they have great product, people will come if they have to walk, bike, take a cab or even hitch a ride. I am just saying, once someone start to push the boundary, it will force the transit to be developed. I know all of us here would rather see them spending the billions dollar on a new light rail than keep putting money into I-4.

 

On side note, there are a lot of empty parcels around the hospital, how does a hospital own so many prime real estate and keep building stuff?

Not all "short walks" are created equal - which is why pedestrian friendly street design is so important.  Walking from 55West to thornton park for dinner/drinks seems totally reasonable as you stroll through lively(ish) streets and around a park.  Walking from SODO a half mile in any direction seems terrible because Orange Ave essentially screems "don't walk here" (fast traffic, small sidewalks, no shade, few buildings fronting the road, etc)

[jack]

Not all "short walks" are created equal - which is why pedestrian friendly street design is so important.  Walking from 55West to thornton park for dinner/drinks seems totally reasonable as you stroll through lively(ish) streets and around a park.  Walking from SODO a half mile in any direction seems terrible because Orange Ave essentially screems "don't walk here" (fast traffic, small sidewalks, no shade, few buildings fronting the road, etc)

 

I totally agree. I walk to Sodo from my house and hate crossing orange ave. But walking from the arena to south eola would be completely acceptable. 

[Jernigan]

Jack - what intersection/block are you close to?

I don't walk to any of the retail nearby as much as I'd like and agree with the reasons.

[jack]

I take grant street or the next one down depending where I am going. Grant is not bad because of the light. Walking on Orange is a pain as well. 

[jgardnerucf]

Damn Carwash going in next to the new Wawa at Pineloch/Orange. Boring.

[Jernigan]

I had heard about that a while back - so much for Bojangles.

According to the person I heard it from, it will be a pretty nice structure that could be repurposed down the road...

On another note: Wendy's has reopened and is nicer than what we had before. Closer to the street and drivethrough is in the rear and not the side. Not very ped friendly parking lot if you were walking from the neighborhood. The right turn only on to orange should help

[Jernigan]

Looks like Noodles & Co, as a new out parcel at the Market at Southside is still in the works - should have a dumpster pad out there soon

[cwetteland]

I just looked at the updated Lucerne Promenade plans on the Dec MPB agenda.  While the tall condo is down, it has a lot of up side.  I didn't like the old plans because the entire Orange Avenue frontage was a row of 1 story office buildings, and the whole thing had a very non-pedestrian look to it.  In the new plans, the units that were stacked in the residence behind the office buildings are now brought up to the street in a five- six floor plan, giving the project much more urban appeal. Additionally there is a landscaped courtyard behind the street-fronting units that covers a below-grade parking garage.  That's cool.

[bic]

^ I just created a new thread for this project here.

[Jernigan]

PD submission for a 23-unit townhome development - "West Grant Street Townhomes"

Moderately exciting submission. This is the lot that you pull out to when you exit the SODO Target garage into W Grant and sadly see a sign on a chain link fence around a big field that says suited for a medical office.

Townhomes could help support the SODO retail.

[alex]

PD submission for a 23-unit townhome development - "West Grant Street Townhomes"

 

Are there any renderings for this project? 

[Jernigan]

Finally some vertical construction happening at the Hampton Inn on Columbia. Nothing that's rising above the construction fence yet bt progress nonetheless

Are there any renderings for this project?

None yet but the plan is for 3-story homes and its 4 buildings. Staff report comes out in March

[Jernigan]

2121 S Orange - New plaza instead of Townhomes?

Plans submitted show renderings of a Corner Bakery Cafe and a Mattress Firm.

Beats the empty block we have there now.

http://www.cityoforlando.net/city-planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/03/MPBProjectOverview2015-04_ZON2015-00005.pdf

[Jernigan]

Are there any renderings for this project?

Hot off the press: http://www.cityoforlando.net/city-planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/03/MPBStaffReport2015-03_ZON2015-00004.pdf

[cwetteland]

2121 S Orange - New plaza instead of Townhomes?

Plans submitted show renderings of a Corner Bakery Cafe and a Mattress Firm.

Beats the empty block we have there now.

http://www.cityoforlando.net/city-planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/03/MPBProjectOverview2015-04_ZON2015-00005.pdf

Agree it beats an empty block, but it seems to me that a new strip plaza kills any chance of urbanization.

[Jernigan]

There was a 2008 proposal for apartments with an automated self-parking deck and a 2014 proposal for 20 something townhomes and parking killed both from what I understand.

Wadeview neighborhood is also opposed to higher density residences due to parking overflow into streets. Many streets like the ones on either side of this block are too narrow for parallel parking on either side and emergency/trash/lawn vehicles. The concerns are especially high now because that has been happening with the townhomes on Michigan having a ton of cars in the neighborhood

[Jernigan]

Looks like there's also some movement on W Grant across Lucerne Terrace from the townhome proposal. Exciting stuff in Downtown South right now

[mcn11]

I took the dog and walked around lake lucerne yesterday afternoon for the first time. From 55 West, it's about just as far (if not closer) than lake eola.

However, there really isn't much to the park other than some good views of downtown. Is there any proposal to make this park nicer or add some sort of amenities? Especially with the proposed development, it would seem like this would be a necessity to bridging the gap between Sodo and downtown.

[nite owℓ]

Just curious, which side of Lake Lucerne did you walk around? Even though they are same lake, they both take on a different ambiance. IMO, the Eastern side is a bit nicer (albeit smaller) and it feels like the city spent a little more money to make that side of the lake more pedestrian friendly. The pedestrian bridge over the lake along the 408 exit ramp is a nice hidden little feature. More trees/shrubs should be planted to completely block out the view of the 408 ramp though.

 

A similar pedestrian bridge over the Western portion of the lake would be a nice amenity and would encourage more people to walk around that side of the lake more often. A bridge would provide nice views, but it would also divert pedestrians from having to walk underneath the extremely loud portion of the 408 (which is quite a mood killer).

Edited March 16, 2015 by nite owℓ

[Jernigan]

A new ped bridge at Lucerne is coming via the i4 project

[AndyPok1]

I'm a big fan of Lake Lucerne.  My runs go around it more often than Eola.  But yes, it is largely lacking from an amenity point of view.

[mcn11]

Just curious, which side of Lake Lucerne did you walk around? Even though they are same lake, they both take on a different ambiance. IMO, the Eastern side is a bit nicer (albeit smaller) and it feels like the city spent a little more money to make that side of the lake more pedestrian friendly. The pedestrian bridge over the lake along the 408 exit ramp is a nice hidden little feature. More trees/shrubs should be planted to completely block out the view of the 408 ramp though.

A similar pedestrian bridge over the Western portion of the lake would be a nice amenity and would encourage more people to walk around that side of the lake more often. A bridge would provide nice views, but it would also divert pedestrians from having to walk underneath the extremely loud portion of the 408 (which is quite a mood killer).

We walked around the western portion. I'll have to check out the eastern portion next time. It seems the western portion should have more of an investment considering the retirement tower and apartments directly on the lake.