Orlando Magic Entertainment Complex [Proposed]

[jrs2]

5 hours ago, AmIReal said:

You keep mentioning Rodman. What does he have to do with the Magic?

they had a chance to get The Worm back in the day post Bulls second Threepeat. He wasn't "wholesome" enough for the image of the team.  When I saw that, I fell out of my seat and was relegated to the fact that they were not willing to do what it took to win; that the Shaq deal was not an isolated incident. 

[AmIReal]

15 hours ago, jrs2 said:

they had a chance to get The Worm back in the day post Bulls second Threepeat. He wasn't "wholesome" enough for the image of the team.  When I saw that, I fell out of my seat and was relegated to the fact that they were not willing to do what it took to win; that the Shaq deal was not an isolated incident. 

I don't think that's how it went. Certainly not what I remember.  The Pistons offered up Rodman to the Magic in the summer of 92. The Pistons had just lost in round 1 in the playoffs, their team was getting old and the Rodman's surrogate daddy (Daly) had just left the team. They offered him to the Magic in exchange for Dennis Scott and filler, but the Magic had just drafted Shaq and thought since Rodman was so limited offensively that he would clog the lane with Shaq and they valued Scott's shooting more. This was before Rodman became the "worm" so it had nothing to do with his behavior. However, that same season is when Rodman parked in front of the Palace with a shotgun in his pickup and contemplated suicide. Instead, he went back to the Pistons, and he (and the team) were below average (although he still led the league in rebounds). He got shipped off to the Spurs the following year and that is where he started to become so "weird". The Spurs tired of him and shipped him to the Bulls to replace Horace Grant (who had left to join the Magic). The Bulls won the next 3 Finals and then Phil Jackson retired Jordan and Pippen left in free agency and they dumped Rodman and ate his contract.

It's at this point (post Bulls 3-peat) you say the Magic should have picked him up, but by now no one really wanted him. He was getting old and was more distraction than he was worth. He ended up playing a couple months in LA that year then a few weeks in Dallas the following year, then he was relegated to celebrity games, overseas contracts and wrestling.

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, AmIReal said:

I don't think that's how it went. Certainly not what I remember.  The Pistons offered up Rodman to the Magic in the summer of 92. The Pistons had just lost in round 1 in the playoffs, their team was getting old and the Rodman's surrogate daddy (Daly) had just left the team. They offered him to the Magic in exchange for Dennis Scott and filler, but the Magic had just drafted Shaq and thought since Rodman was so limited offensively that he would clog the lane with Shaq and they valued Scott's shooting more. This was before Rodman became the "worm" so it had nothing to do with his behavior. However, that same season is when Rodman parked in front of the Palace with a shotgun in his pickup and contemplated suicide. Instead, he went back to the Pistons, and he (and the team) were below average (although he still led the league in rebounds). He got shipped off to the Spurs the following year and that is where he started to become so "weird". The Spurs tired of him and shipped him to the Bulls to replace Horace Grant (who had left to join the Magic). The Bulls won the next 3 Finals and then Phil Jackson retired Jordan and Pippen left in free agency and they dumped Rodman and ate his contract.

It's at this point (post Bulls 3-peat) you say the Magic should have picked him up, but by now no one really wanted him. He was getting old and was more distraction than he was worth. He ended up playing a couple months in LA that year then a few weeks in Dallas the following year, then he was relegated to celebrity games, overseas contracts and wrestling.

yep, this is the era I'm referring to, late '90's early 2000's.  

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1999/02/04/magic-says-rodman-is-a-long-shot/

he was the rebound leader for 7 straight seasons, and Chuck Daly was now coaching us, and he wanted to play for his old coach again.  

[orange87]

BREAKING: Orlando backs incentive for entertainment district next to Kia Center

Orlando leaders Monday unanimously backed an incentive package for a massive development planned to rise next to the Kia Center downtown, bringing apartments, hotel, retail and space for business meetings on land of the former city police headquarters.

Article: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/22/orlando-entertainment-district-kia-center/?utm_email=D4DA7471A48D34B56503A4C30A&lctg=D4DA7471A48D34B56503A4C30A&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.orlandosentinel.com%2f2024%2f04%2f22%2forlando-entertainment-district-kia-center%2f&utm_campaign=trib-orlando_sentinel-dont_miss-nl&utm_content=alert

[tc01]

Hopefully this can finally get built after 10 plus years..... 

[JFW657]

I've always had confidence that it would get built before too long. 

Undertakings of this size don't always happen overnight. 

[orlandocity87]

I like the local business incubator suites (mentioned in OBJ), but having only 10 of 273 apartments be "affordable" is weak. 

Quote

The incentive deal includes $2.5 million ... as well as repaying up to $40 million in property taxes over about a decade.
...
...with the DeVos family...holding a 20% stake.
...
Lawanna Gelzer, a candidate for the vacant District 5 seat on the city council, called the deal a “handout to the 1%.”
“They already got their arena…which is on the backs of taxpayers,” she said.

So essentially $42.5 million in taxpayer money for a little bit of conference space and 10 slightly reduced apartments. It's cute how the evils of socialism never seem to apply to corporations. 

[codypet]

Yea I'm annoyed with all the perks they've already gotten that the City's not getting more out of this for $2.5 million.  This was unnecessary.

[jrs2]

2 hours ago, orlandocity87 said:

I like the local business incubator suites (mentioned in OBJ), but having only 10 of 273 apartments be "affordable" is weak. 

So essentially $42.5 million in taxpayer money for a little bit of conference space and 10 slightly reduced apartments. It's cute how the evils of socialism never seem to apply to corporations. 

its funny because they repurposed the Expo Center to UCF a decade earlier...back when that Marriott changed hands a couple of time, got renovated, and then made into its current form.  Not sure how many square feet that building was.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

I hate this city leadership 

[bqknight]

The development will be called Westcourt.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2024/04/24/orlando-magic-downtown-development-new-name-west.html

 

[jack]

21 hours ago, orlandocity87 said:

I like the local business incubator suites (mentioned in OBJ), but having only 10 of 273 apartments be "affordable" is weak. 

So essentially $42.5 million in taxpayer money for a little bit of conference space and 10 slightly reduced apartments. It's cute how the evils of socialism never seem to apply to corporations. 

They would need a lot more money to provide affordable housing. Tons more. 

[codypet]

15 minutes ago, bqknight said:

The development will be called Westcourt.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2024/04/24/orlando-magic-downtown-development-new-name-west.html

 

Thanks.  I hate it!  And a tree?  What trees are there?

[Gtothree2748]

1 hour ago, codypet said:

Thanks.  I hate it!  And a tree?  What trees are there?

Maybe they’ll relocate a 100 year old oak tree near by and plant it in the courtyard. 

[jrs2]

18 hours ago, IAmFloridaBorn said:

I hate this city leadership 

I've been saying...in a non-partisan way...that they need to go to Chicago and see how they do what they do that works, that can be done here...

[jliv]

Westcourt? Is it a downtown entertainment district mere blocks from a failed district from the past, or is it a facility for your aging loved ones, whether they need the autonomy independent living can provide, or the specialist services of assisted living and memory care?  Westcourt has facilities across the state of Florida where you can keep them close, and even join them for our Friday fish dinner in the cafeteria!

[bqknight]

They should have named it as a district and not a "complex". My mind goes to SoDo, NoDo, CBD, etc. Probably should have just named it "City West" or something. 

[JFW657]

15 hours ago, jliv said:

Westcourt? Is it a downtown entertainment district mere blocks from a failed district from the past, or is it a facility for your aging loved ones, whether they need the autonomy independent living can provide, or the specialist services of assisted living and memory care?  Westcourt has facilities across the state of Florida where you can keep them close, and even join them for our Friday fish dinner in the cafeteria!

Westcourt really does sound staid.  

I'd have gone for something like Magic City.

Magic Center.

Magic Plaza.   

Westcourt sounds like a Baptist church. 

[FLClarkKent]

I’ll believe it when I see it. 

[orlandocity87]

23 hours ago, jack said:

They would need a lot more money to provide affordable housing. Tons more. 

They're providing 10 units at 80% AMI affordability. That means the units are reserved for people making 80% or less of the area median income.

Orlando AMI = $58,968
80% AMI = $47,174
30% of income used for rent = $1,310/month

The developers aren't giving away free housing; they've giving a discount of $500-700/month per unit. So even with the construction and a discount on rent, I can't see them investing more than $2-3 million into affordable housing—of the $42.5 million they're getting. 

[RedStar25]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:29 PM, orlandocity87 said:

I like the local business incubator suites (mentioned in OBJ), but having only 10 of 273 apartments be "affordable" is weak. 

So essentially $42.5 million in taxpayer money for a little bit of conference space and 10 slightly reduced apartments. It's cute how the evils of socialism never seem to apply to corporations. 

"evils of socialism"...right. I don't think you know what socialism is. 

21 hours ago, jrs2 said:

I've been saying...in a non-partisan way...that they need to go to Chicago and see how they do what they do that works, that can be done here...

I believe it is time for a change. I don't care what their political ideology is as long as they get stuff done. Now, that being said, I would hate to see another Glenda Hood. 

[orlandocity87]

13 minutes ago, RedStar25 said:

"evils of socialism"...right. I don't think you know what socialism is. 

It was a joke about former US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos arguing for cutting school funding, while not having an issue with accepting government funding and incentives for her family's private real estate developments. 

[RedStar25]

19 minutes ago, orlandocity87 said:

It was a joke about former US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos arguing for cutting school funding, while not having an issue with accepting government funding and incentives for her family's private real estate developments. 

Ah ok. I get it.  Yeah I hate that, that family has ties to Orlando. 

[codypet]

3 hours ago, JFW657 said:

Westcourt really does sound staid.  

I'd have gone for something like Magic City.

Magic Center.

Magic Plaza.   

Westcourt sounds like a Baptist church. 

My mind right to "Stranger Things"

[Alleri459]

I see this getting some sort of naming rights option as it's coming to fruition, or even get divided up. Westcourt will probably just be the placeholder/DBA.