Orlando Attractions Area News & Developments

[Urbo]

On 8/16/2021 at 3:14 PM, jrs2 said:

Well, here's the Deseo Grande development, a five story apartment building on one of the parking lots of former Artegon, now known as Dezerland.  It will have 365 units.  It is good "infill" or "I-Drive infill" if there is a thing; good to bring residents and good to convert a large surface lot.

https://www.multihousingnews.com/post/american-landmark-dezer-begin-orlando-development/

On Google satellite, the garage is built and the foundations of the building(s) are poured-ish.

Excited to see more people living on I-Drive. This corridor has the potential to be a world class urban experience in the future and I hope it lives up to it (if it capitalizes on taller buildings and brings light rail to the corridor).  While this projects pushes I-Drive in the right direction, I would love to see taller residential and mixed buildings (10+ stories at least, but to the scale of the Hyatt Regency is ideal). Outside of downtown I-Drive has the least amount of height restrictions within the region, they need to start capitalizing on this! This is prime real estate and I hate to see regular apartment developments that we see all across the region placed in such a superior location.

[spenser1058]

I likely will never visit since it’s in tourist h**l but this sure sounds good.

If only we could get a location closer to town:

https://www.scottjosephorlando.com/reviews/68-seafood/5759-gordon-ramsay-fish-chips

From Scott J
 

 

[spenser1058]

Scott J launches into lunch at Epcot’s Space 220:

https://www.scottjosephorlando.com/reviews/51-american/5762-space-220

[jrs2]

O-Town West by Unicorp (the White Castle development).

https://finfrock.com/project/city-center-at-o-town-west/

Check out the link.  They signed Marriott Vacations Intl. and Finrock to design and build.  Did anyone post on this yet?  Being that this is Unicorp, this is of course getting done and sooner than later.

Edited September 30, 2021 by jrs2

[jgardnerucf]

Old news.  They just started the wood frame apts 1st floor today.

[codypet]

White Castle and Portillos in those plazas are already open.   There's a small plot cemetery back there that will have to be relocated to make way for Publix.  My dad actually complained to the state over them just burning all the trees when they cleared the site instead of burying them under the pond.   That said, some of those aerial shots took me back to the early 00's when I was a teenager and driving down Fenton by that tower with dates.

[spenser1058]

@dcluley98 will want to hurry his move to Winter Haven as Peppa Pig opens Feb 24!

https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202110/8541/

From Theme Park Insider 
 

[dcluley98]

Might be Auburndale now. 

[spenser1058]

I don’t know if we can stand all the excitement in Winter Haven as Legoland Florida, celebrating its 10th anniversary, announced yet another new attraction opening in 2022:

https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202110/8551/

From Theme Park Insider 

Maybe Masterpiece Gardens and Chalet Suzanne folded too quickly, but Bok Tower is forever (not to mention Spook Hill)!

Edited October 15, 2021 by spenser1058

[codypet]

10 years already?  Yeeeesh

[spenser1058]

13 minutes ago, codypet said:

10 years already?  Yeeeesh

Time for Baby @codypet- The Sequel?

[spenser1058]

By the 2030 census, Polk County could be within shouting distance of 1,000,000 population.  There are a couple of amazing things about that: it’s a little unusual to break that line and yet have no major city (although I guess OC, CA comes to mind). Also, as counties pass 1M, they tend to become bluer these days, but all the retiree subdivisions and towns down there are moving things the other way again.

Demographically, it’s a fascinating county.

Edited October 15, 2021 by spenser1058

[smileguy]

  

3 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

By the 2030 census, Polk County could be within shouting distance of 1,000,000 population.  There are a couple of amazing things about that: it’s a little unusual to break that line and yet have no major city (although I guess OC, CA comes to mind). Also, as counties pass 1M, they tend to become bluer these days, but all the retiree subdivisions and towns down there are moving things the other way again.

Demographically, it’s a fascinating county.

Right along those lines...

How Tampa and Orlando could become the next ‘megaregion’
Central Florida is made up of two distinct metro areas, said one developer. But soon the space connecting these cities could look almost indistinguishable.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2021/10/13/how-tampa-and-orlando-could-become-the-next-megaregion/?fbclid=IwAR2Y6zVYyM73RSi0DRblFwbr4JFLtb3OSCP6wjdkCu_MpE0YBxheLmdShns

Edited October 15, 2021 by smileguy
add article headline

[spenser1058]

3 minutes ago, smileguy said:

  

Right along those lines...

How Tampa and Orlando could become the next ‘megaregion’
Central Florida is made up of two distinct metro areas, said one developer. But soon the space connecting these cities could look almost indistinguishable.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2021/10/13/how-tampa-and-orlando-could-become-the-next-megaregion/?fbclid=IwAR2Y6zVYyM73RSi0DRblFwbr4JFLtb3OSCP6wjdkCu_MpE0YBxheLmdShns

ORLAMPA!

[smileguy]

11 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

ORLAMPA!

Kermit Weeks was ahead of his time!

[codypet]

34 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Time for Baby @codypet- The Sequel?

Not for a bit.  Gonna need to find another Mrs. Codypet first.

[jrs2]

2 hours ago, smileguy said:

  

Right along those lines...

How Tampa and Orlando could become the next ‘megaregion’
Central Florida is made up of two distinct metro areas, said one developer. But soon the space connecting these cities could look almost indistinguishable.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2021/10/13/how-tampa-and-orlando-could-become-the-next-megaregion/?fbclid=IwAR2Y6zVYyM73RSi0DRblFwbr4JFLtb3OSCP6wjdkCu_MpE0YBxheLmdShns

well, infrastructure-wise, SoFla and Orlampa are so different. 

Another Chicago reference coming:  Burnham did the Miami grid plan as well.  And the Miami grid continues due north into PBCo.  It's a lot like Chicago structurally street-grid-wise.  Orlando and Tampa don't have that super-regional grid aesthetic (if you can call it that).  For starters, there would have to be a second expressway connecting the two much like Fla Tnpk & I-95 down south do.  And, until there is CRT connecting Orlando to St. Pete, it's just not the same thing as SoFla with TriRail (and now BL).  Maybe BL to Tampa would fill those shoes- but it's about commuting patterns.  

If Polk surpassed 1M, then, yes, it would be like a link between the two metros.  But I almost feel like it will be more like an LA sort of thing, or Baltimore-Washington... the coastal cities with rather large "grids" are Chicago, Miami, Detroit, and Cleveland, where you see the same straightaway thoroughfares for dozens of miles.

Also, I don't know if East Polk by I-4 will ever get dense with development.  The "glue" of SoFla is that every exit on I-95 is an E-W roadway that reaches to the coast- that is the continuity of SoFla and it's collective identity.  I don't think you have anything like that here between Orlando and Tampa.

[spenser1058]

Orlando Free Fall Tower at Icon Park tops out at 430’:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-et-icon-park-freefall-drop-tower-international-drive-20211020-t7g65xfmcbenbefwxown7ku2im-story.html

From The Sentinel 
 

[jgardnerucf]

Boy, you sure watch the progress of it from up yonder.

 

Thanks again for always reposting or late posting stuff, WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT.

[prahaboheme]

10 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Orlando Free Fall Tower at Icon Park tops out at 430’:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-et-icon-park-freefall-drop-tower-international-drive-20211020-t7g65xfmcbenbefwxown7ku2im-story.html

From The Sentinel 
 

These carnival-like rides are turning I-Drive into another version of Old Town, when it seemed for years that the vision for I-Drive was less gimmicky.

Edited October 21, 2021 by prahaboheme

[klstorey]

On 10/21/2021 at 8:08 AM, prahaboheme said:

These carnival-like rides are turning I-Drive into another version of Old Town, when it seemed for years that the vision for I-Drive was less gimmicky.

I disagree with the Old Town sentiment. I think these are a big improvement over the carnival rides at Old Town. Also, these are just one aspect of the area. It's a good mix of entertainment and dining right now. The future really depends on how well the convention center can rebound. Without it, yeah we'll see more 192 style developments filling in. I'm also curious what happens to Magical Midway now. 

[klstorey]

Here are some photos from the media kit from the Free Fall Tower topping off. I believe Dan of Midway Mayhem may have similar or identical drone footage on his YouTube channel. 

[spenser1058]

Something to ponder - we’ve always tried to get corporate relocations to take us seriously by keeping tech, finance and other industries separate from the theme parks.

The more we start looking like Myrtle Beach, however, the case can be made that job gets harder.

 

[F-L-A]

15 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Something to ponder - we’ve always tried to get corporate relocations to take us seriously by keeping tech, finance and other industries separate from the theme parks.

The more we start looking like Myrtle Beach, however, the case can be made that job gets harder.

 

What tech, finance, etc. companies were considering relocating to I-Drive? 

[spenser1058]

18 minutes ago, F-L-A said:

What tech, finance, etc. companies were considering relocating to I-Drive? 

It’s more of a thing where these types of carnival rides (albeit on steroids) creep closer to town and show up in photos of the city. In corporate recruitment, perception matters.

It’s admittedly a thin line. Nashville’s threading the needle admirably. Otoh, Vegas is a one industry town. 

In our case, we’re already 50 of 50 in wages due to our overreliance on tourism. We need to be moving in the other direction.
 

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by spenser1058