klstorey

Here are some photos I took last week of the newly reopened sidewalks.

The silt fencing is now gone. I guess it was there for the Olympic trials. The Orlando Sentinel surface lot, used as parking for Society Orlando construction crews, still has its black mesh fencing up.

After a yummy lunch at Fratelli's on Monday I got these pics. Looked the same yesterday when I walked by.

New construction style silt fence on the +1 site at the southeast corner of Orange and Livingston. I hadn't seen any talk of that project being revived. Anyone know what the new fencing is for?

Kia Center isn't bad. Forgettable but not bad. Could've been much worse. IMHO it's an upgrade over Amway. The name is good but I was pleased to see the announcement also included adding more car chargers. FWIW, I was car shopping recently and had a surprising number of friends say they were happy with their Kias. I ended up deciding to wait until there's more hybrids or a better charging network.

I have indeed taken a new job and had to step away from my writing at OW. I'm working for a local planning agency now, in the communication department. It's a perfect blend of my two interests. I still contribute some to Halldale Group's military and aviation magazines but since I'm now working in local planning I've stepped away from covering anything within the region.

So some interesting random Orlando connections. Oral Roberts' third president, and the first not in the family, was Dr. Mark Rutland. Prior to leading Oral Roberts, he was the President of Southeastern University in Lakeland. Prior to that, he was the Senior Pastor at Calvary Assembly (the glass one in Winter Park beside I-4). Calvary Assembly is where he really sharpened his skills, helping saving the church from financial ruin. He then did the same turnaround at SEU and then ORU. Another little tidbit, one of the founders of SEU (when it was still located in Alabama) was Edgar W. Bethany. His daughter was Jan Crouch, the co-founder of TBN made famous by her pink hair and her unique style best showcased at the now defunct Holy Land Experience. Just like Kevin Bacon, Orlando is never too far removed from any topic.

This slide from their 2015 Manby era investor call still seems like a great plan IMO. The most intriguing part of it isn't the SeaWorld parking lot but the hotel encircling Discovery Cove. I could easily see some Poly style bungalows going in there and blowing every other resort out of the water for beauty and experience. I could even see them reworking DC to be a part of a large resort, à la Atlantis. I do think the SeaWorld parking lot and the upper left yellow resort area should be flipped. I think something more in line with the old Hetzel entrance project would be perfect for today's SeaWorld. But I'd swap those surface lots for more resorts and a small retail complex, maybe even space for a couple of midway style attractions similar to the ones they were rumored to be looking at for China. I'm proud of SeaWorld. As the only true Orlando based theme park company, I think its important to see them succeed. They're a nice balance from the other large attractions in the area.

I'll drop these here versus in the SunRail board as I'm mostly focused on the area around the station. On my way out of Deland the other day I stopped by the train station to check out their future SunRail stop. There's some growth in the area but nothing too big just yet. This area feels so disconnected from Deland. I'm hoping they develop some type of trolley connecting the fish camps on the St. John's to this station and then to downtown. I think the St. John's fish camps are crucial as the region is starting to see more interest in river cruises. I could see river cruises disembarking at the camps and then having some type of unique transit option linking them to downtown. It would only make sense to then also include the SunRail Station. The Deland Station needs a lot of TLC before it can handle any crowds. The parking is very limited but there did seem to be a few cars parked long-term there, I guess it's ok to leave a car here if you take Amtrak? The Station itself has a lot of character. I hope this building is restored. The biggest issue IMO is the electrical, which seems to be slowly covering every wall. There's some noticeable water damage on the building too and I'm not sure if these railings are really all that safe. They looked pretty beat up. I love this awning. Whatever they do with this station, I hope this stays!! The area around the station is pretty dead. I can't imagine any type of traffic using these roads on a regular basis. This area needs major updates before it could handle SunRail crowds. I did notice a few new housing developments, albeit very small ones, not too far from here. Just across the train tracks on the north side of New York Ave is this lot. It had some activity on it. IDK what's going on with this site but it would make the most sense for parking and an expansion of the station. On the southern side of the Old New York and on the same side of the tracks as the parcel above is this beauty. This building could easily be preserved and turned into a small cafe or store. Seems like a great place for train passengers to visit. On the same side of the tracks as the station is this biker bar. It was the only thing open in the area. I didn't venture inside as it looked a bit rough. The station does a taxi area. This could easily be used once SunRail comes. I love this park area at the entrance of the station. The gazebo was nice. I hope this greenspace is preserved and improved ahead of SunRail. I really hope they don't destroy this for parking or something.

I was walking around North Quarter on Thursday just before the rain began. At I-4 and Lake Ivanhoe, the beacons are being installed for the I-4 Ultimate. The park in front of the future Holocaust Museum is nice and green despite all the nearby construction. I know the park isn't part of the museum, but I assume the museum's design will take full advantage of the park and the park will see an increase in use. I hope this tree is saved. I'm also curious what will happen to these markers. It looks like some have already been removed. No noticable signs of its pending doom on the building. Such a shame more of this stunning building can't be saved and reused in the new museum. On Orange Ave, the new multi-use trail is coming along. This will really activate this neighborhood. The other side of Orange is already busier than it looks when passing in a car. One thing I noticed while in the area was this massive retention pond between Orange Ave and I-4. From my rough estimates, it's around 2 acres in size. I'd love to see this space reclaimed somehow. My first instinct is a boardwalk with some large sculptures on pedestals. It could also link up with the multi-use trail just on the other side of the train tracks. Thankfully, this amazing retro building was saved. Finally, just across I-4 is a new park. It has no signage on what it's named or anything. But this is where the art piece the City got from I-4 Ultimate is going. The pad is being prepped. Once the piece is installed, I'm really curious how it'll look against the bike bridge behind it when viewed from I-4. Also, speaking of ways to increase park acreage in this area, this section of road is no longer active thanks to I-4. I'd love to see it integrated into the park area next to it. It could allow for a nice size pocket park for this neighborhood. Finally, any hope that we ever get the artwork back on these frames? I loved the retro postcards but there's so many opportunities for art pieces here.

I work not far from this corner. It gets surprisingly busy around lunchtime but many of the spots close early so even at 5 PM it can be hard to find something more than 7-11. I think once Society opens, Livingston will become a popular street. From Creative Village and Bob Carr, past Ace Cafe, and up to Radius. That's a great few blocks. Hopefully, more places will stay open. Especially Dunkin, I need my evening coffee fix!! The next big plot I'm watching in downtown is the Sentinel site. Whatever goes in there will have a big impact on Livingston and Magnolia but I agree that this area is often overlooked but is one of the more vibrant areas in downtown now.

I gotta disagree here. While I'm not a fan of the downtown bar scene and will likely not ever visit this spot, I do appreciate the uniqueness it offers. It seems to lean heavily on the history of the location. I hope the Angebilt will eventually get its great rooftop sign replaced. It could really add a nice pop of neon to the skyline. This also seems to be less of a party place than what downtown has seen. I think a few after work drinking spots would be nice. I used to work out of the coworking space in the Angebilt and honestly there's not that many clean places downtown to grab a drink with a coworker unless you want loud DJs and shots. Also, FWIW, I was on Church Street Friday night (for Whiskey Business). There's still noticeably fewer partygoers out in Orlando on a Friday night than a few years ago. With so many spots on Church and Orange still vacant, I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise but even at 10 PM the sidewalks were walkable, which on a Friday night a few years back wouldn't have been the case.

I believe the ones in Maitland have been installed and are operational but many of the others have yet to receive their decorative lighting elements. I hope these aren't budgeted out, I think the visual elements really add something to the communities along the road. The pillars are to feature multiple lighting elements, hopefully they remain well maintained in the coming years as well. There seems to be a lot of little things left along the project. I'm expecting at least another few months to clean up everything. I've noticed the site is prepped for the sculpture in downtown, I believe this is the final piece of large artwork planned for the corridor. Beyond the lighting and landscaping, any other big elements yet to be finished on the project? It should be noted the Beyond the Ultimate looks to have kept the lighted pillars but with a slightly updated design.

Thanks for the link love! I tried my best to nail down some specifics from Ruth's Chris for the piece but they're just not ready to talk. With the HQ in the same complex, I have to assume this will be a flagship location. Casto also declined to share any details on the artwork planned for the complex so take all those sculptures and such in the renderings with a grain of salt. About 20 years ago, just after the complex opened, Casto tried to add a parking garage just north of the Cheesecake Factory building, wrapped with apartments but couldn't ever come to an agreement with the city on the plan. I wouldn't be surprised to see that dusted off if this update proves popular. I'm still sad that the plaza across the street wasn't reworked into an urban village when it was remodeled a few years back. Together, these two could really create a nice urban village for that area.

New Marriott Vacations HQ but a hotel will also be included in it. City Center at O-Town West. A new Zen Hotel and some outparcels also included on that site.