wally2169

You're absolutely right, the days of stadium concerts are gone Think about it, who could pull off a stadium show these days anyway? Rolling Stones, maybe Madonna, maybe U2, maybe Ozzfest Otherwise, nobody else can With the loss of UCF, the monster truck shows will be the only true rage I highly doubt WrestleMania will be held in Orlando every year and the Vikings, Bills and Chargers are not looking to relocate here that I know of The money should absolutely be poured into the arena and PAC, they are the only good risk that will come out of it

Doug Guetzloe has officially been arrested and indicted on charges stemming from testimony he provided in the Expressway Authority scandal This is a joyous event all Orlando residents can celebrate! The man has been a thorn in the side of every civic leader who ahs tried to get anything done for the past decade He prevented Mobility 20/20 (which I thought was a good idea) from advancing I-4 into a mega road through downtown that would relieve much of the traffic on the interstate and the 408 in the long term He could very well have fought the OPAC/Arena/Citrus Bowl intiiative had he not been weakened this past fall Serves him right Guetzloe has been the eptiome of all that is corrupt and arrogant for the region for far too long The reign of terror is coming to an end

Considering the fact that there is much debate and controversy over the new arena, PAC and stadium renovations based on the supposed fact that there is a decline in tourism that might lead to a tax inflow issue, is this in fact true? Has attendance here really dipped low enough that hoteliers and county officials are worried about the income that will come in based on the tax? Considering all the new hotel projects coming, is the dip an exaggeration or a valid concern?

Very nice shots, well done These photos help remind me just how beautiful of a city Orlando truly is I'm especially glad you got those shots of the Star Tower and the Lexington, both are coming along magnificently

Great, this is all we need

Wow This is the best photo yet

That's an awesome photo from the air Looks like we got us a revitalized church street coming

I was under the impression the sheer size and design of the new arena would make it the biggest in the league if not the whole country Is that right?

Gotcha

Ok, so when will the arena start breaking ground?

Am I to assume the CNL parking garage or the Citrus Center/Signature Plaza/ Lincoln Plaza parking garages will not accomodate these people during non-business hours? Aren't those garages similar to Suntrust, where workers and non-workers park but have to pay to do so? I would believe that there is ample parking in those areas unless it is not allowed after business hours

This really pisses me off All the reason why we should A.) dump the Citrus Bowl renovation or B.) have increased the tax a little more It's my understanding and correct me if I'm wrong because I cannot look on the prior pages of this thread to confirm or not, the increase was either 1/2 cent increase or 1 cent increase Would it not have been better if it was 1 1/2 cent or 2 cent increase instead? This would allow not only the PAC or Arena to be built with no issue but would allow the Citrus Bowl to be reonvated to such a large degree that it would give Raymond James Stadium or Alltel some major competition with regards to being the best in the state I don't think such an increase would have been unreasonable, the tourists will come regardless of our tax stucture, they would be frightened off by the rising park prices more than anything else Pity really, a little more and we could have done so much more

I personally think TT is slightly more of an important project because it is of an opulent nature and will be perhaps the gateway to Lake Eola, more so than the VUE, Dynetech or Rosalind I think the fact it appears that TT has flexed major muscle to keep 205/215 from being approved by the MPB is indicative of the influence this project has If anything, Verde is of major importance for the sake of Uptown, this project will probably determine if the Flatiron, North Orange, Sky, etc get built so I say bring and bring it soon The start of this has been delayed way too long and I'm getting quite concerned

Sad to say, they are not kidding I guess it's a sign of the times that raising the tolls is the only way the Expressway Authority can really shut Geotzloe up I hope for our sake these added revenues will bring a hell of a lot more roads to help with the traffic Knowing our luck, these new roads will be heavily tolled also Such as life

I love these recent pictures This place is so amazing I can't believe this used to be a rotted out ghetto, a shell of what once was Kudos to Kuhn Kudos to Dyer Thank god someone like Dyer stood up to the preservation board and made it happen

For what it's worth, I have always appreciated the info you have put up on the board in the past I'm sure it's not been easy to dispense this info in light of confidentiality clauses these days Don't mind the bickering of a few that haven't appreciated it We welcome you back with open arms and look forward to any other new info you have

I am foaming at the mouth as we speak This is way too cool

These are great photos, regardless of the digital quality issue It's so hard to believe that as recently as a year ago, we were decrying this place, saying it's been a waste of time, a wasted opportunity, a terrible business model compared to the VUE and PTP Just look at it now, so beautiful a sight to see it slowly rising towards the sky It's all worth it guys, we're about to have an amazing downtown I do have to agree with the guy from the prior post about the nostalgia factor of what once was As a past frequent guest of Pizzeria Uno, Jungle Jim's and most importantly, Howl at the Moon, I can't help but weep a little for those old days of Chruch Street Station and just how good I felt being there whenever I could Having said that, what is coming and what it will eventually bring to downtown is a wonderful thing and I am thrilled beyond words over this Times change and finally, at long last, downtown Orlando is changing with the times and it is finally for the better Viva 55 West!!!!

I would gladly take the 49ers in spite of how much they suck right now A crappy, losing team is better than no team Can always bring Spurrier back to coach them Oh well, wonderful 10 second dream

Man, don't I wish

What is happening on the other side of Chruch Street? For many months, they had this entire area blocked off to what I assume was a renovation to complement the Esplanade when all is done Has the other side of the street progressed or is that in some kind of limbo like delay waiting for the tower to catch up?

They never can

Word dude

Awesome website with all 3 projects Loved the interactive vieos Is there any site out there that has any interactive computer generated image of the new PAC at all?

Sorry, anyone got any updated photos of both the Federal Courthouse and the Lexington?