Orlando Attractions Area News & Developments

[shardoon]

I watched the whole meeting on Orange TV. The public speakers were about 99 percent in favor. I kid you not.......one of the two against tried to claim that it will cause accidents on I4 due to people watching the roller coaster and not the road.

[bulldogger]

I saw that too.  The argument would be valid if there were accidents caused by the video screen on the arena downtown.

[FLClarkKent]

It was an incredibly ham-fisted effort by Universal. The arguments over aesthetics were beyond ridiculous (spoiling the natural beauty of I-Drive...really?), and the traffic complaint just didn't hold water. Then they went so over the top with the fake grassroots flyers that it only served to telegraph the fact that they must have something big planned for that part of town. Which, turns out, they do. And now anyone who owns property nearby is certainly going to be raising the price.

 

[Pete C]

Thank goodness this project was approved!! Looks like logic prevailed instead of backdoor deals and lobbyists. I am quite sure Buddy is secretly happy this went through even though the city voted against it to please Universal. I-drive is going to be a tourism force over the next decade.

I also love that a new height precedent has been set.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Pete C

[HankStrong]

Color me impressed.

[GTR]

I am happy the little guy triumphed (although the backer of this project sounded like an uneducated douche on tv), but you have to wonder if Universal's plan entailed buying everything up between Wet N' Wild and the new land and completely leveling and reimagining North I Drive as we know it. Would have been amazing if that's what they envisioned. 

Edited December 2, 2015 by GTR

[prahaboheme]

By any measure, N I-Drive will look a lot different in the years to come.  If Universal inks the deal for the land expansion, we can expect the entire area between the resort parcels to transform as property values increase.  My immediate interest is what Universal has planned for Wet n Wild -- this will have a big impact on improving the northern blighted section of I-Drive.  Whatever they have planned for WnW, I think its safe to assume it will be some kind of Universal "gateway" development that eventually links the existing resort with the expansion.

 

[Dale]

Is there still a huge empty tract by Pointe Orlando ?

[prahaboheme]

^Several.

[jrs2]

yeah, I was there.  as was another forumer, Storey, who got props from the Mayor.

Universal owned the land currently occupied by the N/S Bldg.  they sold it back to the County with a hotel restriction on it back at the end of the '90's, stating they could only build convention space there.  I thought they owned more, because there was talk back then about them building two more theme parks.

Anyway, Skyplex needs to secure financing per the OBJ.

Unicorp's next phase of development may be building two hotel buildings on the current parking lots to the east of the Eye, before any other hotel buildings get built per their master plan.

I think that 2040 vision plan would be better if Canada Ct continued across SLR- or even if they made it into a bridge over SLR.  It's not feasible, though.

 

[Dale]

So, after all this ... financing is in doubt ?

[klstorey]

yeah, I was there.  as was another forumer, Storey, who got props from the Mayor.

Universal owned the land currently occupied by the N/S Bldg.  they sold it back to the County with a hotel restriction on it back at the end of the '90's, stating they could only build convention space there.  I thought they owned more, because there was talk back then about them building two more theme parks.

Anyway, Skyplex needs to secure financing per the OBJ.

Unicorp's next phase of development may be building two hotel buildings on the current parking lots to the east of the Eye, before any other hotel buildings get built per their master plan.

I think that 2040 vision plan would be better if Canada Ct continued across SLR- or even if they made it into a bridge over SLR.  It's not feasible, though.

 

Yep. I was there.

Also a bit of a shameless plug but I'll have Wallack on my radio show this Thursday (10a-Noon on 91.5 WPRK).

As far as the financing is concerned some have pointed to Wallack Holdings overall financing, and yes that is not enough, but the main source of financing is EB-5 and a rumored yet to be announced large US financier.

Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk

[Dale]

Thanks for the background!

[TRB]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

So, after all this ... financing is in doubt ?

The themeparkreview.com guy sez they have it.  I want to see Intamin pull off this lsm lift at 40mph straight into an inversion. The drop tower is nothing for them. 

[dcluley98]

Per the Sentinel today: New 22 story Hotel tower planned for I-Drive for Avanti Resort complex.  Supposed to break ground in May.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/tourism-central-florida-blog/os-avanti-tower-international-drive-resort-20151218-post.html 

[prahaboheme]

8 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

Per the Sentinel today: New 22 story Hotel tower planned for I-Drive for Avanti Resort complex.  Supposed to break ground in May.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/tourism-central-florida-blog/os-avanti-tower-international-drive-resort-20151218-post.html 

This is a good sign of where things seem to be heading for I-Drive -- urban, pedestrian, high density.

[HankStrong]

The higher I-Drive goes, the better.  Too many junky, 2 or 3-story motels and worthless, old strip mall sections.  Build up, not out!

[JFW657]

On the other hand, I would not want to see I-Drive get too upscale. Part of the charm and attraction of the area is it's touristy kitschiness. I-Drive without miniature golf, fast food joints and T-shirt shops would be like Disney without Mickey Mouse.

 

 

 

 

 

[aent]

5 hours ago, JFW657 said:

On the other hand, I would not want to see I-Drive get too upscale. Part of the charm and attraction of the area is it's touristy kitschiness. I-Drive without miniature golf, fast food joints and T-shirt shops would be like Disney without Mickey Mouse.

lol... those attractions will always have a place. The area has no shortage of land, so in the event this area became "upscale", there is plenty of additional land on I-Drive where new versions of those old attractions could be built, there will always be a low budget crowd... and we're very, very far from being there regardless. I don't believe any of these new improvements are even proposed on land that has (recently) been used for those purposes, short of the Burger King and a 7-11 (and Perkins which is to be rebuilt bigger and better) as part of the Skyplex or I-Drive projects... and both those already exist nearby on I-Drive already.

[prahaboheme]

On 12/2/2015 at 1:39 PM, Dale said:

Is there still a huge empty tract by Pointe Orlando ?

Plans are brewing for this land:  http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2015/12/i-drive-renderings-show-potential-for-jumbotron.html

[Dale]

Wow, thanks!

[shardoon]

I'm particularly fond of rendering #2

[Boomer136]

I see a tale of two I-Drives. Maybe three. Upscale and hi-rise around the OCCC up to Sand Lake. (I wonder when the second half of the North/South building will get built). And possibly around the current Wet and Wild site. But in between the old lo-rise T-shirt shops etc.

Anyone still talking about another theme park going in on the old missile test range next to UCF hospitality? You can fit something bigger than EPCOT including parking lots in there. 

[jrs2]

On December 22, 2015 at 10:59 PM, prahaboheme said:

Plans are brewing for this land:  http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2015/12/i-drive-renderings-show-potential-for-jumbotron.html

Those plans are for the land adjacent to the Hyatt circling the lake behind it by the North/South Bldg.  It is not for the vacant land on the northern border of Pointe Orlando, bordered by I-Drive and Pointe Plaza (former Universal Blvd).

Also, I think about ten years back there was a big proposal for a Carlson Hotel there as well.  Prior to that, there was a proposal for a Westin to the north of Pointe Orlando that went south.

[Pete C]

Fun Spot America looking at expansion

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-fun-spot-america-expansion-20160111-post.html

 

Some renderings: