Other Metro Area Projects

[i_cre8]

First, Amtrak is a Federal entity, and the City cannot force Amtrak (an economically failing entity) to action.

The petition drive has already ended successfully and there will be 2 votes: whether city money may be spent at all on any LR station, and also whether such station should be located in the CBD.

The simplified argument against LR: City Taxpayer Costs, Commuter Parking Needs, & Impact on Central Park.

Polling data indicates the vast majority of WP residents will NOT use the system to commute (less than 2%). It will mainly serve commuters in outlying suburbs. To build such a station, property taxes for ALL WP residents will increase, forever. Constructing a LR station on the CSX tracks will also pave over a portion of our prized park. Commuters seeking to enter the LR system in WPK will add traffic and consume parking spaces in the retail district without contributing to the retail economy. The increased parking will also destroy greenspace. And the polling data indicates that those that shop on the Avenue overwhelmingly will still arrive by private car, and will not take public transport to shop at the boutiques.

We don't even have answers to many imporant questions. There is not even any indication that LR will run on the weekends -- during WPK's busiest visitor days. There is little to no info available about the noise impact on the park and traffic impact of train traffic. Would other areas of Winter Park, like WP Village, be more suitable for a rail stop? How will our police department be impacted? What additional security is necessary? What ancillary costs will residents have to fund? Is the purpose of a Commuter Rail Stop in Winter Park for tourism or is it for "commuting residents to the urban core?"

There needs to be a lot of discussion and planning before WP simply jumps aboard without knowing the costs/impacts. Its a nice idea, but we need to plan to deal with the reality, not the fairytale.

You say "po-tay-to"; I say "po-tah-to". I would hope that the overwhelming majority of WP voters know that they're not voting for or against "light rail". It's commuter rail that will be up for discussion.

[reguy]

orlandonative you are right....just trying to be more specific...

I've seen topics for Altamonte, Winter Park etc. but it soes seem like Maitland has many projects under way. Does any one know how the following projects are doing?

-Ravinia

-The Trevi

-Oasis

-The Village of Lake Lilly

[JRS1]

orlandonative you are right....just trying to be more specific...

I've seen topics for Altamonte, Winter Park etc. but it soes seem like Maitland has many projects under way. Does any one know how the following projects are doing?

-Ravinia

-The Trevi

-Oasis

-The Village of Lake Lilly

other than sitework, nothing that I've seen yet.

[Pieson]

and sitework as been going on for a painfully long time thus far :-\

[neon9]

First, Amtrak is a Federal entity, and the City cannot force Amtrak (an economically failing entity) to action.

The petition drive has already ended successfully and there will be 2 votes: whether city money may be spent at all on any LR station, and also whether such station should be located in the CBD.

The simplified argument against LR: City Taxpayer Costs, Commuter Parking Needs, & Impact on Central Park.

Regarding your comment on the mayor's 'altruism'-

Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.

Robert Heinlein

anyway, how can commuter rail be louder and more disruptive than freight trains? I've sat at PR's and seen one sit on Fairbanks for more than 30 minutes at lunch hour.

How are you going to pick up the rail and move it over to Winter Park Village? Or is it ok because most of the poor people are over there and WP wants them out anyway?

It seems more and more to me like these are delaying tactics, this has been in the works for at least 2 years now and WP is just starting to worry about these things? It may be impossible to get WP to maintain the station or anything else but as a public transportation improvement the station can be built with or without the city's approval. Ask the people who used to live where I-4 is now.

The simplified argument for is:

This is a low cost method to get some cars off of I-4 and other highways and can be expanded.

Most of the existing freight traffic will be diverted around Orlando.

The majority of the money needed will come from State and Federal sources.

This will help economic development along the route and will become more valuable as gas becomes more expensive.

--------

And as for the Wellsley, I also hate the big A/C unit, but the city promises me that they will have to cover it up before the final C.O., and I think it looks and works much better with the neighborhood than the gas station and bank it replaced.

[spenser1058]

The route of I4 was moved because of Winter Park. The law they got passed which moved the path from going along Denning was later used by Edgewood to defeat the Central Connector. WP's intransigence was also a big factor in defeating light rail because right of way would have been required. Now that the state is purchasing the existing right of way for commuter rail from CSX, my understanding is WP cannot stop commuter rail but they can prevent a new station from being constructed. Amtrak stations are owned by the local entities, not the feds (which is why they are often in such disrepair). In any event, I agree with the fact that commuter rail sure beats freight trains - but the WP NIMBYs appear to be looking to have their cake and eat it too. They may succeed.

[orlandouprise]

to bad narrow minded people like that keep setting back our area decades...in their us vs the world mentality they ACTUALLY think they are doing winter park right.

[Migman]

The latest Sentinel had a good commentary about WP's plan to pay off the Carlisle's developers.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/column...,4483121.column

[neon9]

The latest Sentinel had a good commentary about WP's plan to pay off the Carlisle's developers.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/column...,4483121.column

another one by Scott Maxwell

Orlando Sentinel Article

In fact, Mayor Strong is convinced that residents are so committed to fighting a genuine skyscraper (we're talking four stories), that he thinks they'll donate $5.3 million in private donations to a fund that would pay off the developers and make the matter disappear.

[Whipp]

holy double posts batman!

another one by Scott Maxwell

Orlando Sentinel Article

In fact, Mayor Strong is convinced that residents are so committed to fighting a genuine skyscraper (we're talking four stories), that he thinks they'll donate $5.3 million in private donations to a fund that would pay off the developers and make the matter disappear.

[JRS1]

I drove by Winter Garden Village two days ago on 429. THat place is freakin' huge. A good portion of all the bldgs. are already up. It's amazing. In their website (sorry, no link), the designs of the bldgs. are so nice.

Edited January 18, 2007 by JRS1

[bulldogger]

sentinel

Site clearing to begin for mixed use project in Maitland - they say Tuesday

[JRS1]

sentinel

Site clearing to begin for mixed use project in Maitland - they say Tuesday

wow. I hope the site clearing is followed by construction/sitework within a short period of time, unlike those other projects right up the street past Horatio.

[JRS1]

FYI, there is a pretty big office bldg. U/C at Primera off of Rhinehart in Lk Mary. 3 story, shape of an "L"; it's gotta be 250k-300k sq. ft. Also, those skywalks are looking rather nice over LMB. (at least the first one at Rhinehart).

So, Metro ORLhas these latest projects going on:

1. Primera #6 or 7 (above)

2. HEathrow new bldg.

3. SoDo

4. Winter Garden Village

5. Emerson#2

6. Uptown Lofts-- Alta

7. Uptown Alta.-- retail new

8. FH Alta. expansion

9. FH East expansion

10. the new projects in Maitland-- Lake Lilly breaking ground now;

11. Winter Park projects-- Douglass Grande; THe Landmark; New England multi-use near Penn.; Las Casas (Clay); etc..

12. FH South projects; new tower; North Pointe Place;

13. Reunion Resort-- Grande; many multi-unit towers;

14. all attractions projects... Disney, Celebration, Kissimmee, & OCCC area... more than a dozen-- maybe two dozen.

15. Veranda Residences Metrowest; and all new development at Metrowest-- offices; condos; etc...

When you put things in perspective, although things seem a little stagnant w/re to new DT projects, this is really not the case overall in the metro.

[sunshine]

I think the skywalk design are just ok. Looks like something from Disney. Now lets hope somebody will actually use it.

I know the slope design was for wheel chair access so they dont have to build an elevator, but, there is a lot of extra hard work needed to cross this thing in a wheel chair than going right thru the street.

-----------------

As for metrowest, I think they are ready to start on a new building on Veranda Park Town Center, some new office on Metrowest Blvd and a new office on Conroy Windermere Road. There are also a new office building in Windermere.

[facilities man]

FYI, there is a pretty big office bldg. U/C at Primera off of Rhinehart in Lk Mary. 3 story, shape of an "L"; it's gotta be 250k-300k sq. ft. Also, those skywalks are looking rather nice over LMB. (at least the first one at Rhinehart).

The building at Rhinehart and Primera is a Central Florida Educators Credit Union main office and branch. It's big, but I don't think it's over 200,000 sq. ft.. It is precast tilt construction. I went by one day and they were doing slab work. I went by two weeks later and all three floors were up. It was like boom..., instant building.

[gumpking1]

sentinel

Site clearing to begin for mixed use project in Maitland - they say Tuesday

Are there any rendering of this project how many stories etc?

[Javalady1]

Last updated: January 22, 2007 01:51pm

Dirt Moves on $12M, 125,000-SF Project

By Natalie Keith

(To read more on the industrial market, click here.)

ORLANDO-A partnership of Chicago-based Higgins Development Partners and Walton Street Capital LLC has broken ground on a $12-million, 125,000-sf class A warehouse and office development in Lee Vista Business Commons. The project, Centergate at Lee Vista, will consist of three facilities.

Building A will contain approximately 40,362 sf and Buildings B & C will each contain about 42,428 sf. Each facility will feature for-sale units ranging in size from 3,900 sf to 5,200 sf with 500 sf of office build-out per unit and contiguous space available to approximately 42,000 sf. Construction is expected to be completed within nine months with occupancy slated for October.

http://www.globest.com/news/827_827/orlando/152286-1.html

[MaXxlife]

FYI, there is a pretty big office bldg. U/C at Primera off of Rhinehart in Lk Mary. 3 story, shape of an "L"; it's gotta be 250k-300k sq. ft. Also, those skywalks are looking rather nice over LMB. (at least the first one at Rhinehart).

Things do seem to be moving along pretty good on the pedestrian overpasses. They should add quite a bit to the overall look and feel of the city when thy're done.

Edited January 24, 2007 by MaXxlife

[sunshine]

Is the Publix at Baldwin Park 2 stories?

[bulldogger]

Is the Publix at Baldwin Park 2 stories?

Negative

[orlandonative]

That has to be one of the finer Publix stores in Central Florida. Groceries aside, there is a lot of talent walking around that place at 6:00pm or so.

[sunshine]

Smaller is better, proposal says

Posted February 13, 2007

WINDERMERE -- -The Windermere Town Council will consider tonight a proposed ordinance that would limit residential structures to no taller than 2 1/2 stories or 35 feet. It would restrict the floor area of a building to no more than 38 percent of the total size of the property.

Proponents say the ordinance is needed to help Windermere keep its small, Old Florida look in an era of ever-larger mansions.

[bulldogger]

Smaller is better, proposal says

Posted February 13, 2007

WINDERMERE -- -The Windermere Town Council will consider tonight a proposed ordinance that would limit residential structures to no taller than 2 1/2 stories or 35 feet. It would restrict the floor area of a building to no more than 38 percent of the total size of the property.

Proponents say the ordinance is needed to help Windermere keep its small, Old Florida look in an era of ever-larger mansions.

Kinda sounds like they are a little late in stopping the mansion craze over there. And if someone buys a huge lot, the house can be huge as well anyway. If they want to limit the size of homes, they need to say no more than xx,xxx or probably x,xxx sq. ft.

[corpkid]

That has to be one of the finer Publix stores in Central Florida. Groceries aside, there is a lot of talent walking around that place at 6:00pm or so.

That goes for BOTH sides of the fence! That's my favorite grocery store, hands down.