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ARCHIVE: Downtown Orlando Master List

bobliocatt

By bobliocatt
in Orlando

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prahaboheme City

prahaboheme

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Construction updates:

Magnolia Park is well underway, the whole structure (not very big but the massing is great) is up.

Florida Hospital expansion has begun. At this point it seems like they are still moving dirt around.

The Federal Courthouse is just about one floor up and the garage that goes along with it is also rising.

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As for the Eola on the Lake project, I guess I will wait to see how I feel about it when the renderings come out. Regardless of height, nothing is going to be ruined at ground level because the whole street is under a canopy of large trees, though it may look odd from a distance if its not integrated well. The large parking lot behind Panera is also ripe for construction so if we get something of a similar height on that lot then things could blend better perhaps.

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Jaybee Hamlet

Jaybee

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It would be best if the "Eola on the Park" site was redeveloped with the Lowndes Offices Parking Lot mentioned into a single project... not too high as this block face is a transition from the downtown to the lower density Thornton Park neighborhood. Perhaps Lowndes (which has the largest cadre of land-use attorneys in Orlando) could get savvy and get a parking garage for themselves as well as investment in residential development to surround Lake Eola. 3-4 stories would be great. Anything much greater than 6 is a disaster.

To date, the plans for this site showed two entrances for a gargae on Eola and a small lobby and a 6-foot wroght iron fence at the sidewalk, I guess to keep those lawyers next door out. Not exactly what I'd call creating a friendly pedestrian atmosphere. That's why the Eola South condos that are about to be completed doesn't have access on Eola - to maintain the integrity of the street.

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Tim3167 Hamlet

Tim3167

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15944088.jpg

The decades-old University Club of Orlando in downtown will be replaced by twin 37-story towers, the developer announced Thursday.

The club will own and occupy a two-story bridge that will connect the two buildings.

Construction will start in the third quarter and should be completed by 2007, said Stephen R. Walsh, managing partner of Broad Street Partners LLC of Charleston, S.C., and Winter Park.

It is the latest in a string of high-rise buildings planned or under way downtown. An estimated $1.3 billion worth of projects are in the works, including:

The redevelopment of the so-called Jaymont block at Orange Avenue and Church Street. Now under construction, it includes 389,000 square feet of office space in two towers, a condominium tower, retail space and a 12-screen theater.

The VUE at Lake Eola, a 35-story condominium tower at Robinson Street and Rosalind Avenue.

A 16-story condominium tower near Thornton Park on Central Boulevard. It will feature apartments and a Publix grocery store which the city is providing $1 million in incentives to encourage.

Twin 37-story apartment towers at North Orange Avenue at Marks Street.

Replacing the University Club will be a $175 million, 1.4 million-square-foot high-rise featuring 325 luxury condominiums with 50,000 square feet of office space and 18,000 square feet of retail space on the lower floors.

The twin towers will top out at 415 feet, short of the city center's tallest structure, the 441-foot SunTrust Center. The Federal Aviation Administration still must approve the height.

Brian Phillips, president of the private club, said the organization swapped its land for ownership of two floors in the building. He's looking at several locations for interim operations, but has not chosen one yet. "We will not be closed a single day," he said.

The club, which has about 500 members, many of whom are fixtures in the region's power structure, has shopped the property for redevelopment for years.

Phillips said he expects some members to buy condominiums. The club has been at the location at least since the 1960s, he said.

The 1.5-acre site at 150 E. Central Blvd. is L-shaped, along East Central Boulevard to Rosalind Avenue and then south to Pine Street.

Broad Street's Walsh, a native of Charlotte, N.C., said the condominiums will be priced from just under $300,000 to about $1 million. An unspecified number of penthouses would be priced from $1.5 million to $4 million.

Each tower will have its own entrance, one on Pine Street and one on Central Boulevard. The project includes a 900-space parking garage.

Walsh said he is negotiating an agreement with the city, but it has not been completed. The company is not seeking cash incentives, but does want to lease parking in a nearby city garage.

Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates of Atlanta is the architect. Walsh said the firm is no stranger to Orlando, having been involved in the design of The Westin Grand Bohemian hotel downtown and the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in south Orange County.

And while there are many other condominium projects under way in the downtown corridor, Walsh said he isn't concerned about saturation.

The company's research showed that most of the 1,900 condominiums either under construction or expected to be built downtown have been sold. Some 55 percent have firm contracts with cash down payments. The other 45 percent have reservations that are being converted to hard contracts, he said.

"Those are phenomenal numbers," Walsh said, adding Orlando is experiencing a downtown residential renaissance like other cities throughout the country.

"It's especially strong in the Southeast," he said. "The biggest sales agent we have is I-4 and the traffic. I have been watching this for five years. The time is ripe to do this."

Walsh said he also has multiple equity partners -- including Ken Kupp, formerly an executive with Orix Real Estate Equities Inc.

"Financing is not a problem," he said.

Walsh founded Broad Street Partners in Charleston, S.C., in 1994. He moved some operations to Winter Park in 1998 and now lives there.

Broad Street also is involved in the redevelopment of the Winter Park Post Office in downtown Winter Park and is proposing a redevelopment of Maitland's downtown.

Orlando Sentinel Story

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Tim3167 Hamlet

Tim3167

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Anyone have any new news to report on groundbreaking or any new pictures?

If anyone has current pics of the Preimerie Plaza I'd love to see them. I drive by every day on the 408 and I can see cranes but nothing else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is a construction thread over at SSP for Premiere Trade Plaza

SSP Premiere Trade Plaza Construction Thread

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cwetteland Burg

cwetteland

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Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The question that comes to mind is this; this is the site where FBBArch was showing "Central Park Apartments." This design has a similar style. So, is this the same project or is CPA still on the drawing board for a different location?

By the way, I really like this one.

Also, welcome to Orlando, Jess.

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firemick Hamlet

firemick

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Awesome, this is now my #1 favorite project in downtown. The architecture and massing is unbelievable. I still like the Central Park Apartments and hope that still oneday comes to fruition but this looks realy good at that site as well. Bring it on O-town. I think we are catching up to Jacksonville. Look out Lakelander

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bobliocatt City

bobliocatt

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Awesome, this is now my #1 favorite project in downtown. The architecture and massing is unbelievable. I still like the Central Park Apartments and hope that still oneday comes to fruition but this looks realy good at that site as well. Bring it on O-town. I think we are catching up to Jacksonville. Look out Lakelander

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You've still got a ways to go, since several highrise projects will be getting underway in Jax, this year as well. However, imo, downtown Orlando is ahead of Jax, in some categories as well. Orlando has a much smaller, but more compact downtown, so the effect of the new projects will enhance its urban environment, at a much faster pace than Jacksonville, where the projects sit on both sides by the river. Its also tough to establish good urban nightlife section in downtown, other than the Landing, because three decent sized popular urban nightlife & dining districts (Avondale, Five Points & San Marco) sit within a mile of downtown.

If I had any control, I'd spend money to extend the Skyway, at least to Five Points & San Marco Square. This something Orlando needs to do with commuter rail or something to connect downtown with Winter Park.

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sunshine City

sunshine

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Downtown Orlando will never win Jacksonville or Tampa in height unless the airport is moved. However, in term of urbanity, Downtown Orlando is at least 10 years ahead of Tampa and Jacksonville. Downtown Orlando is really "dense" in a way that retails, residents, and office are mixed within and kinda spread out around downtown while Jax is concentrated in Landing and for tampa case is zero in downtown and concentrate in nearby Ybor city. Lake Eola plays a major role in downtown Orlando. Orlando skyline is going to be linear.

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FLClarkKent Hamlet

FLClarkKent

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I'd trade height for density - and more importantly, vitality - any day.

No offense to the folks over in Tampa, but that city's downtown proper is dead after dark.

Orlando, while it has its share of problems, at least has a fairly lively night time scene. It's fun walking around downtown after last call.

Lakelander mentioned that downtown Orlando was fairly compact, which I totally agree. But what I find interesting is how what is considered "downtown" has really grown in the past few years.

All of the projects along Central Avenue have really linked the Thorton Park and South Eola areas to the CBD, which I think has changed people's perceptions of exactly what is considered "downtown."

Or maybe it's just that those rikshaw/bike taxis run up and down that whole stretch now. I've always wanted to take one, but for some reason, I feel a great sense of shame in forcing someone to pedal my lazy ass down the street.

My apologies for the rambling post.

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bobliocatt City

bobliocatt

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Orlando needs a rail line to lure the tourists to downtown. If we can at least get 1/3 of the tourists go to downtown, downtown Orlando will be very different.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree, I never really understood how the light rail proposal in the late 90's got rejected. Because its highly tourist oriented, Orlando is one area, where a simple light rail line connecting major destinations would take the entire region to the next level.

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