smileguy

It looks like the Plaza wants to put a 400sft video board on the South tower facing Orange Avenue. Here's what I can pull out of the Historic Preservation Board staff report. The applicant (RP Realty Partners) is requesting a Major Certificate of Appropriateness to install a digital screen on the curved façade of the south tower generally facing Orange Avenue. The sign is proposed to be mounted on the south and is centered on two of the columns and mounted 29’-3” above the ground.. The sign is supported by steel arms that are connected to steel support columns that are mounted to concrete beams above and below. The southern tree partially blocks the view of the area of the proposed sign and the proposal shows that the tree will be trimmed. What do you think: Staff is suggesting denial of this application mostly due the following clause in the downtown Special Signage District. Digital screens must be flush with the building façade, architecturally integrated into the building onto which it is affixed, and oriented towards the pedestrian and not passing motorists.

Don't worry - I am sure 2 or 3 will spring up to replace it.

Baby Grands appeared to be closed (bar equipment gone in the bar against the window) last night when I walked by to check out Mad Cow construction (demolition is underway.) Anyone know more on BG?

It looks like West Church St. is getting some streetscape upgrades between Amway and the Citrus Bowl. This seems to include BRT lanes that are not in the current expansion phases. Any thoughts on that? From the City Council item - "The project includes upgrades to the existing pavement sections, widening sidewalks on both sides, new street lighting, undergrounding existing overhead utilities, a faux bridge at the new Parramore Heritage Park, upgrades to stormwater collection systems, intersection signalization upgrades, future "Lymmo" type service lanes to the Citrus Bowl, landscaping and irrigation and other aesthetic improvements."

I blame Downtown Steve's comment on here for Subway!

That's how it seems to me, too. The site is awfully small for a 10-story building, don't you think, even if they use all the space from Hughey to the hotel. I think it will be some visual interest (and god-forbid private development) on the West of I-4. Can't wait to see plans!

For this, it's a former gas station site... I think it is part of de-contaminating the ground. There have been pipes coming out of the ground there for months.

Mad Cow Theatre announces $400K donation from Harriett Lake and construction update http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/os-mad-cow-theatre-new-facility-20111212,0,7873641.story Some pretty strong numbers here for the past 10 years... its stability like this that we need more of. Mad Cow currently hosts 12,000 to 15,000 patrons at more than 200 performances and events annually. With an estimated economic impact of $1.2 million each year in direct and event-related spending, Mad Cow and its patrons support an estimated 35 FTE jobs.

In the December LYNX service changes, link 30, which currently runs from UCF to Winter Garden Village, mostly along Colonial, will be broken into 2 routes - one east of Downtown and the other west of Downtown. The interesting part is that from the lynx station to Semoran in the east and to Hiawassee to the West, the routes will run on the "fast link" model they have been using on a few major routes. It is modified express service, so - going east - there will only be stops at Fashion Square and 436 - then it will pick up regular service.

Gibby - hope this helps. I got an update on this yesterday from Laura Minns from Lynx. The E/W corridor starts (if you will) at Central and Garland and heads East on Central to Summerlin. Then it turns south, and back west on Church St to Rosalind, then West on South St. (with stops @ Sunrail and SW corner of Amway) Turns North on Terry back to Church (CityView) and takes Church to Westmoreland, back to Central, and to Hughey. THere are 3 alternates between Central & Hughey and Central & Garland - Central, Pine, and Bob Snow. At least 50% of this system is planned to be fixed guideway/dedicated lane. That may be why they are taking it so far west, to increase that ratio (its a funding requirement). The parts that aren't fixed-guideway will still have signal priority.

FantasyLand is not a professional company like Drip is. Its a community theatre with unpaid actors. I'm not a professional reviewer, so I'll withhold my commentary on the quality of the work, but I think focusing on the quality, professional companies downtown is where the arts can thrive... unless a theatre of similar quality opens in the tourist corridor.

What kind of retail do creative firms need? Will there be an opportunity for a small print shop? The shop next to the Grand Bohemian and the one where Mad Cow Theater is are gone - I think Triangle on Gore does a lot of large-format for people.. with office printers improving, will there be a need for this? There is Sir Speedy and Fedex/Kinkos, but they provide very basic service. Eateries, as you said, are a natural need. Bike shop, possibly - for service/repair of creative-class cyclists - accessible to the Orlando Urban Trail, as well... however that progresses. I would love to see an art gallery or two with accessible works and prices/prints. I know its not on the map right now, but what about a pure-play children's museum on a park? This would provide a steady stream of families on weekends and help energize the spaces - if done early enough, it could be a selling point for other development.

They also launched a mobile version of the website (some of the HTML schedules are still inaccurate, though.) The Google integration will help increase ridership in new demographics. For those with cars and other modes of transportation who would like to ride, I think route planning can be a barrier to entry to riding public transportation. Now having it on their cell phone in the same format - google maps - they use for other directions and navigation will make it easier to ride. The express routes up 17-92, etc. should broaden this appeal to those who don't live as close to downtown.

I think if they were going to extend past the Convention Center, going all the way to Universal would be the next choice for a terminal. And of course a stop at Sand Lake & Orange!

Chase is going to open a branch on Magnolia and bought naming rights to the building. http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2011/10/18/the-plaza-to-get-chase-bank-branch.html?ed=2011-10-18&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Did anyone attend?

I think there would need to be another set of tracks and platform for when an OBX and Sunrail train are both at the same stop. Being a terminus for OBX, the time at the stop would likely to be longer waiting until its next schedule.

Can it pull onto the track going South, then switch directions and pull backwards into LCS? I know the Amtrak does this in Tampa, and these trains will be much shorter and more agile. I think there is a chiller plant or something right there at Garland and Robinson where the track would have to be laid to make a Northward turn. I also feel the LCS Sunrail station would have to have additional platforms if this was going to happen, which I haven't seen in the plan. Would it make sense just to add another platform and rails now? Since they would really be a terminus for the line, the track wouldn't have to extend past Amelia.

The OBJ article says this project would talk up the entire block - does this mean a new Police HQ - if so, is there somewhere downtown for it to be built, and will the Magic pay for that? Also, what happened to the idea of revitalizing Church Street east of I-4? It seems that this would put that energy into the new development.

I have a plot in the Festival Park garden. I'd say there are about 30 plots and we have a could of shared citrus trees. That garden, along with Paramore and Nap Ford School were initiatives of UCF/Get Active Orlando. A year after they were open, each garden spun off to be its own entity with a board, etc.

still part of the foundation. sheet piling. 40 ft high, 8 ft wide giant metal sheets driven into the ground.

still part of the foundation. sheet piling. 40 ft high, 8 ft wide giant metal sheets driven into the ground.

I was thinking about this yesterday - is there a reason to expand the BRT to these areas? South Orange is served by several regular LYNX routes, and there is service every 15 minutes along N. Orange to Florida Hospital. I wonder what the difference in cost and efficacy would be of instituting a fare-free zone for LYNX busses in a certain area. maybe from Michigan to Rollins along Orange Avenue and within the CBD/Thornton Park/ South Eola district? Adding these services - with equipment and operators - for the North, South, and East/West Lymmo expansions has to be quite costly. I know the Paramore expansion, and I believe the current "base" Lymmo route are partially funded through federal grants. Maybe these new lines are being put in place to leverage further federal funding.

There is a neighborhood meeting for the that extension tomorrow (Monday, 8/29) evening. www.lymmostudy.com has all the info. If I am able to make the meeting, I will ask about funding and timeline and post what i can find out. Here is a survey where you can have input on the alignment. http://lymmostudy.com/survey_north-south.php Here are the alternatives. North Alignments I personally like Alt. D here, because it includes both College Park and Mills Park, but either route will bring you from DT to Florida Hospital. South Alignments

Great ideas, Steve. I would also be concerned about bikes piling up at certain locations - for example, will everyone try to ride them to Amway Center from their neighborhoods and then either A) run out of spaces at the station or B) have the bikes stay there when these people do something else downtown or take a cab home. Is there a circulation issue where bikes wouldn't be returned? How do other systems deal with this?