klstorey

Things are in the works. This is a big year for Orlando, from start to finish.

Dockless bikes have had many issues in other cities but I think many of those issues result from inappropriate use by users. I think we have an opportunity in Orlando to learn from cities like Beijing, LA, Houston, and Tokyo to see what works and what doesn't. The biggest issue seems to be bikes just being dropped anywhere. This tells me we need to work on better and larger bike storage options. Also, not to sound negative but I doubt Orlando will see the issues other cities have faced simply because even if bikes were free and readily available I doubt many here would choose bikes over other transit options (mostly due to weather). IMO dockless bikes could work better here than many places simply because I don't see the numbers here to make them an issue. I hope they do cause bike use to increase here and thus push the city/county even more towards helping make our community more pedestrian friendly.

I'll believe it when it opens. Right now, this seems right up there with the Vertical Medical City and the I-Drive megamall as possible but I'm not holding my breath.

A- Tom at WDWNT has great info on Epcot but hotels but other parts of WDW his track record is questionable. B- These same gondolas have worked in other areas just as hot as here with no issues due to a system to move air thru the cabins (look at the vents on the bottom of the gondolas.) I'm concerned but wont write off the system until I can actually ride the system.

I recall something about Google looking at a tech park in Sarasota. I know they have an office in Miami. I'm pretty sure Google dropped it's plans for a Central Florida office. According to this article from June, it looks like there's still hope that the tech research park is eventually developed around FPU. Honestly, as it grows I could see Florida Poly being a big competitor against UCF. Here is the original master plan. This is the one that they had the scale model for in the Polk State College board room. Sadly, the state spent all the money on having a star architect design this master plan then decided to not fund it and now we're left with one cool building, a bunch of rotting bridges, and ugly box-shaped dorm buildings. Speaking of fountains in lakes, whatever happened to the digital sign/art that was proposed for Lake Dot as part of the Creative Village development?

I know for many of us this might not be a big announcement but the match will be aired in 170 countries. 170 countries were imagery of downtown Orlando will be seen. Where our skyline will likely be shown and where our hometown soccer stadium is showcased. This could be a positive step forward for helping Orlando outside of the tourist district develop its own identity. Event by event, person by person Orlando is becoming a sports mecca and is quickly moving beyond I-Drive being the only area tourists visit.

I like taking tourists to Florida Mall vs other malls simply because of its size and unique stores (like M&M World). I think malls are great when they have destination retail that is experiential based. The worst thing that ever happened to Pointe Orlando was FAO Schwarz closing. I think Florida Mall would do great if it had some more retail of that type. I'd love to see the Bass Pro Shop move over there. I miss the surfing simulator at Florida Mall. Ironically, the type of retail currently at the mall would likely do better downtown and some of the stuff planned for downtown (like an adult-focused FEC) would do better at the mall.

Don't forget that the area around Poly was supposed to be a tech research park, fueled by the high-speed rail. Google had already committed to an office there and many of the tech companies that now calls Orlando home would've likely been based out of there instead. All of that fell through when the research park was canceled after the high-speed rail was canceled. I actually work at FSC (in one of the Wright buildings!!) twice a week and I commute to Tampa two other days a week so I pass Poly four days a week. Next exit up there's a new McDonald's but otherwise, that area has never begun the vision that was in place back when Poly was announced. The campus plan called for multiple buildings from the same architect. I saw a model of the long-term plan on display at the Polk Community College campus on 98 just south of Lakeland/north of Bartow. No idea where that model is these days or what the plan is now for the campus. The ugly, box-like dorm building wasn't part of the plan I saw. I think that was a quick build after the plans for nearby developments were canceled.

I had a friend visiting from South Korea. We passed Florida Hospital South and he asked if that was the mall. I then took him to the Florida Mall and he was severely unimpressed. I'm shocked Orlando still has no megamalls or downtown malls. There were the plans for the one west of I-4 and south of 50 but when those plans died with the Great Recession so did any hope we have had for downtown shopping. I'm curious with 100,000 sq ft of commercial in the Magic complex. I know they've hinted at an FEC like Andretti or Dave & Buster's but I think it could easily be ideal to others as well. Remember, Nike had plans pre-recession for a Nike Town in the CSS Exchange Bldg. I think a Nike Town in the Magic Complex would be a great addition to downtown. Definitely a better addition IMO than booze and sports and fake bowling.

Love this idea. I just stopped by the Winter Park Library to early vote and ended up buying three old photograph books about Orlando. I'm sure I'll end up posting some of the pics on here. There are a couple of very active and insightful Orlando history groups on Facebook. Historic Orlando III is the best one I'm in. Someone on there posted old photos, including an inside one, from the old round building from the days before the extra floors were added.

I find that these forums are usually faster and better than both. Back when I read GS they only posted like 3 stories a day, sometimes they'd go a week or more before getting anything of interest to me. My family is all in residential construction and most of the stuff they post regarding that is either old or not really that important. They do best with new businesses and big projects, like downtown towers. I personally don't think their subscription cost is worth it for the amount of news that I found relevant to my interests. I mostly read these forums via the emails and I follow a ton of local sites via Feedly. Most of the local blogs (like Bungalower, Daily City, Scott Joseph, Roger Simmons, Nonawise, and Orlando Rising) get stuff first. If you follow a bunch of them it's almost like one good paper. I agree that the quality of the content at OBJ has declined. It used to be my go-to, now it has so much fluff. Not really Orlando construction/urban planning but one great site that's well worth the subscription cost is Florida Today. One of the few magazines I almost always read cover to cover. I've been impressed by the improving quality at WMFE. They're really focusing on local news and with written articles. Lots of great talent over there that usually get overlooked because it's not print. I'm glad to see them focus more on non-audio ways to share news content. News 13 has also been steadily improving lately, especially with their theme park coverage.

News to me. And news to Seth K.

Not a jet. A Cessna 162 hobby plane for weekend fun.

My friend grabbed some shots of downtown while flying into ORL. This one really shows how the I-4/408 interchange is coming along. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Vertical Medical Village announced, "We have secured closing on both our #Downtown #Orlando and Downtown #Chicago Properties; in September/October we push MP forward into Site / Foundations Design Development for a Permit Package, to break ground on time at both locations." I know many people here don't expect it to happen and there are some red flags but it does seem to be slowly but surely moving forward. I think Lake Nona shows that Orlando can be a medical research city. VMC is relying upon medical tech and that's something that's big in this area already.

The rumors I've heard is a tower with 2 to 3 slides on it and, yes, more cabanas.

Thanks for posting my article! Yesterday after the article was published new trademarks were discovered by Universal for Epic Worlds. My guess is Epic if not Potter, Fantastic if Potter is included. As far as Star Trek is concerned, I agree that the biggest issue is getting the rights. Here's my write about Star Trek from the end of May. Ironically, the other big rumored IP for the new park is Lord of the Rings which those rights are infamously difficult to get. Honestly, right now it seems like Universal is in a holding pattern with various IPs rumored from nearly anywhere they'll fit. Fast and Furious was a flop and it seems like that's causing a lot of shifts in plans with the hope of getting an e-ticket (in the most traditional sense) fast tracked for USF. There's tons of speculation and guesswork going on. Here is a rundown of where we seem to be: What we know but Universal hasn't announced- new land replacing Kids Zone, Volcano Bay Phase 2, non-Potter updates coming to IOA, new theme park. What we don't know- timelines and IPs for each of those. We also know a Super Nintendo World is coming to Orlando but the location hasn't been confirmed by Universal. IPs that seem likely to be at Universal within the next 5-7 years- Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Jason Bourne (barf), Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Secret Life of Pets, Hello Kitty, Jurassic World.

I believe that the parking structure is for all the planned buildings, isn't it? I think there are two or three more buildings planned for the property and maybe one more parking garage. I recall seeing a site plan awhile ago but IDK where or when that was.

8 stories taller than the Hyatt Regency/Peabody. That is going to look great right there at 528 and I-4. Don't forget that connection is getting a huge redo, kinda like 408 and I-4, as part of the Beyond the Ultimate project.

Disney was a reluctant last minute addition to the original HSR system. As far as Brightline in S. FL is concerned, the HSR system had plans for essentially the same path. I don't know about you but I'd much rather be going hundreds of miles per hr vs 80 something. Naples, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville links were also in the plans. Your tax argument is moot too since the money just went to other states. I think it's important for multiple modes of transit to open along all of the Florida corridors. I'm still upset the lightrail plans linking Altamonte to I-Drive were cut out of the I-4 Ultimate plans. I understand that SunRail runs nearby but not nearby enough to have a negative impact on ridership IMO, actually the two would've probably helped each other. I think a light rail option is best between MCO and OCCC. Remember, the maglev people are still insisting their project isn't dead. They claim it's just waiting for the right politicians in Orange County. I think whatever does come should use the Lynx planned BRT on Kirkman. Linking Pine Hills, Valencia, and Universal are also important to the future of transit in the area. I'm hopeful that we'll get tons of new mass transit in the coming years, as long as we let them happen.

You're forgetting that Virgin had agreed to pay for any cost overruns. Florida is right where we began 8 years ago. The bigger concern should be ensuring the HSR pathway remains. An amendment on the ballot in November wants to remove the HSR ROW. The amendment is coupled with also removing an old law that bans Asian Americans from owning land in the state of Florida. I doubt few people would vote to allow that law to remain but I personally think it's important the HSR ROW language remains so that opportunities, such as the two currently being discussed (hyperloop and Brightline), can move forward. I think the hyperloop is a better option for Tampa to Orlando but I'd love to see both. The Brightline one hasn't given any details on what stations it'll include but I'd love to see it keep all the originally planned ones, especially the one at Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland. Don't forget that Scott's blocking of the voter approved rail system also meant Polk county never saw its planned tech park that Google and other companies were interested in. Hopefully the Brightline can help revive some of those plans.

I live in Hannibal Square in Winter Park. Honestly, I miss the crackheads. I'll take the old crackheads over all these damn hipsters that have taken over this area. The crackheads were nice and really didn't bother me outside of the occasional request for change. The hipsters will drive you over if you're not careful and dirt get me started on their impact on rental rates here. The fabric of Hannibal Square went from bohemian and unique to anywhere USA. All the cool artists and creative types moved out, now it's just rich spoiled kids and tiny dogs.

The issue with downtown Orlando is all the new stuff looks the same. Just big rectangles. The Tremont Church Street tower will help and the Vertical Medical Village will do wonders (if it gets built) but overall there's a major lack of diversity and innovation in downtown designs. We need a few big buildings of interests to help our skyline become recognizable.

Pottery Barn is on Park Ave. There used to be on at Mall at Millenia but I think that one might've closed.

I agree. The more interesting attractions in that area the better. When Phase 2 of 360 is done it'll have a good ride lineup. Skyplex will have with it the roller coaster, drop tower, zipline, observation deck, VR arcade, and retail. The next big key to this area being successful is the Sand Lake Road pedestrian bridge that will link everything. Don't forget about I-Shops either. That surface lot behind the restaurants and Walgreens is approved for a garage and the hotel there is approved for more retail and another garage. In a few years, this entire area will look completely different. It's really becoming a walkable tourist district. And that doesn't even include any of the stuff happening on Universal Blvd like Ripley's and Universal! Here's a very very old site plan for the full buildout. I think the garage was flipped and the second one added on the right side since this plan but I can't find the updated site plan. Also, the Walgreens is a bit different and the Wawa has been added to the top right. And here's a very bad image of Phase one, which we currently have.