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Do we have any idea on the location? It looks close to I-4 if this rendering is accurate. I'd love to see it actually just across I-4 but I doubt that will happen. I can't imagine a better way to pull the skyline west than this. I'm thinking it might be the parking lot between Jefferson and Washington but is that enough for 3 towers?

"Economic leaders in Orlando said the region continues to struggle to put together a cohesive pitch that clearly defines the region’s strengths, which include a deep tech talent pool and available land. That’s a problem they say likely contributed to failing to make the cut." - Orlando Sentinel - Orlando leaders: Amazon cut shows need to refine pitch I think this is key. Yes, we didn't get HQ2 but I think this showed a few important ways local leaders can improve how they work together. We've done a lot of good some areas but at times it feels like Osceola, Seminole, and Orange/Orlando act like there are walls between them, not even mentioning what the other counties are doing. Orange and Orlando great but they need to pull in Seminole and Osceola more. Ironically, the one area they seem to work best together is in one that I think likely leads the pack in reasons why we didn't HQ2; transportation. Amazon stated one of the things the location must have is; "Direct access to rail, train, subway/metro, bus routes." Yes, we have bus routes but even that is stretching it when you're talking about a place like Lake Nona, NeoCity, or anywhere large enough for this in Seminole County. (Going back to my original point I'm still not sure how Lake Nona, the Creative Village, and NeoCity aren't competing with each other.) Yes, when looking at how Tampa is struggling with mass transit it makes Lynx and SunRail look like a dream come true but we've got so far to go. SunRail is great but anyone who tries to ride it on a regular basis knows how it easy it is to go. We need multiple lines in multiple directions connecting the region. NeoCity and Lake Nona need transit beyond buses connecting to downtown and MCO, if for nothing else than the psychological factor. Personally, I'm hoping the Disney gondolas cause Orange County to dust off its discussions of that along Hwy 50 from UCF to downtown. I'm not sure what it will be but we need start moving forward with our post-SunRail connections for the region. Off topic (well, kinda on it) but my dream location for HQ2 was the fairgrounds on 50 in/near Pine Hills. I know I've praised this location for the village every time any Olympic bid discussions happen on here but this large tract of land seems ripe for a huge development. I understand that the fairgrounds is a money maker but I'm not convinced that is worth it. It seems the largest percentage of renters are gun shows, something that Pine Hills could probably do without, and concerts. Honestly, it might be cool for the development there to host concerts, even of the size its currently bringing in, if it had well-connected transportation. Plus we have the Citrus Bowl/Tinker Field (literally a 'field' nowadays) that is nearby and probably more than willing to host the concerts that the fairgrounds has). It'd even be easy to expand the fairgrounds redevelopment by cobbling together some of the nearly dead strip malls and car lots that sit nearby. The biggest thing holding it back IMO is the lack of meaningful transportation downtown. Gondolas, tram, Lymmo style bus dedicated lanes, just something that signals a reliable connection between the fairgrounds and downtown.

Very true. I meant more that I wish both projects could've been designed and done at the same time so that it had less impact on the lake and surrounding area. I agree that the other links are more important but I feel like Lake Ivanhoe needs to be better connected and updated so that it can take some of the pressure off of Lake Eola. Even moving a few events to Lake Ivanhoe would help Eola, which seems to always be under a state of setting up or breaking down from an event. It's a beautiful park but it's totally being overused IMO. I hope that the new Holocaust Center spurs on more events in that area. Another random thought, many Holocaust Centers focus not only on that event but human rights as a whole. I think the argument that the Pulse shooting was a hate crime against a specific group of people is very strong. Could it be possible to combine these two centers? I know they have very different demographics but it might be interesting to see what that would look like. The more I think about the permanent off-site Pulse memorial the more I think it needs to tell a bigger story of equality, LGBTQ/human rights, and how Pulse plays a part in that. If not combined with the Holocaust museum it might be good to have the Pulse museum nearby, possibly on the old WDBO site or the old Evans Group building. My ideal location for the off-site Pulse museum is the fire station/empty lot nearby. That station looks like its in need of an update anyways. Or the empty lot in front of the DPPAC. That site is very special and makes sense for it if it is going to be off-site.

The current building is 7,569 (nice) sq. ft., with an additional 20,000 sq. ft. that would make this Holocaust museum just a tad larger than the one in St. Pete (which is 27,000 sq. ft.) and one of the largest in the country. I'm very curious how they're going to make the addition work. My quick thought would be to use the current parking lot as the expansion area. One or two stories there would still allow the current building to tower over it and look nice and could provide a great rooftop that would be ideal for special events or a sculpture garden. I'd love to see the Ivanhoe Building mold removal finished around the same time as this opens. The Ivanhoe Bldg is perfect for a nice food hall and East End Market style retail mall. Together these two could really make North Quarter/NODO/Uptown really come alive. Too bad the beautiful WDBO building is gone but hopefully, this spurs some development of that site. Ideally, that long forgotten proposal for a pedestrian bridge along the eastern side of I-4 across Lake Ivanhoe also finally gets greenlit, giving this area a nice walking loop. I'm still a little miffed that the pedestrian bridge wasn't included in the I-4 Ultimate work. It should have all been done at once.

The restaurant with the drive-thru might be a great option for the lost Lake Eola Panera but I doubt the city lets them keep the drive-thru in the plans. I know this is mostly a personal storage facility but I do like the nearly 12,000 sq.ft. of retail along Colonial Drive. The parking seems small for any type of big business but this would be a great spot for a late night dining spot, could easily grab the downtown and the Ivanhoe Village crowd. While this isn't as fancy as I'd like I think this is a huge improvement over the current site and nicer than many of the other recent additions in that area *cough*Ugly metal building hotel*cough* I think this will be a nice stairstep from the arena and Ultimate I-4. I think we've been overlooking how the new I-4/408 ramps will add some unique visuals and height to that area. I hope that the history center across the street gets more love and becomes a more active facility now that the area is getting more foot traffic.

I'd love to see the OBX just go south stopping at the Sunrail stations CSS, SODO, SLR, then going on out to the airport (hopeful) station. It'd be great to go from Eustis to the airport via a train. I bet a lot of The Villages would love to just park in Tavares or Eustis and just take a train to the airport. It'd also be great for tourists to hop on at the SLR station and head to Mt. Dora. The biggest issue is still the lack of weekend hours. Back to Uptown, I'm curious if the Ivanhoe pedestrian bridge will ever be built. It should've been done while I-4 is being done.

I love the complex on Dale Mabry. It's a bit odd to move from shop to shop but super easy if you're just going to a single shop. I prefer its layout over the SODO layout. I think Uptown would do great with a few retail spots. For me, it's mostly just a pass through as I head from Ivanhoe to downtown. I live in Winter Park and I usually go to the SODO Target because the Fashion Sq one sucks. I think Uptown could easily sustain its own Target or Wal-Mart (I think the closest is JYP/Princeton, that's at least the closest to me).

My dream is that businesses would sponsor signs, similar to how they did with the See Art Orlando. I'd love to see the signs scattered around Orlando, each in a clear protective shell or in an indoor setting. A few on Church St., a few along Orange. Maybe have a couple in local mall food courts or at I-Drive 360. In my dream world Orange Ave and Church St in downtown would glow with neon signs. I bet you could get many local businesses to get in on it. It can't be that expensive, compared to other large public art initiatives, to keep these things in operating order I think it's so sad that they're just sitting in a warehouse when no one gets to see them. Each deserves to be restored and displayed with pride.

I'm glad that the Sevens will have decent lighting. I'm not a fan of their signage though. It looks like a cheap casino IMO. I do love how this building creates a nice feel along Orange Ave.

Speaking of loving trains, I was talking a some people last night about the new OCSC Training Center in Lake Nona and they brought up the mass transit ROWs that go thru the Town Center. Any idea if those ROWs link to the sports village as well? It would be great for SunRail Phase 3 to go past MCO to extend thru Nona. Being able to take a train from the OCSC to the downtown stadium would be fantastic.

One of three Zoe's Kitchens planning to open this year in Central Florida. Corner of Lee and 17/92 in the K-Mart plaza is Winter Park is getting one as well. I can't recall where the third one is, I want to say Dr. P area.

We really need a WP thread. I'd venture to say there's more action happening right now in WP than almost anywhere else in the region. Of interesting note, my building and few others along New England Ave here in Hannibal Sq were recently bought by Owens from Sydgan (Dan Bellows). My guess is Bellows is looking to get some quick cash for a new project somewhere in the city. Ravadage just isn't performing like he seemed to imagine it would. His latest project is the steeple on the wedding chapel, a small project but one that will help make the area by the Farmers Market all the more charming.

I got a thing in the mail saying a new mixed-use development is looking to go into the southeast corner of Lee and 17/92. Up Developments wants to incorporate it into the larger Whole Foods right there as well. The new development includes a parking structure, offices above retail with a corner restaurant spot. On the southern end of the development, they have plans for a multi-story hotel, looked to be around 4 if my memory serves me correctly. If I had to guess I'd expect some type of business hotel. Oddly enough Unicorp has proposed a similar sized business hotel as part of the Mt Vernon project at Lakeside Crossing but as the project went through approval the hotel part was canned. This is directly across the Ravadage project where TR's just opened. On the other corner, you have Flemings and the K-Mart plaza that's getting a remodel. A Zoe's Kitchen is going in there along with Home Goods, Ross and some other generic chains. (Sadly still no place to buy basic toiletries that Publix or Walgreens doesn't sell) The flyer development seems include demo'ing the office building at the location. I recall a few years ago someone tried to put a bank in there with a drive thru, it was voted down. This new development seems right in line with what Winter Park has been pushing lately. Modern, upscale dense micro developments; Lakeside and its neighbor being built across the street. (side note- I'm still not convinced Chuy's is right for that location. Rollins kids will love it but is Chuy's what people seek out in Winter Park?). In other quick WP news - New York Ave is now closed between Lyman and Fairbanks. That streetscape project will eventually redo the street from Fairbanks to Morse (sadly and tellingly the West Meadow and the Post Office section of New York aren't included in the modernizing of the street).

Does Winter Park have its own sub now? Sorry if this is in the wrong spot. Here's some recent Winter Park news- Ross, Home Goods planned for former Kmart plaza. The plaza is also looking to get a major modern update. The Burger King is still closed after its fire. The Subway has officially moved to the new location a few blocks south on 17/92. Some fancy, Phil Kean style modern doctor's office is going in just north of Canopy Cafe. Very odd location for it. Rollins got approval for its new daycare center on the corner of Holt and New York. The current building will be demo'd soon. The bowling alley is all but gone, the new fields should be ready by Fall 16. A few smaller things as well in the Hannibal Sq area. Overall lots of new growth in the area. Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk

Yep. I was there. Also a bit of a shameless plug but I'll have Wallack on my radio show this Thursday (10a-Noon on 91.5 WPRK). As far as the financing is concerned some have pointed to Wallack Holdings overall financing, and yes that is not enough, but the main source of financing is EB-5 and a rumored yet to be announced large US financier. Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk

Here is the website for all the social media info for Orange County. http://www.orangecountyfl.net/Home/SocialMedia.aspx#.ViRz4RCrRuk And a petition for Skyplex (do these things ever really work?) http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/let-skyplex-become-a-symbol-of-orlando-let

I have to disagree. I think this project is exactly what I-Drive needs. It will help clean up one of the most blighted and overlooked areas of I-Drive. It will also help bring more attention to the tourist district overall. I'm extremely disappointed in the P&Z for this one. Most of this property has sat empty for decades, now a major new investor wants to bring a world class, modern attraction to it and they vote it down. I think it shows an unwillingness to think outside of the box when it comes to tourism on the part of the P&Z board. Let's hope the BoC is more willing to let new private investment help improve one of the most hard hit areas of I-Drive.

CSI and all of 7220 closed. The parent company closed all locations except Vegas and Mexico City. They give the employees less than a week notice. The building is up for sale. IMPO this doesn't bode well for Titanic next door. They did a lot of joint marketing and shared a lot of customers. With 7220 gone I imagine Titanic will see a drop in attendance. In other news Skeletons isn't performing well either. Most of the staff have been let go, from my understanding all that's left is front line employees and the family is running back of house themselves. It seems like everyone was hoping for a bump from the Eye and even they are getting well below their expected attendance.

It would be nice near Lake Eola but I think property values will prohibit it. Honestly I expect to see in Parramore and I'm ok with that. It would be a great anchor for the Creative Village. I also love the Lake Lucerne location but sadly I think that development will happen before OMA can get the funds in place. The restaurant and glass blowing school interest me the most. I would love to see something like what Hollywood Florida has with Hollywood Hot Glass's set up in Young Circle Park. I'd love to see a similar public hot glass studio in an adjoining park to OMA. Food as art is a cool concept. I've long wished that the OSC added a molecular gastronomy restaurant. I do hope that the science center gets first dibs on the old OMA building. In my perfect world the Shakes would move downtown too (to Church St to help create that theatre district with part of the building being a replica Globe Theatre) leaving Loch Haven to the children. The science center and Rep could expand with the science center taking over the day to day ops of the fire house museum.

The I-Drive pedestrian bridge connecting OCCC to the Hyatt Regency is coming along. Looks like it'll go vertical very soon. Some new news regarding the future of the OCCC. The most interesting to me was activity hub on the West's buildings entrance. I wonder if that will be like the commercial district once planned for the eastern side of the North/South building along Universal Blvd. That Youtube video has since been locked but is still up last I checked. I think it was dumb to let the baseball spring training center die. That would've been a nice addition to all of this. Overall it looks like the convention center is doing a good job of building up on its space. Ideally I'd love to eventually see hotel or other tower like developments on top of the large convention halls but I know that's years away at best. Just seems like such a large roof and nothing really on it other than a few solar panels.

I totally agree. I work from home a lot and have mid-afternoon meetings with clients in downtown on a semi-regular basis. I'm rarely able to use SunRail because of its mid-day schedule. Of course, I'd prefer both but in an either/or type of situation I think its smarter to go with mid-day vs evening. I'd be willing to give up both though if it meant weekend service. Any word on that?

Any news regarding the businesses across from Wet n Wild. I keep hearing rumors that announcements regarding new locations or details for some of those businesses is immanent. I guess its still up in the air tho... ;-)

Yep! I recalled seeing it somewhere on here but couldn't find it for the link. Sorry about that but I loved the comparison!

I just got done with an interview for my podcast. The guy I was interviewing mentioned a high-end car dealership going into iSquare. Sounds like the proposed dealerships for Eatonville might've linked up with the iSquare development. That'd be an interesting mix of retailers. On a side note but related Ferrari World also came up in the conversation. Anyone know of a link between the iSq developer and FW?

I hope the new roof design is lit up with LEDs shining on it. It'd look great with some different hues of purple and yellow circling around the top like waves or something. Overall the new design looks nice. I don't know why the signs at the top of the stands couldn't be digital. In fact there doesn't seem to be a lot of digital signage at all on this stadium.