MichaelRizzo

Totally downtown! On a regional scale, (in my mind at least) downtown currently extends from Orlando Health to Advent Health. Maybe that's a little visionary, but it's really not very hard to imagine. And it's already filling in right before our eyes. Welcome to the future, VMC or not.

Ha! Here's what really happened. The initial proposal presented to the MPB looked like the projects in Chicago from the '70s. Really weak for that premium high visibility location, and an eyesore. The neighborhood fought the design because it sucked. The MPB agreed unanimously and denied the design. So, it went back for revision and was ultimately approved. As for the density objection from neighborhood residents, it had nothing to do with our aversion to growth. We live in the urban core because we love it. Ivanhoe is already a vibrant neighborhood and has been for years. The builder was applying for a density bonus that the city will grant if the project includes a "mixed-use" component; meaning additional amenities that could benefit the neighborhood, like restaurants other commercial offerings and not just having an apartment building. And they were asking for a height variance on what was allowed per zoning in that location. Neighborhood residents objected (smartly so) on granting the density bonus because the builder was trying to get by with the very least they could and was only offering to build a shared workspace which would have never been used by anyone but residents of the building. We argued it wasn't true mixed-use, and the city agreed. So the builder complied and the density bonus was granted. As a result, the building now has street-level retail and restaurant space to activate, bringing an opportunity for true vibrancy in our neighborhood instead of just a lot more people. As for the height variance, the city denied it.