Other Metro Area Projects

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

I thought it looked awfully familiar. Yes, the drama at the Desert Inn was worthy of a telenovela and I'm glad to see it restored to its, well, if not glory, at least its preeminence of the '60's-'70's oceanfront hotels. It makes me feel better after reading recently that one of the last boardwalk operators is likely to go under soon.

Thanks very much for this update.

Yeah.  what a shocker.  I'm still floored that it's going to be the Hard Rock.

On a related topic, the former "Hostel" has been getting restored and renamed (or it's former name restored as well) "Steamline Hotel".  I think it's done.  It looks nice;

With regard to the Boardwalk, who might be going under?  I ask b/c I thought it was peculiar when they are building that new slingshot ride and its counterpart a couple of blocks south of there, while the original ride is still there at the north end.

[jrs2]

Here's a link to the Daytona Beach News Journal article on it from back in April:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20170406/hard-rock-hotel-back-with-new-daytona-plan

So, the Marriott acquisition of Starwood had something to do with the developers parting ways with the Westin brand.

[spenser1058]

On the Boardwalk, I'm not sure, an article just popped up in my Facebook from the N-J a week or so ago. It did talk about some of the new stuff being in limbo if things weren't worked out.

I've bemoaned the powers that be trying to turn the boardwalk into a G-rated generic outdoor mall for a while now. With the Frances in control of the city with their big project mentality, I fear they're going to gentrify and homogenize into a mindless vanilla slush everything that made the boardwalk interesting.

Of course, they're hardly alone in that. The same debate has been raging in The NY Times over Coney Island for years.

As for the Streamline, glad it's being restored but I'll admit I will miss the gay dive bar on the roof. It was a favorite haunt for my former fraternity bros and me once upon a time (especially after going through a few dozen oysters next door at Shells beforehand, but I should stop digressing before I get myself in trouble *giggles*).

Edited June 15, 2017 by spenser1058

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

On the Boardwalk, I'm not sure, an article just popped up in my Facebook from the N-J a week or so ago. It did talk about some of the new stuff being in limbo if things weren't worked out.

I've bemoaned the powers that be trying to turn the boardwalk into a G-rated generic outdoor mall for a while now. With the Frances in control of the city with their big project mentality, I fear they're going to gentrify and homogenize into a mindless vanilla slush everything that made the boardwalk interesting.

Of course, they're hardly alone in that. The same debate has been raging in The NY Times over Coney Island for years.

As for the Streamline, glad it's being restored but I'll admit I will miss the gay dive bar on the roof. It was a favorite haunt for my former fraternity bros and me once upon a time (especially after going through a few dozen oysters next door at Shells beforehand, but I should stop digressing before I get myself in trouble *giggles*).

I always felt that a company, like FunSpot, would need to take over with all their resources and marketing power and really build out the Boardwalk with their brand of stuff.

[jrs2]

Here's an article from May on the troubles with Joe's and the amusement operator:

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2017/05/15/daytona-beach-boardwalk-might-soon-loose-the-last-of-its-rides?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=articleblog&utm_campaign=endofarticle&utm_content=RelatedStories

 

[jrs2]

Here is a quick summary of the types of things getting built around the metro and region that ultimately will benefit the region and the brand- in no particular order:

1.  Port Canaveral- New CT-3 within 2-3 years; CT 5 & 10 & 8 were just renovated.  CT-1 is new, and CT-6 opened in 2012; The Auto terminal is doing good steady business with NYK. Container terminal is active...Not sure about rail connection yet.

2.  Orlando-Sanford Intl. Airport- they are going to renovate and add 4-5 new gates.  Passenger counts have increased the past five years.  It will become an even better second airport.

3.  One Daytona- steadily being built out; Bass Proshops; Cobb 12; PF Changs and Kilwins coming next, plus hotels and more retail.

4.  Hard Rock Daytona- it will be a catalyst...

5.  Daytona Beach Convention Hotel & Condo ($192M); 30 story & 26 story towers, new parking garage for beach parking also: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20170216/record-192-million-hotelcondo-breaks-ground-in-daytona   Parking deck is 99% complete.  First class structure right on the west side of A1A.  I'm impressed.  The towers, right at Oakridge & A1A, should add much mass and density to the stretch between Seabreeze Blvd.& Main St.  Huge for Daytona.

6. I-4 reconstruction (Longwood to Kirkman Rd.)

7.  US 92/I-4/I-95 Interchange(s) in Daytona

8.  Intermodal Center (OIA)- for Brightline; Sunrail; etc...

9.  New South Terminal- OIA 16 gates; Phase 1: (to break ground soon); includes new infrastructure; roadway realignment; new tram; bridges; taxiway overpasses;

10.  Amazon Fulfillment Center

11.  KPM&G Lake Nona Center.  huge

12.  Tremont Tower- very integrated building (transit)

13.  Modera- U-Club new location; raises it's status

14.  Disney Springs- new upgrades, etc, much more civilized than it used to be; more garages, less surface parking

15.  Universal's Wet n Wild conversion- new major construction and development to an otherwise underdeveloped part of I-Drive

16.  Hollywood Garage- Very visible from SLR, I-4, etc.  adding density to an already dense but very low profile stretch of I-Drive; Adds a new upper scale restaurant to the mix from up north. Adds parking for Chuy's and Mango's lovers.

17.  Starflyer- I-Drive 360:  The photos I've seen show one of these in London.  It looks nice; classy; Europeans know what it is;

18.  TopGolf- Universal Blvd.  Other major cities have these facilities.  Also, Lake Nona will get one too- different brand.

19.  Wekiva Parkway- u/c, plus extension into Lake near US 441

20.  Brevard becomes part of Expressway Authority counties.

21.  SR 528 is being widened; finally; was so backwards-ass for so many years

22.  SLR is being widened- thank God.  Overpass at JYP adds good road infrastructure

23.  USTA Tennis Center- U/C; well on its way to getting complete.  Lake Nona- huge also.  Wait and see at events that are held there.

24.  Grand National Overpass- this is HUGE.  connects Oakridge Rd to Major Blvd section by Universal Orlando.

25.  Lexus Dealership- Major Blvd.  This is a big dealership; situated right on I-4; takes over land that used to be the Delta Resort which was torn down years ago.

26.  Millennia Mall hotel- topped off.

there's more...  but there's alot going on right now around the metro.

[dcluley98]

DPAC Phase II? 

Edited June 16, 2017 by dcluley98

[jrs2]

10 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

DPAC Phase II? 

You see?  It takes a village as they say.  That was the most obvious one and I missed it.

I want to add a few more projects to that list:

1.  Lucerne development/ Lucky's- why? b/c it will be a big draw right across from Lake Lucerne, building up the SoDo area with yet another major retail node.  Residential there too.  Very visible. But may spurn more residential nearby.

2.  College Park development-  why?  because it will compliment the Suntrust condo tower (Wellesly)built back during the boom and really add a large viusal development anchor that further defines College Park as a neighborhood.  They need more streetside development.

3.  Ivanhoe development- why?  very visible from I-4 and Orange Ave and Virginia.  compliments Antique Row nicely; good counterpart to Mills Park on one side, and the FH South campus on the other.

4.  Pineloch & Orange Ave development- no activity there, however, but if they built this complex, it would instantly turn a gentrified area- with sparse new recent development south of Michigan St., and extend the built up area a couple of blocks south, adding to the SoDo neighborhood.

5.  Townhouses on Grant St.- they are cranking away; the first phase if you will looks pretty close to done.  A good compliment to the SoDo residences across from there.   Adds new development density and helps further define SoDo.

6.  Tanger Outlets, Daytona- its a big deal for Daytona.  They will bring in retail tourism from the outlying areas, etc.  It's been open for at least six months.  Will be at epicenter of a huge residential development and other retail nearby at LPGA Blvd.  It adds a retail dynamic to Daytona that other similarly sized coastal communities have had that Daytona lacked.  It's a major step forward.

7.  Volcano Bay- why?  Extremely visible from I-4.  Keeps Universal's momentum going in a big way.  Drivers on I-4 can't miss this.

8.  Cabana Bay Towers.- on I-4; attractive; can't miss them; should've been 20 stories, but, whatever.  Shows progress.

9.  I-Fly:  why?  their old location was outdated looking.  New building is nice; adds to the Pointe Orlando area nicely.  Too small, though.  shows progress in development.

10. Magic Development- US-192- If it gets built- it will look awesome.  http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2016/04/04/route-192-in-kissimmee-is-about-to-get-a-dubai-style-resort

11.  I'm sure there's more...  oh yeah

12.  CitiTower-  why?  because it, and Artisan 420 fill in a development void between Paramount/Publix and Star Tower/ Osceola Brownstones, which is a big deal for that neighborhood.

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by jrs2

[jrs2]

On the point about Daytona Beach, that new set of two towers, by Protogroup, will be over 380' tall; taller than 55W.  Wow!

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20170307/sky-high-work-begins-on-daytonas-tallest-most-expensive-hotelcondo-project

 

[Jernigan]

Luckys is going at Pineloch and Earth Fare is going at Lucerne 

[neoanderz]

There was an article in the Daily City a few days ago saying that a new grocery store will be coming to the now closed Sports Authority just south of Fashion Square.  They are speculating that it is a Lucky's.

[dcluley98]

I want an ALDI downtown.  They can keep all these "high-end" grocery stores like Lucky's, Earth Fare, etc.  Give me an ALDI and I would shop there all the time and save my extra money for something else like going to a decent downtown restaurant every once in a while instead of spending it on overpriced groceries.  

Edited June 18, 2017 by dcluley98

[JFW657]

I'd love to see an Aldi somewhere around S. Orange. 

That area is pretty saturated with grocery store options already, though.

[spenser1058]

Lidl, Aldi's big competitor in their home market of Germany, has just arrived in the US in the Mid-Atlantic states (for some reason, that has become Ground Zero for the supermarket wars.) Lidl's model is similar to Aldi's but with upgrades preferred by American shoppers like fresh baked bread and a better produce selection. Aldi has just announced a major expansion and renovations to meet that challenge.

I know it seems odd now but competition between several grocers in a neighborhood is the way it once was.

Example, where now there is just Publix on Edgewater Drive, as late as the '70's there was a Winn-Dixie, Publix, Food Fair, Fairway Market and A&P on the same stretch.

With the German competition as well as amazon's purchase of Whole Foods, one thing is certain: the grocery store business is set to change... a lot.

 

[alex]

I don't remember if it's been mentioned here, but a fun fact about Aldi is that in Germany the brand is owned by two brothers (or meanwhile their heirs). They split it into Aldi Süd (South) and Aldi Nord (North). In the US, "Aldi Süd" became Aldi and "Aldi Nord" bought Trader Joe's in the '70s. Aldi and Trader Joe's still have commonalities, including smaller stores and a focus on organic, limited-selection, and store-brand goods. 

Anyway, I would kill for an Aldi (or Trader Joe's) close to downtown.

[spenser1058]

30 minutes ago, alex said:

I don't remember if it's been mentioned here, but a fun fact about Aldi is that in Germany the brand is owned by two brothers (or meanwhile their heirs). They split it into Aldi Süd (South) and Aldi Nord (North). In the US, "Aldi Süd" became Aldi and "Aldi Nord" bought Trader Joe's in the '70s. Aldi and Trader Joe's still have commonalities, including smaller stores and a focus on organic, limited-selection, and store-brand goods. 

Anyway, I would kill for an Aldi (or Trader Joe's) close to downtown.

Apparently, one of the reasons for the split was over the sale of cigarettes in the stores. We can guess pretty easily which the late German chancellor Helmut Schmidt preferred, given his proclivity for smoking like a chimney right up until his death just shy of 100. (Yes, it is true I have the world's greatest store of useless information *sigh*).

[Mark Baratelli]

"Ben Friedland, The VP of Marketing for Lucky's Market, the beer-while-you-shop, Trader-Joes-Meets-Whole-Foods grocery store, confirmed that more Orlando locations are in the works beyond the first one at 11750 E. Colonial Drive and the one opening at SODO's Southside Shoppes according to Growthspotter.

 

What exactly does "in the works" mean? According to Friedland, it means they have deals they're working on and locations are being scouted for more."

 

[JFW657]

48 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Apparently, one of the reasons for the split was over the sale of cigarettes in the stores. We can guess pretty easily which the late German chancellor Helmut Schmidt preferred, given his proclivity for smoking like a chimney right up until his death just shy of 100. (Yes, it is true I have the world's greatest store of useless information *sigh*).

So do I....

[neoanderz]

I went to an Aldi before (east Orlando).  I felt like I was in an almost out-of-business Kmart.  Nothing special as far as food goes.  If they came from the same parent company as Trader Joe's then it certainly does not show at all.  I guess Aldi is cheap but then again so is Walmart Neighborhood market - and we've already got those all over the place.  I don't quite understand the Aldi craze.  I've heard others raving about it too and just can't wrap my head around it.

[spenser1058]

In a bit of adolescent rebellion, I broke with my parents and started going to Publix in high school (my parents met and got married while working together at Winn-Dixie as teenagers and refused to shop anywhere else). I've shopped there ever since, although I have recently strayed since Publix has been ignoring its central Florida cash cows while they direct resources to NC and VA, their newest markets. As a result, the features at our local stores are about a decade out of date.

The bottom line, though, is that Publix remains the most successful central FL based company  and I feel a bit of pride whenever I can support them. I can also say I've always felt more welcomed at Publix than at any other grocery chain (I probably know more than half the associates at my Publix at the Paramount by name.) This is just a personal preference but it seems like family-controlled companies like Publix and LLBean (another favorite retailer of mine) seem to care about me as a customer more and are less likely to be blown hither and yon by Wall Street attitudes (see Eddie Lampert and Sears as a comparison.)

All in all, I hope Publix can weather the coming storm.

[aent]

22 minutes ago, neoanderz said:

I went to an Aldi before (east Orlando).  I felt like I was in an almost out-of-business Kmart.  Nothing special as far as food goes.  If they came from the same parent company as Trader Joe's then it certainly does not show at all.  I guess Aldi is cheap but then again so is Walmart Neighborhood market - and we've already got those all over the place.  I don't quite understand the Aldi craze.  I've heard others raving about it too and just can't wrap my head around it.

I gotta agree... there prices do seem to the best, but only by a few pennys, and the experience is worse then Walmart. I am really shocked at how much this new grocery store craze is really hitting the area in general.

I don't think Publix needs to worry too much, at least not yet... they have the most locaitons by far, and most people still want to go to whats closest to them (myself included). I have Publix 2 minutes from my house, Walmart and Target about 10 minutes, and Traders and Aldis about 15 min, and Whole Foods and some other organic grocers about 20... 85% of my business goes to Publix, 10% to Traders, 5% to Walmart or Target. I'd happily switch out Publix to Walmart or Target if they were closer, but the little price difference isn't worth the extra 15 minutes round trip to me. The only Publix brand product I'm really loyal to is their ice cream, and it'd probably be better for me to stay away from that 

[dcluley98]

7 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

All in all, I hope Publix can weather the coming storm.

 

I still like Publix, their deli is awesome.  Problem is, the closest one to me is the Colonial/Shine location, and that store is Old/Small/Out-of-Date, and just not as good as a newer Publix should be. Also, Publix is damn expensive!  I hope that market pressure makes Publix try to compete more on pricing and urge them to upgrade their stores again to differentiate from the incoming competition. I would probably still go to Publix too if they upped their game and made their pricing not so outrageous compared to other stores. 

[JFW657]

30 minutes ago, neoanderz said:

I went to an Aldi before (east Orlando).  I felt like I was in an almost out-of-business Kmart.  Nothing special as far as food goes.  If they came from the same parent company as Trader Joe's then it certainly does not show at all.  I guess Aldi is cheap but then again so is Walmart Neighborhood market - and we've already got those all over the place.  I don't quite understand the Aldi craze.  I've heard others raving about it too and just can't wrap my head around it.

Aldi's has some unique brands and they sell some specialty items you can't get elsewhere. 

Like their selection of awesome German chocolate candies...

Or this chocolate or vanilla cream filled brioche...

Or this German fruit bread called "Stollen" (pronounced "shtullen")...

...which is amazingly good with coffee.

And many of their store brand frozen foods, bread, milk and packaged meats are cheaper than Walmart, too.

I'd never buy their produce, though.

19 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

In a bit of adolescent rebellion, I broke with my parents and started going to Publix in high school (my parents met and got married while working together at Winn-Dixie as teenagers and refused to shop anywhere else). I've shopped there ever since, although I have recently strayed since Publix has been ignoring its central Florida cash cows while they direct resources to NC and VA, their newest markets. As a result, the features at our local stores are about a decade out of date.

The bottom line, though, is that Publix remains the most successful central FL based company  and I feel a bit of pride whenever I can support them. I can also say I've always felt more welcomed at Publix than at any other grocery chain (I probably know more than half the associates at my Publix at the Paramount by name.) This is just a personal preference but it seems like family-controlled companies like Publix and LLBean (another favorite retailer of mine) seem to care about me as a customer more and are less likely to be blown hither and yon by Wall Street attitudes (see Eddie Lampert and Sears as a comparison.)

All in all, I hope Publix can weather the coming storm.

Publix employees are the friendliest and most polite of any other grocer anywhere.

I think keeping their jobs depends on it.

9 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

I still like Publix, their deli is awesome.  Problem is, the closest one to me is the Colonial/Shine location, and that store is Old/Small/Out-of-Date, and just not as good as a newer Publix should be. Also, Publix is damn expensive!  I hope that market pressure makes Publix try to compete more on pricing and urge them to upgrade their stores again to differentiate from the incoming competition. I would probably still go to Publix too if they upped their game and made their pricing not so outrageous compared to other stores. 

Publix used to have some good sales.

They usually have one of their deli subs on special.

I love that Mojo pulled pork sub they do.

[codypet]

Colonial and Shine got an update last year.   It's limited in what it can do due to size.  I don't know much more they can do about it in that location without a full reconstruction.

[popsiclebrandon]

I would love an Aldi or Trader Joe's downtown. Aldi preferably since it is a quick in and out store with the lowest prices. I've found they have the best produce, and definitely the best produce pricing in town. Unfortunately because of them keeping it always fresh they seem to run out every day near the end of the day. Watching Publix charge $8 for a watermelon is just a crime and I don't think I've ever had an experience at a Publix that would make me want to pay so much more to shop there.

To be fair they do make the best ice cream though.