orlandocity87

Valid points, but these apartments are a prime example of "missing middle housing" that's critical for real urbanism: https://missingmiddlehousing.com/

I don't know guys...there are a lot of parking lots, empty lots, and warehouses in the immediate area that would make for much better redevelopment. It would be a real shame to lose 92 relatively affordable, historic 1930s apartments. Otherwise we'll end up with another neighborhood where you can rent for $2,200/month or buy a small house for $450,000, with no options in between. I'd much rather see this big parking lot and out-of-place office building right on Orange redeveloped into something dense—along with an extension of the bike trail.

From The Yard thread:

I'm by no means anti-skateboarding, but it's wax that melts in the sun and would get all over you if you wanted to sit there.

Re: NE corner of Fern Creek and Colonial, they've removed any remediation equipment, leveled the site, and are tearing down the pink building originally behind the old gas station.

Amelia Street resurfacing is complete, right as EA and Modera are taking down some of their fencing. Interestingly, the entrance to EA on this (southwest) corner is actually below street level and there are a few steps leading down to a small plaza.

Health Village apartments, driving south on Orange. I like how it balances out both sides of the street. Crane for the office tower to the right.

Cool plans and renderings, thanks for sharing. Where in Lake Nona are the last two? They almost remind me more of Neo City.

All good points and like I said there's a lot of potential. And to give credit where credit is due: parking garages are better than surface lots, the hotel is cool, and obviously the various large medical and educational centers are a great addition to Orlando. But for now and the foreseeable future, Lake Nona has an incredibly high point of entry economically. Hopefully this can change. Talking specifically about the urban design, this looks like real urbanism: The Town Center looks like Waterford Lakes meets Maitland Center. The overall design is already 20-30 years out of date: This looks like a nice, traditional suburb: This and the rest of Narcoossee is an abomination that I can't believe the City of Orlando still allows: And, finally, this is my issue with Lake Nona's connectivity. Original plans (which I can't find better copies of unfortunately) called for light rail stops and a bus circulator. As far as I know, no actual accommodations for rail tracks, dedicated bus lanes, or stations for either were designed or built. Tavistock and the City really dropped the ball on this.

Cultural or demographic diversity doesn't necessarily mean economic diversity. Suburbs are becoming culturally more diverse, with more immigrants choosing suburbs over inner cities. That said, a culturally diverse suburb can still be very homogenous if incomes and home prices are all within a narrow range. This also ties to how urban a place is. At the risk of beating a dead horse, Lake Nona is not urban. Walkability is low because things are too spread out. Its design is car-dependent because public transit doesn't exist. Half the proposed Town Center buildings are parking garages. Diversity in housing is extremely limited, with a focus on single-family homes and some "luxury" apartments. Most of the retail and service industry workers, teachers, police officers, and lower-paid medical professionals can't actually afford to live within Lake Nona. There's a lot of potential in Lake Nona as things fill in. But without transit and affordable housing, it's a gated suburb without gates.

Had a meeting downtown for the first time in a long while and took a photo looking north from Central (pardon my poor Photoshop skills in splicing two images together). It was cool to see a handful of projects adding density to downtown and the Lake Ivanhoe / Advent Health area.

As much as I want to see 543 Brookhaven saved, unfortunately, I think it's still part of the lot assemblage and will be demoed as part of this project. Also see original MPB report (PDF). A real shame.

I can only echo what these reviewers said: everything from food to drink to atmosphere was on-point. I can only recommend it. And I was happy to see the restaurant about half full on a random Wednesday night, which I think is impressive given the location and lack of finished apartments and park.

Pic from last night heading to The Monroe in the Julian:

This rendering was associated with the lot a few years ago, but I'm guessing it's just illustrative: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/59-E-Colonial-Dr-Orlando-FL/16327792/

There are swaths of similar trees along the rapidly developing Innovation Way and Narcoossee corridors. If a Zoi House-type project keeps hundreds of people in the urban core, that's worth it to me. (Or if people were as adamant about an urban growth boundary or environmental protections as they are about single trees.) That said, I'm not against saving this specific tree. The effort put into tearing down the 7-11 block—two nice examples of art deco / streamline moderne / midcentury modern from 1925 and 1958—would have been better served turning the Zoi lot into a park. Especially if we're serious about saving old trees and having nice parks in this city.

Every time someone mentions this tree on these forums, an angel gets its wings ten similar trees are bulldozed on the outskirts of town for a new subdivision...

Do they tow in that lot? I have friends in NORA and parking has gotten increasingly hard to find with Reyes and others back in full swing, even on a weekday. Even the strip of parking on Magnolia went from completely empty to mostly full over the past month or so. Would also love to see the Lymmo Expansion - North come to fruition, but I haven't heard anything about that in years.

Nice looking building, but this is almost four miles from the Town Center. With all the apartments, schools, and retail filling up Narcoossee, they really need a streetcar or dedicated Lymmo route connecting Narcoossee to the Town Center and the rest of Medical City. (And I'm not talking about a 12mph automated mini shuttle.)

Got it, thanks! Sounds like the build-out and/or rent were just too expensive. Went to Häos for the first time a few weeks ago and was impressed. Good food and show.

For Hideaway, I hope keeping the same crew, food, and hours will bring in the same crowd. Add some beergarden lights, a big Andrew Spear / Miami Dolphins mural, and some pool tables, and that new building isn't too bad. (Although I agree that the original building design that wrapped around the current Hideaway was better.) That said, I defended the Wally's reno for a while. But while I love the updated look, I went recently and the staff there was rude, prices were high, and the music incredibly loud—all changes in the original building. Does anyone know why The Venue didn't move into The Yard? I thought they built out a small theater space specifically for them and then The Venue decided not to take it?

Hidden in the Sentinel article: "Brightline tracks along the expressway would encounter no road crossings where train horns would be used." Additionally, from CityLab's Debunking 5 Myths About Texas High-Speed Rail: "Texas Central has gone on record saying that train noise might reach 65 decibels, whereas diesel trucks routinely reach 85 decibels, and tractors hit close to 100." From the US DOT: "Levels of highway traffic noise typically range from 70 to 80 dB(A) at a distance of 15 meters (50 feet) from the highway." I definitely prefer the International Drive alignment,. But I can't stand when a lawyer is quoted in an article misconstruing information that literally takes 4 minutes to Google. Once construction is done, nobody would even know there was a train going by--faster and quieter than the cars.

Not sure if this was posted already, but came across this "Orlando Health Village Mixed Use" project on two acres by Onix Group. Potential infill on Lot 2? Dimensions and background buildings match up with the corner of Orange and Princeton, looking northeast. https://onixgroup.com/development.php As a side note, Onix Group's website looks awfully similar to the Ustler Group's website... http://ustler.net/properties.html