That Crazy Guy

A sign by the entrance to the existing tower said that the building would be 32 floors. Right now it looks as though its on level 12 or so. Point Orlando is about a 5 minute walk from the construction site. Just think of what this is going to do for the shops and restaurants along I-Drive once this and Hilton open. With another 2000+ rooms, on sell-out nights that corner will be packing in an extra six-to-ten thousand people.

Peabody Rising

Found this is an email yesterday. Dear Community Leader: You will recall that the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenues that are such an important part of our Community Venues financing plan are down substantially, with projections showing continued decline throughout this year. This decrease in our funding options couldn't come at a worse time. Just as we are experiencing with the construction of the Events Center, the construction of the performing arts center and renovation of the Citrus Bowl will provide a needed economic boost for our local economy. In fact, construction of the performing arts center alone will generate 4,000 jobs and provide $244 million for our community. We're continuing to work on solutions. At Monday's City Council meeting, the Orlando City Council acquired two parcels of land from the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center (DPAC), as a part of our original venues development and construction plan. This acquisition is a part of the project's original budget, will be paid for by non-general fund revenues, and allows the City to consolidate ownership of the performing arts center site. This acquisition allows DPAC to move forward with its design and complete construction drawings. Once the plans are complete, we will be able to evaluate the TDT, along with other public and private financing available to support the total project costs at the point of groundbreaking. Our City is facing the same financial challenges as is the rest of the country, so it's important to re-emphasize that the funding for the acquisition of this land was included in the original project budget for the Community Venues, doesn't increase the project's cost, and doesn't come from our general fund. We are still evaluating funding alternatives for the Citrus Bowl renovations. We continue to work with the Citrus Bowl design team and Florida Citrus Sports to identify moderate structural upgrades that will allow the Citrus Bowl to remain competitive in attracting world-class events and Bowl Games. I appreciate your continued support as we work to build three world-class Community Venues for our region. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Buddy Dyer

Frank Lloyd Wright designed it in the 1930's. The budget was 1 million, but they ended up spending about 20. The lower terrace is a balcony that connects to the main living room. It's a very cool view looking down at the water fall. One of main challenges for Frank Lloyd Wright was to keep the house cool during the summer time with no electricity. He designed a staircase from the main living room all the way down to the river. At the base of the staircase is a screen door which pulls the breeze from off the river. The breeze flows up the stairwell and cools the living room. A very impressive feat.

Peobody is now going vertical.

Hilton

The news is reporting the cost of the venue to be 380 million. Wasn't it origanally reported to be 485 million?

This was one of the more impressive proposals in the tourist area. website

Part of the reason why certain items are so expensive I think is due to the fact that they have so much on site preparation of food. When I passed by the right side of the store I could see back into the kitchen area and there must be at least 30 or so cooks preparing foods. A regular store probably doesn't have nearly the size staff that they do. Their labor costs are probably their justification for charging what they do. I still think that certain aspects of the store make it worth shopping there. Yes, you can get some of the same things at other places for a lot less, but the selection of items compared to other places doesn't compare. I didn't notice the lack of chocolate compared to the WP store, but I did notice the lack of bread. They did have a bakery where you could order fresh bread, but there wasn't much pre packaged bread. The WP store has a lot more than this place, which is surprising considering how much larger it is. All in all I guess it depends on how close you live to the store. If your a fan of Whole Foods you will shop at either one. I for one will shop at this one due to the fact that I live a little closer to it than the WP store.

I think the Whole Foods on Turkey Lake was supposed to open yesterday. Does anyone know if the other stores in that shopping center have opened yet?

I drove by the site yesterday to see if anything was going on. It was very difficult to see because I-drive is lower than the embankment where there supposed to be working. There is also a fence around the lot that further obstructs the view. There is definitely some activity going on though. Dirt being moved, heavy machinery, etcetera...

Anyone have any updated information on when the Whole Foods at Sand Lake is supposed to open?

Wasn't that the 500 foot proposal? If they use the same blueprint for the 35 story design the math would put it at around 437.5

Ya I noticed those swing cranes at the Hilton site. Are they going to construct the whole project with those things? December is coming to the end. What's going on with Peabody?