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I know streetcars have been discussed to death, but: I love streetcars, but they only really make sense if 1) they have dedicated lanes and 2) they serve stops in close proximity to one another, generally in urban areas. I've see some streetcars in Germany go super slow through dense neighborhoods and then haul ass through more suburban areas, but at that point a light rail might make more sense.

Portland, OR is a good example of mixing streetcars and light rail in different contexts.

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What would be insane on the streetcar front is to find a path to merge the I-drive corridor, the airport, and the LYMMO (replaced by streetcars on the same routes) into 1 multi-headed beast.

An I-Drive loop being one, the 3 downtown being another, and connecters to both downtown and the airport.  Although, that route to downtown would be seriously insane.

 

You'd probably have to go straight down Orange Ave to Sand Lake... which would be redundant to SunRail and likely impossible.

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^^

Yeah, the OBJ does that 3 articles per month limit thingy.

Streetcar...  yeah, I like NOLA's except for the fact that you have to wait in the median at times to get on/get off.

I understand the leaning towards LRT conceptually over Maglev.  What's to stop them from going down the median of SLR or 528 with LRT (other than having had to plan ahead for it already years ago to preserve the easement), and then take it to street level at I-Drive?

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7 hours ago, jrs2 said:

^^

Yeah, the OBJ does that 3 articles per month limit thingy.

Streetcar...  yeah, I like NOLA's except for the fact that you have to wait in the median at times to get on/get off.

I understand the leaning towards LRT conceptually over Maglev.  What's to stop them from going down the median of SLR or 528 with LRT (other than having had to plan ahead for it already years ago to preserve the easement), and then take it to street level at I-Drive?

OBJ's 3 articles per month limit is removed with the free registration. They've recently started making nearly ALL articles (except the daily summaries) paywall'd for the first day after release. They generally become free after 24 hours or so, unless they're in the print edition, then it takes longer for them to become free, like a couple months or so... (but they all seem to eventually from what I can tell).

Edited by aent
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13 hours ago, aent said:

OBJ's 3 articles per month limit is removed with the free registration. They've recently started making nearly ALL articles (except the daily summaries) paywall'd for the first day after release. They generally become free after 24 hours or so, unless they're in the print edition, then it takes longer for them to become free, like a couple months or so... (but they all seem to eventually from what I can tell).

interesting.  I didn't know.  thx.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/7/2017 at 5:48 PM, jrs2 said:

I gotta tell ya, Florida Mall did a great job with it's new food court.  It resembles Millennia's a little bit but also has a wall of retail stores incorporated within the "square".

The redo they are doing/proposing for Fashion Square- if they did that at Florida Mall, with urban apts, etc., that would be terrific.  All of these malls, they should partner with developers to build urban apts adjacent to their malls with direct connects or whatever to the malls.  Millennia has done a great job with these apts so far.  Florida Mall should consider that as well.

5

I agree the mall has become much better, but the immediate area (at least for now, until the 2-mile radius of the area is deeply redeveloped)does not need anymore residential buildings..at all. I live and work legit across the mall and the traffic that forms on OBT and SandLake whether its the weekend, 5pm after work traffic on weekdays, or Winter time, is horrendous.  Also, considering that the surrounding residential areas (Lancaster, Winegard, Morning Dr.) are of lower income, it will be a bit of a hurdle to price an apartment unit for $1000+/month when a 1960s old complex across the street is in the $500-900 range. But feel free to correct me, I tend to be biased with stuff like this 

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Streetcars could be a good draw to I-Drive.  With Universal, entertainment, and the malls close by, could I-Drive become a hub for residential development, ala, highrise development?  Or, as they develop in other cities, hotel + residences? 

I-Drive south, and Westwood corridors have residential development in the form of low rise apartments and/or condos.  North of 528, not so much at all.

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Magic Place by Pininfarina is the project which is slated to go east of OldTown/Fun Spot, which is east of Celebration.  The OBJ states that it is south of Animal Kingdom, but it really isn't anywhere near it; it is several miles to the east of there.  Those tall towers are slated to go on the south side of US 192, and the adjoining development is to go south of there.

project-snapshot-magic-development-20151111.jpg

foto-retail.jpg

gs-construction-to-start-this-month-on-1-7b-magic-place-on-kissimmee-s-tourism-corridor-20170801.jpg

magic-place-courtyard 1200xx5000-2813-0-94.jpg

mapa.jpg

gs-park-square-homes-pitches-luxury-mixed-use-behind-magic-place-20161116.png

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Although the project looks really cool.....almost a 1980's futuristic vision .......... I am pretty sure those towers etc.....all the parts of the project that are actually exciting...... will probably be in some future phase that will never get built. The end result will be a miniaturized ishops  with a few townhomes nearby. 

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4 hours ago, shardoon said:

Although the project looks really cool.....almost a 1980's futuristic vision .......... I am pretty sure those towers etc.....all the parts of the project that are actually exciting...... will probably be in some future phase that will never get built. The end result will be a miniaturized ishops  with a few townhomes nearby. 

Given this area's history with such proposals, one can't blame you for having that assumption.

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Just as I suspected, pretty pictures is all this will amount to. Phase one is gonna be a fancy strip mall.  Not only that, they already missed their website deadline of clearing scheduled for 3rd quarter 2017. 

Magic Place Phase 1
Retail Marketing Package

Overview

Available __________________________________ 300,000 Sq.Ft at buildout
Phase 1 ____________________________________ 80,000 Sq.Ft
Lease Sizes ________________________________ 1,000 – 50,000 Sq.Ft
Build-to-suit available
1,850 luxury condos approved
Leasing rates available upon request

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12 minutes ago, aent said:

Star Flyer at I-Drive 360 looks about ready to go vertical. Another ride that will dot the I-Drive skyline.... supposed to be taller then the Eye at 450 feet. I believe that makes it the tallest until we get Skyplex at about 500 feet

 

https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/910294885210755072

Yes. The Orlando Eye is 400 feet. Starflyer is going to be 450 feet. And Skyplex is going to be 560 feet

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10 hours ago, Casselberry_Knight said:

What happens first, SkyPlex or iSquare?

Trick question, answer is neither!

Eh the skyplex developer is building things, gave an order he would do it, and is getting through it. I think we'll see it start next summer and open in 2020 (probably partially) based on the speed he seems to move things along. He has been late on everything, but he does get them done

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On 9/27/2017 at 8:53 AM, aent said:

Eh the skyplex developer is building things, gave an order he would do it, and is getting through it. I think we'll see it start next summer and open in 2020 (probably partially) based on the speed he seems to move things along. He has been late on everything, but he does get them done

I'm thinking maybe they need an operational Hollywood Garage ($$$) with minimum 2 tenants (Circo & Hulk Hogan store, et al.) in their portfolio when they try to get the $$$ for Skyplex.  Also, Perkins is an established future tenant at Skyplex (current tenant now).  I otherwise don't know anything about their financing plan for construction.  It's like Sim City in a way on a microcosm. 

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1 hour ago, shardoon said:

The developer of Skyplex has an ego problem........ therefore he will die trying to get it off the ground before licking his wounds and giving up lol. 

Funny you should state that; I've felt that too in a way.  At a State of I-Drive meeting a couple of years back, he was talking big about Skyplex; Chuck Whittall was also there (from Unicorp).  He was talking big about grand plans, but Whittall had already opened the Eye, so, there was no need to talk big b/c he had already produced.  And Unicorp is building the Starflyer now and Hollywood Garage is not even done yet, and won't be, for maybe another year.  He just doesn't have the $$$ needed right now.

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4 hours ago, jrs2 said:

Funny you should state that; I've felt that too in a way.  At a State of I-Drive meeting a couple of years back, he was talking big about Skyplex; Chuck Whittall was also there (from Unicorp).  He was talking big about grand plans, but Whittall had already opened the Eye, so, there was no need to talk big b/c he had already produced.  And Unicorp is building the Starflyer now and Hollywood Garage is not even done yet, and won't be, for maybe another year.  He just doesn't have the $$$ needed right now.

I think we all know that Skyplex is a bit of a project to make sure he has a legacy and makes a name for himself. Thats part of the reason I think he will get it done, whereas projects like the Megamall are unlikely to get completed as it seems like an investment firm trying to make a deal work, but if it doesn't, its no personal feelings or ego hurt, there are other deals to be had.

He has already thrown over $50 million into this project so far. And he doesn't seem to be doing stupid things like we've seen some of these others do, namely shutting down the existing businesses that are bringing in revenue before he's ready to actually start building (ie, Megamall and Artegon). He's managed to keep every asset bringing in money for the moment. The Hollywood Plaza should replace his revenue from the things he's shutting down on the Skyplex site, and provide additional collateral he'll need to finance the project, and he needs it anyways for additional parking for Skyplex, so it makes a bit of sense. On the Perkins, he literally bought the entire franchisee out, all 8 of their restaurants to make that happen (so the "world's largest Perkins" will be his, not a real traditional tenant).

This is his dream, he's not going to give up on it, and he's going to pour all the money he's making in Mangos to make this happen (and my understanding is Mangos is a success). My biggest concern is it getting split into more phases, and what will be in each phase. I stopped by the site of the Hollywood garage this past weekend and it looked fairly close to being finished, I believe I read less then a month ago it should be turned over to the tenants and open for parking by December, with the tenants moved in before summer. I don't think he will start Skyplex until the third tenant space is filled though, he seems like a one thing at a time kind of guy, plus he's planning on more expansion work on Mangos before Skyplex as well (I believe outdoor areas in the existing parking lot and on the roof of the existing structure).

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