Other Metro Area Projects

[HankStrong]

Put a Ye Olde 7 of the 11 in the lobby?

[dcluley98]

VII-XI

[dcluley98]

So Amazon released short list for HQ2 cities. We didn't make the cut: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-18/amazon-narrows-field-for-second-headquarters-location-to-20

- Atlanta
- Austin, Texas
- Boston,
- Chicago
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas
- Denver
- Indianapolis
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Montgomery County, Maryland
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Newark, New Jersey
- New York
- Northern Virginia
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Toronto
- Washington D.C.

[JFW657]

The fools.

Their loss. 

[orange87]

1 hour ago, dcluley98 said:

So Amazon released short list for HQ2 cities. We didn't make the cut: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-18/amazon-narrows-field-for-second-headquarters-location-to-20

- Atlanta
- Austin, Texas
- Boston,
- Chicago
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas
- Denver
- Indianapolis
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Montgomery County, Maryland
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Newark, New Jersey
- New York
- Northern Virginia
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Toronto
- Washington D.C.

Would still be cool to have Amazon in Florida regardless, so I guess I'll be rooting for Miami.

Edited January 18, 2018 by orange87

[klstorey]

"Economic leaders in Orlando said the region continues to struggle to put together a cohesive pitch that clearly defines the region’s strengths, which include a deep tech talent pool and available land. That’s a problem they say likely contributed to failing to make the cut."  - Orlando Sentinel - Orlando leaders: Amazon cut shows need to refine pitch

I think this is key. Yes, we didn't get HQ2 but I think this showed a few important ways local leaders can improve how they work together. We've done a lot of good some areas but at times it feels like Osceola, Seminole, and Orange/Orlando act like there are walls between them, not even mentioning what the other counties are doing. Orange and Orlando great but they need to pull in Seminole and Osceola more. 

Ironically, the one area they seem to work best together is in one that I think likely leads the pack in reasons why we didn't HQ2; transportation.  Amazon stated one of the things the location must have is; "Direct access to rail, train, subway/metro, bus routes." Yes, we have bus routes but even that is stretching it when you're talking about a place like Lake Nona,  NeoCity, or anywhere large enough for this in Seminole County. (Going back to my original point I'm still not sure how Lake Nona, the Creative Village, and NeoCity aren't competing with each other.) Yes, when looking at how Tampa is struggling with mass transit it makes Lynx and SunRail look like a dream come true but we've got so far to go. SunRail is great but anyone who tries to ride it on a regular basis knows how it easy it is to go. We need multiple lines in multiple directions connecting the region. NeoCity and Lake Nona need transit beyond buses connecting to downtown and MCO, if for nothing else than the psychological factor. 

Personally, I'm hoping the Disney gondolas cause Orange County to dust off its discussions of that along Hwy 50 from UCF to downtown. I'm not sure what it will be but we need start moving forward with our post-SunRail connections for the region. 

Off topic (well, kinda on it) but my dream location for HQ2 was the fairgrounds on 50 in/near Pine Hills. I know I've praised this location for the village every time any Olympic bid discussions happen on here but this large tract of land seems ripe for a huge development. I understand that the fairgrounds is a money maker but I'm not convinced that is worth it. It seems the largest percentage of renters are gun shows, something that Pine Hills could probably do without, and concerts. Honestly, it might be cool for the development there to host concerts, even of the size its currently bringing in, if it had well-connected transportation. Plus we have the Citrus Bowl/Tinker Field (literally a 'field' nowadays) that is nearby and probably more than willing to host the concerts that the fairgrounds has). It'd even be easy to expand the fairgrounds redevelopment by cobbling together some of the nearly dead strip malls and car lots that sit nearby. The biggest thing holding it back IMO is the lack of meaningful transportation downtown. Gondolas, tram, Lymmo style bus dedicated lanes, just something that signals a reliable connection between the fairgrounds and downtown. 

Edited January 19, 2018 by klstorey

[Dale]

"Direct access to rail, train, subway/metro, bus routes.",  fails to explain why Columbus, Indy, Raleigh, etc., made the cut.

[sunshine]

I never been to Columbus, Indy & Raleigh. But looking at the list, Orlando is lacking behind 95% of the cities on the list in term of urbanization.  You are asking Amazon to buy into potentials with Creative City that barely get started after 10 years,  a rail line that goes nowhere, and Neocity + Lake Nona (giant suburb). Most of the cities on the list already has those available. The entire medical city should be in downtown. Lake Nona could be something special but now it just looks like a Tavistock giant suburban pet project.

 

DC area has three candidates and New York area has two.  Hopefully this will give the city leaders some incentives to step up the game. I do hope that Miami get it.

 

 

[HankStrong]

2 hours ago, Dale said:

"Direct access to rail, train, subway/metro, bus routes.",  fails to explain why Columbus, Indy, Raleigh, etc., made the cut.

No subways, but both Indy & Columbus have excellent road systems.  True circle freeways with laterals that actually go places.  It's very easy to get around either city.

[Dale]

33 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

No subways, but both Indy & Columbus have excellent road systems.  True circle freeways with laterals that actually go places.  It's very easy to get around either city.

Less populous, slower growth, hence less congestion. But road and highway conditions nowhere near Orlando's, which has the best I've ever driven on.

[dcluley98]

I think that Atlanta and Boston are front-runners. However, it probably all depends on how much money the cities will be willing to throw at them with incentives, etc. I really don't mind we didn't get listed because I feel that this whole process is capitalism at it's worst, and the effects that this project will have on the city they pick will be profound, with many of the consequences not being in a good way. It is such a huge project that people really aren't sure of what all the effects will be for the area that is selected.  I would rather have solid, organic growth, and investments in our infrastructure than this mega-project any day. See this article for a thought-provoking discussion of some of the effects this project will have: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-myth-leads-cities-to-scramble-for-hq2-2018-1

 

[sunshine]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

Less populous, slower growth, hence less congestion. But road and highway conditions nowhere near Orlando's, which has the best I've ever driven on.

Did u drive on I-4 lately?

[alex]

4 hours ago, sunshine said:

...You are asking Amazon to buy into potentials with Creative City that barely get started after 10 years...

Miami also has the Innovation District, which is similar to Creative Village. Maybe less education-focused, but same idea: a bunch of downtown-adjacent parcels ready for high-density tech-related development. Except that these parcels are surrounded by MetroRail, MetroMover, Brightline, and the Miami World Center development.

[sunshine]

It all went back to Orlando shot themselves in the foot for rejecting the light rails.

[spenser1058]

9 minutes ago, sunshine said:

It all went back to Orlando shot themselves in the foot for rejecting the light rails.

For which we will remember Clarence Hoenstine for his Profile In Courage forever!

[JFW657]

Personally, I'm glad we didn't get it and was kinda hoping we wouldn't.

I want to see all or most of the development downtown and the surrounding core metro area.

We don't need the extra sprawl something like that would have triggered.

[Dale]

4 hours ago, sunshine said:

Did u drive on I-4 lately?

Sure, but it's u/c. It will be the most spectacular highway on the planet when completed.

[HankStrong]

On ‎1‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 5:42 PM, Dale said:

Sure, but it's u/c. It will be the most spectacular highway on the planet when completed.

Always with the jokes!

[Dale]

14 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

Always with the jokes!

Somebody's trying to settle an old score.

[orange87]

I'm very excited about this project. I think Sanford's downtown has so much potential.

 

[codypet]

I lived in a Raleigh for a few years and worked on their rail improvement project.  They have a mini tech hub but an Amazon HQ would devastate Raliegh/Durham.  They're very much small town feels.  Any organic growth they would have would die due to high rents pushing everything out to the suburbs.

[RedStar25]

I'm kinda shocked that the First Church of Christ Scientist, Winter Park, is being demolished. 

[spenser1058]

6 minutes ago, RedStar25 said:

I'm kinda shocked that the First Church of Christ Scientist, Winter Park, is being demolished. 

I did hate to lose that one but, as usual, Jerry Maguire style, it's all about "show me the MONEY!"

[prahaboheme]

2 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

I did hate to lose that one but, as usual, Jerry Maguire style, it's all about "show me the MONEY!"

Exactly. It's important to state that the church is demolishing their own building to partner with a developer on luxury townhomes.

[prahaboheme]

As a follow up, while I think it's a nice building, I agree with the commissioners that this is a net gain for the community. 

The church will retain their presence in a new structure and WP will add increased residential density. The architectural group behind the new development has a good track record of quality design.

WP continues to retain its charm without becoming stagnant. Hopefully this continues.