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SoDo

patriot06

By patriot06
in Orlando

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patriot06 Crossroads

patriot06

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A new development is soon to be proposed for the south downtown area that will be named SoDo (similar to New York's SoHo district), Checkout the article on the Orlando Sentinel by Jack Snyder:

Downtown Orlando's explosive growth is spilling beyond the city center with a large, urban infill development proposed for Orange Avenue south of Orlando Regional Medical Center.

The live-and-work development would be called SoDo, for "south of downtown" -- a takeoff on New York's SoHo district, a part of Manhattan south of Houston Street.

Planned for about 20 acres between Grant and Crystal Lake streets, the $100 million project would include 300 condominiums and more than 300,000 square feet of retail space, including some nationally known anchor tenants, plus restaurants and an undetermined amount of office space

The joint-venture partners, North American Properties Inc. and Kimco Developers Inc., have filed tentative plans with the city.

Dean J. Grandin, Orlando's planning-and-development director, said the city's growth-management plan has been amended to accommodate the development, though specific details will be scrutinized by city planners next month.

Concerns, Grandin said, include traffic and the project's effect on a residential area just north of the development, which is on the west side of Orange just north of Michigan Street.

"Traffic is always the constraining factor," he said.

Conceptual drawings of the project show an entrance off Orange Avenue with shops, second-floor office space and condos. A major retail area at the west end would include land once used by the now-defunct Orlando Drive-In Theater.

Grandin's initial impression of the project is favorable.

"My first thought was we would like this downtown," he said, rather than a mile and a half south of the city center. "But downtown real-estate prices probably would make that difficult. It is close to downtown."

The chief planner said the clustering of such major urban projects around the edge of the city's core could eventually redefine "downtown Orlando."

"It may come to be viewed as hospital to hospital," he said, referring to Florida Hospital's main campus on North Orange near the Winter Park line, and Orlando Regional Medical Center on South Orange near the proposed SoDo site.

Tonya Creekmore, North American Properties' vice president of leasing, said construction could start later this year, depending on city approvals. The development would be done in a single phase because research indicates there's strong demand for the space, she said.

Creekmore wouldn't discuss possible retailers, except to say they would be "nationally recognized names."

The property as it exists now includes a large retail building with an office-furniture store and a paint-ball supplies store. Three out parcels on Orange Avenue include a closed chicken restaurant, an operating Pollo Tropical Chicken on the Grill outlet, and a Taco Bell that closed recently because of a fire.

Privately held North American Properties, based in Cincinnati, develops retail space, apartments, offices and mixed-use projects. This would be its second local venture: It also developed the 500,000-square-foot MarketPlace at Seminole Towne Center in Sanford.

Kimco Developers is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kimco Realty Corp., a publicly traded real-estate investment trust based in New Hyde, N.Y. Kimco owns the nation's largest portfolio of neighborhood and community shopping centers, with interests in more than 1,000 properties totaling about 132 million square feet.

Florida is one of its major markets.

Jack Snyder can be reached at 407-420-5094 or [email protected].

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WeNeed2Progress Hamlet

WeNeed2Progress

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With a not-so-generic look and without the same chain stores and eateries.

This kind of reminds me of a newer area just outside Atlanta in Little Five Points. But what really works for it is that the parking garage is all underneath, well, most of it. Imagine a smaller Waterford Lakes with parking below and more room for retailers.

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chgochris Whistle-Stop

chgochris

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I wonder if this project might now be considered "under construction", at least preliminarily.

Either that or the Taco Bell that currently sits on this property has closed and is being torn down now for another unrelated reason???

It is an unrelated reason. Its closed because of a fire that occurred over a month ago

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mrh3 Hamlet

mrh3

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That doesn't look like much of an "urban" layout to me. More like glorified strip mall with residences.

Yeah, it looks much more like a lifestyle center than an urban district. Lifestyle centers are supposed to be low density urban environments.

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JFW657 Metropolitan Area

JFW657

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This kind of reminds me of a newer area just outside Atlanta in Little Five Points. But what really works for it is that the parking garage is all underneath, well, most of it. Imagine a smaller Waterford Lakes with parking below and more room for retailers.

I don't think you can have underground parking in Florida because of the water table. At least not multi-level. We're too close to sea level and if you dug deep enough to build an underground parking garage, you'd hit water.

Of course, with the way things are going, and given the number of people who keep moving down here increasing the drain on the aquifer, that might not be true very much longer.

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mrh3 Hamlet

mrh3

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Where? And Why?

Maybe the developer reached price agreement on property there not downtown. Who knows, the point is that it's being built and will be a valid addition to the central city. Thank god it's not another strip mall.

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MaXxlife Whistle-Stop

MaXxlife

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Work gets started on SoDo project

The development south of downtown Orlando will include retail, offices and residential units.

Jack Snyder {sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}} Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted January 18, 2007

Bulldozers start clearing old buildings today from a 20-acre site in south Orlando for the $100 million SoDo development.

SoDo -- short for "south of downtown," a takeoff on New York's SoHo district, a part of Manhattan south of Houston Street -- is between Grant and West Crystal Lake streets on South Orange Avenue.

Plans call for converting the rundown block into an urban center with 330,000 square feet of retail, including a SuperTarget; 70,000 square feet of restaurants and boutiques; 60,000 square feet of second-floor offices; and 300 residential units.

The project is a joint venture of North American Properties Inc. of Cincinnati and Kimco Development, a subsidiary of Kimco Realty Corp. of New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Wood Partners of Atlanta has signed on to develop the project's residential portion. Locally, Wood Partners has already developed the 30-story Solaire at the Plaza condo tower in Orlando and is developing the 200-unit Intermezzo at The Rialto condos on Sand Lake Road in south Orange County.

Tonya Creekmore, North American Properties' vice president of leasing, said SoDo "will create a true model for future growth in the area south of downtown." The project is north of Michigan Street and south of Orlando Regional Medical Center.

The property to be developed is now occupied by three closed restaurants, a retail center and several industrial and small office buildings. Cupkovic Architecture LLC of Cleveland is the overall project architect; the Preston Partnership LLC of Atlanta is architect for the residential portion.

Creekmore said North American Properties plans to introduce its "Build a Bridge" program, designed to help schools in areas where the company develops real estate. Spokeswoman Jenn Weyand said the help could range from cash donations to lining up tutors for students. A school has not yet been picked, she said.

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sunshine City

sunshine

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So this thing would not have surface parking lot, right?

Any plan to remove the 3 buildings fronting the street on the plan layout?

I can tell you it has a parking garage on the roof. Also, I think this will spark more development in the ORMC area. We have 2 very nice mixed use developments now going in on both sides of downtown with Mills/ Nebraska and this...
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