Construction Thread-Orlando-Paramount

[bulldogger]

So is the cafe at Lake Eola closed again? This time it was Erik's on the Lake or something similar. Either way, it was boarded up yesterday when I was running in the afternoon.

[pip]

So is the cafe at Lake Eola closed again? This time it was Erik's on the Lake or something similar. Either way, it was boarded up yesterday when I was running in the afternoon.

I wouldn't be surprised. you'd think the location would be killer, but nothing seems to survive there. I really think a major renovation is needed to that place for it to be successful.

[jack]

Tavern on the Green err Lake Eola?

[neon9]

So is the cafe at Lake Eola closed again? This time it was Erik's on the Lake or something similar. Either way, it was boarded up yesterday when I was running in the afternoon.

I went there during some war protest a few months back and the waitress and cook(?) seemed to be married. They had also drank most of their beer themselves the night before...

[bulldogger]

Nevermind. They must have boarded up when they are closed for the day and not so much because they are closed for good. Maybe they had a break-in at some point. Either way, they were open again today.

[IsaacFL]

A pipe dream I have had regarding Central Ave is for Post Parkside to sell their apartments North of Central (on Lake Eola Park) to the City. The City tears them down and opens up access to Lake Eola, creating a plaza like area with an outdoor restaurant (think Lincoln Rd Mall). Post Parkside then completely renovates the rest of their properties on Central to include first floor retail all the way down to Eola Drive, making up for the lost retail on the North side of the street.

It is a pipe dream, I know.

The parking lot and building where the 5th/3rd bank is across from the Vue sold for $33M last May. This is a bigger parcel and I would say a more desirable location, so it is probably worth at least $40M. I don't think the city could afford the purchase price or the loss in property taxes.

[IsaacFL]

I am with Jack on that one. Not withstanding a natural disaster or some other act of God I can't see a rationale to remove them as they currently exist. In 50 years or so, I could see them being replaced, but certainly not in the forseeable future.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I am not talking about the high rise portion of Post Apartments. I am talking about the new low rise building next to it on both sides of Central. These are mostly wood frame with stucco. How many wood construction commercial buildings in Orlando last 50 years? The cost of maintenance starts to eat into the income too much.

Everyone keeps saying how much rental income they are bringing in, but there aren't that many units for the size of the lot. If they had 20-30 times the units the income would be much higher. Everything is driven by cash flow.

[FLKP]

I would like to see Central closed from Lake to Rosalind and make it extension of Park. If we could add the temporary Post Parkside; what a great park we could have.

[bulldogger]

Close Central? Do you see how much traffic that little street gets during the day?

[FLKP]

Altering Robinson, Pine, Church to handle traffic would make way for the much needed expansion of our Central Park.

Have you seen how crowded Lake Eola gets, especially on weekends? When the additional units come on line, the park will be overwhelmed.

Part of the urban movement is predicated on the concept of people over autos.

Suburbia, however, is just the converse.

We need to start thinking "urban" and we need to start thinking people.

European city have always embraced the concept people space over automobile space.

[bulldogger]

Altering Robinson, Pine, Church to handle traffic would make way for the much needed expansion of our Central Park.

Have you seen how crowded Lake Eola gets, especially on weekends? When the additional units come on line, the park will be overwhelmed.

Part of the urban movement is predicated on the concept of people over autos.

Suburbia, however, is just the converse.

We need to start thinking "urban" and we need to start thinking people.

European city have always embraced the concept people space over automobile space.

Yeah, I kinda get it. I haven't driven my car since June. Anybody else on this board walk the walk? I now ride the bus, pedal my bike and walk everywhere I need to go downtown. I lived downtown for about 7 years and tried Winter Park for one year (until June 07) and since moving back downtown, I have not driven.

The only thing that needs to happen on Robinson is a light installed at Broadway. It will make it easier for peds from Eola Heights to get to the park, allow traffic to get off Broadway during rush hour, slow down traffic on Robinson, and help allow some cars get off Eola Drive. I'm pretty sure Eola Drive is too close to the light at Summerlin to allow another traffic light.

You could increase the traffic on Pine and Church if you got rid of the brick streets, but a lot people seem to be fond of them. I find them annoying as a driver or a pedestrian. If Orlando ever has a riot, there will be plenty of bricks to throw. I thought the next extension of the Lymmo was going onto either Pine or Church. That wouldn't be good with increased traffic flow from a closed Central.

What additional units are coming online that will overwhelm Lake Eola? If all the condos were filled (which they are not) and all of the residents went to the park at once, you might feel overwhelmed. I'm not feeling it.

And I go to Lake Eola for one reason or another every single day. The only time Central needs to be closed for pedestrians is when it is closed down. Fiesta in the Park, 4th of July fireworks, etc.

What exactly would be a benefit of the park going 10 more yards on Central? Why not Robinson? What is your argument for extending Central exactly? It's not like the other side of Central's sidewalk is inviting.

Sorry if I seem cold to the idea. If you were just stating this like a whim, then I wouldn't argue back, but you are defending this like it would make Orlando such a better environment for everyone.

[FLKP]

Additional people will come as projects fill up over the next months: Dynatec, Vue, Solaire, 101, Paramount.

I agree that the extra 10 yards is not much; but where else can the park grow?

We need to do what Orlando does so poorly: Plan ahead.

I was here in 1971 when the city fathers said were not going to be an "Annaheim" we would plan growth. That worked.

We need green spaces, a range of restaurants and bars so we can spend our time there; not in the car.

[JFW657]

I would like to see Central closed from Lake to Rosalind and make it extension of Park. If we could add the temporary Post Parkside; what a great park we could have.

Why not just drain & fill in Lake Eola? Get rid of the fountain & plant trees with a nice open green meadow in the middle. It'd be like a mini Central Park. In fact, they could rename it that.

[RedStar25]

to bad the lake is spring fed.... your mini central park would end up being a mini-everglades.

[IsaacFL]

That would be perfect for monster truck rallys and tractor pulls !!

[JFW657]

to bad the lake is spring fed.... your mini central park would end up being a mini-everglades.

Ohhh..... they could plug it up. I think they use packed clay for that type of thing.

That's how they plugged the leak in Lake Davis, anyway.

At any rate, I was just being facetious to illustrate how kooky of the idea of closing Central is.

[RedStar25]

I never knew lake Davis had a leak in it. huh... where was it leaking to?

[tennis32801]

Construction manager gave a meeting regarding status today. Here is what i remembered.

1. Publix aiming to open by labor day, but he thinks it will be much earlier. (still kinda long if you ask me).

2. Publix will be bigger than the one currently on mills and shine.

3. Parking lot for publix will be managed by the City (free or not he doesnt know)

4. Those steef frames on lake street are for screens to cover parking garage, so no art work which would have been better

5. Shooting for mid june to 1st week of july for residence to move in

6. There will be some statue or art work on front of pulbix

7. No knowledge of other retails going in except for publix, washington mutual, and paramount sales office

8. Outside color of building mimics the chrylser building in chicago?

9. A lot discussion about construction error regarding loading dock of publix. He mentioned something about that the steel frames will be removed, it was only for temporary fix. Carbon fiber are being applied to distrubute load. Thats all i remember.

10. Eventhough Hardin has moved to office spaces at Centre Places?? across from Tradition Towers, he denies any knowledge of when TT will start. He did state that "TT is way behind schedule".

Thats all i remember, too much green beer, must work tomorrow.

[JRS1]

Construction manager gave a meeting regarding status today. Here is what i remembered.

8. Outside color of building mimics the chrylser building in chicago?

10. Eventhough Hardin has moved to office spaces at Centre Places?? across from Tradition Towers, he denies any knowledge of when TT will start. He did state that "TT is way behind schedule".

actually, it doesn't even have the same color scheme at the Chrysler Bldg... in NYC of course... but it would've been nice if Paramount had stainless ornaments on it...

Hardin is across from the TT sales office on Central...

[neon9]

I never knew lake Davis had a leak in it. huh... where was it leaking to?

In Florida, there is typically a 'surficial' aquifer, fed from recent rains and runoff and above the first or second confining layer. The confining layer being a layer of clay or limerock that does not allow water to pass through. The 'leaking' was most likely, and I do not know for sure, to a lower aquifer such as the Floridian. Either the leakage was to an intermediate aquifer that the water would just 'disappear' into, or it was into a lower aquifer such as the Floridian which could threaten drinking water supplies.

[JFW657]

I never knew lake Davis had a leak in it. huh... where was it leaking to?

As far as exactly where it was leaking to, I suppose the above post probably explains it pretty well, but all I know is that about two or three years ago, we had an extended drought around here & all the lake levels were way down.

Because of the lowered underground water levels, the same openings that fed Lake Davis became drain holes through which the lake water was seeping out.

In order to fix the problem, they drained the remaining water by sending it to the surrounding lakes which are all connected via underground pipes, let the bottom dry out for a few weeks (I stopped by & walked across it one day just for the hell of it) then brought in some heavy equipment & several truckloads of clay which they packed into the hole, stopping it up. Hence, Lake Davis is no longer spring fed.

[neon9]

As far as exactly where it was leaking to, I suppose the above post probably explains it pretty well, but all I know is that about two or three years ago, we had an extended drought around here & all the lake levels were way down.

Because of the lowered underground water levels, the same openings that fed Lake Davis became drain holes through which the lake water was seeping out.

In order to fix the problem, they drained the remaining water by sending it to the surrounding lakes which are all connected via underground pipes, let the bottom dry out for a few weeks (I stopped by & walked across it one day just for the hell of it) then brought in some heavy equipment & several truckloads of clay which they packed into the hole, stopping it up. Hence, Lake Davis is no longer spring fed.

Just so you have a visual...

Graphic of typical aquifer

If it was previously spring fed, then that means there was some type of connection to the confined aquifer, either the Floridian or something above it that is still under pressure. However, unless you're sure it WAS spring fed, keep in mind it could have just been a natural lake, the bottom of which was beneath the normal water table. During a drought, the water table drops lower than normal, and next thing you know there is no lake.

[Boomer136]

Just so you have a visual...

Graphic of typical aquifer

If it was previously spring fed, then that means there was some type of connection to the confined aquifer, either the Floridian or something above it that is still under pressure. However, unless you're sure it WAS spring fed, keep in mind it could have just been a natural lake, the bottom of which was beneath the normal water table. During a drought, the water table drops lower than normal, and next thing you know there is no lake.

I thought both Eola and Davis were sinkhole lakes.

[neon9]

I thought both Eola and Davis were sinkhole lakes.

I don't know if they were formed by actual sinkholes but either way I think saything they are 'spring fed' is not exactly correct, in the strict sense of the word.

[IsaacFL]

I don't know if they were formed by actual sinkholes but either way I think saything they are 'spring fed' is not exactly correct, in the strict sense of the word.

According to something I read at the History Center, Lake Eola was spring fed and as recently as the 20's, people used to row boats out to where the spring flowed up and fill containers for drinking water. Also the reason the fountain is where is at, is because it is too deep in the center where the old spring entrance was.

"http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/downtown/orl-lakeeola-downtown-flashback,0,7778614.story"

Lake Highland was also spring fed and was the source of the City's drinking water supply for many years.