alex

"The three-tower project that would have assisted-living residences, an urgent-care facility and other connected medical facilities now will add a stroke rehabilitation center to the plans for the project that's going to be breaking ground next year... ...An exact location, about 1.4 acres for the roughly 2 million-square-foot Vertical Medical City project, has yet to be determined. Ponte previously said she was considering what's currently a surface parking lot at 110 W. Jefferson St. for the project. When asked if she was still interested in the site, she said is keeping her options open... ...Despite the land not being secured yet, the project currently is awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Authority, as its tallest building of the three, the non-critical care tower, is about 100 feet higher than the 441-foot, 30-story SunTrust Center — downtown's tallest skyscraper to date... ...With a projected 2019 groundbreaking date, Ponte expects the project to be completed and operational by 2023." HMMM... can you get FAA approval without a specific site, or do they have multiple sites picked out? Also, to go from a conceptual plan that isn't tied to a site to construction in a year seems unrealistic.

The library has its own little used bookstore, but not many people seem to know about it. Would be nice to move it to an actual storefront.

That was my first reaction, but then I saw the small rectangle south of where the church sits now. Maybe the idea is to move it? The plan stretches over 10 acres and is supposed to include mixed-use buildings and affordable housing. Here's a 3D view from the article: That said, the article makes it sound like the plan is very unlikely to succeed, with a dozen different land owners—one of them being the owners of 532 W Church St, where that restaurant is planned.

Saw that this morning. Soil boring?

"According to a statement from MASL, the team's name was chosen from a list of 2,800 user-submitted ideas. 'Our sea wolf is perfectly at home on land, but can kick it with the gators, too,' said SeaWolves General Manager Chris Kokalis." (Orlando Weekly) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Looks like Orlando (or, rather, Kissimmee) just got a new sports team: ORLANDO AWARDED MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE FRANCHISE

A whole corridor of MU (Medium Intensity Mixed Use Corridor District) and AC-2 (Urban Activity Center District) zoning, and all landowners can come up with are one-story strip malls and drive-throughs.

Art panels are going up on the north side starting yesterday:

They have some great examples of green walls and plant features that look nice (like Madrid and Miami, below). But this proposal...is not one of them.

I made that CV map Friday afternoon on the ~2016 map; when I looked today it's the new map. Must be rolling out this weekend.

I'll be honest: I skimmed that whole discussion haha. What was the final verdict?

Also, in case anyone else is like me and having trouble keeping all these projects separated, I made a quick Google Map. (Don't judge my streets, I know some of the lots are off...)

Sneaky, sneaky you guys. I wonder which project this is. The Baker Barrios website lists it as: PROJECT COMPONENTS 600 Units Food Hall Outdoor Gathering Space PROJECT SIZE 250,000 SF

NQ filling in, the Holocaust Center moving into the Chamber of Commerce building, the Urban Trail expansion, The Yard, and the potential of the old OUC building are all great reasons for a northern Lymmo expansion.

Good points. I just wish she didn't use words like "starvation" and "local business sales are suffering." Those are big, unsubstantiated claims to make only three days into the study (as @codypet pointed out). I also didn't like her "I prefer common sense solutions" statement. Is she implying that downsizing lanes, adding crosswalks, and adding bike lanes are extreme solutions...? Because those are all Urban Planning 101 strategies she should be advocating. On the positive side, two responses I've seen in the discussions about this project are that 1) as drivers get used to the new pattern, traffic flow will become smoother and 2) apparently they haven't completely adjusted the timing of the lights yet, but will do so once they get additional traffic pattern data. For what it's worth, I drove through that stretch Wednesday at 7:00PM and got through at the same speed as usual. This whole backlash looks like a classic case of keeping a giant road for two or three peak hours each day at the expense of supporting people walking or biking.

I appreciate Patty Sheehan and know she has to represent her constituents, but once again we have City Commissioners with no education in urban planning or transportation design making big statements:

Drove by yesterday and I have to say that from a pedestrian perspective, the more finished it looks, the more I like it: (Northeast corner by the library.)

Took this shot from the Orange County Courthouse yesterday, showing the student housing project (yellow crane) and the Academic Commons (blue crane): Also, poking around Miami on Google Maps, I came across a two-phased, eight-story Modera Douglas Station. I wonder if that project will be closer to what we'll get from Modera in CV:

Plus there's a fairly steep slope going up behind these buildings to the train tracks and into the development, visually adding another story to the project. It should look less looming once the buildings around it are completed and the garage is lined with apartments articulated by windows and balconies. I personally love how tall The Yard is and how it—along with Mills Park to the east—bookends Virginia. Should be a big catalyst for the area...and will hopefully prompt a Lymmo expansion soon.

As much as I love the idea of Brickell City Centre, the pedestrian experience around the perimeter isn't great, with almost now exterior windows or doors around the perimeter. I agree, @dcluley98, an urban Target here would be perfect.

I think you're describing an oligarchy...

What a mess. The podium didn't bother me as much at first: it's lined with apartments on Orange and Livingston, the back parking deck faces the railroad tracks, and the design was sleek and not overworked (like the City is now requesting). Then I saw the north elevation facing Crescent... What should be an urban "residential/retail facing residential/retail" situation is now residential/retail facing a gaping parking garage, which is unpleasant for anyone walking to the station and not to mention for people living on the south side of Crescent. (Pardon the atrocious Photoshop skills.) Both Crescent and X Orlando should have faced more of their retail inward along a narrow curbless street and topped it with residential. Could have easily been a grown-up version of Wall Street. Instead, both buildings were designed to attract national retailers who only care about average daily traffic counts, resulting in most of the retail facing a four-lane street and a courthouse plaza that everyone's too scared to hang out in.

Very improved. Wonder if we'll really get some of these retailers, like Chipotle and Starbucks...

There was talk of redevelopment back in 2014, including the massing model below, but the Orlando Sentinel's lease still has some renewals left. More here.

At the risk of starting the high-rise/mid-rise debate again, I personally wish Orlando would build out a few neighborhoods of consistently four- to ten-story buildings like Crescent or Nora. It's done wonders for places like Dallas and even Houston, making them feel like walkable cities and promoting their streetcar lines. It just feels more urban than a single 30-story tower surrounded by dilapidated one-story buildings and parking lots, and a lot more feasible than waiting on a proposed first phase of a three-phase project.