Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[Jernigan]

First Green Bank does all that cool stuff but that doesnt mean a cool looking building.   Their buildings in Lake County are new and nice and their Winter Park one feels LEED when walking in...but drive by the building near Orlando Health and it's an eyesore that they inherited.

BishopBeale has done a lot of ground level work to that tower.   New facade on Orange a mural facing south that looks like it came out of Mills50 and new bike racks.

[HankStrong]

20 hours ago, JFW657 said:

In the linked article, somebody referred to the building as an "architectural gem".

Whaaaaa.......?????? 

 

Likely the same folks that said that random concrete cross-hatching on the round building was an architectural/artistic masterpiece.

[uncreativeusername]

On 7/14/2016 at 9:35 AM, JFW657 said:

In the linked article, somebody referred to the building as an "architectural gem".

Whaaaaa.......?????? 

 

Well, "architectural gem" is relative...a markedly different statement than "architectural masterpiece".  

To be fair, this building is quite representative of the International Style a la Mies van der Rohe (see AMA Plaza in Chicago, the Seagram Building in New York, or at a more comparable scale, Lafayette Towers in Detroit).

We all know that as a young city, Orlando lacks much variety in architectural style.  When an average building is the sole representation of a particular historical style/period, I could see an argument for "architectural gem", although I'd probably go for "architecturally significant" instead.  

For the record: I will never justify nor forgive the inverted-phallic paint/window-tint job the building received in the early 2000s or whenever it was that happened. 

[Jernigan]

Small project of 6 townhomes coming to Pine in South Eola.  

http://www.cityoforlando.net/city-planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/07/ARB2016-00037report.pdf

[dcluley98]

I really like the modern facade design on that.  The two detached garages are ridiculous, though.  Shouldn't let them do that, just put the end unit garages in the building like the rest of them and keep that space in the corner for trees/landscaping.

That whole Pine/Church street area is going to be nice once all this stuff gets built out!

Edited July 15, 2016 by dcluley98

[FLheat]

21 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

I really like the modern facade design on that.  The two detached garages are ridiculous, though.  Shouldn't let them do that, just put the end unit garages in the building like the rest of them and keep that space in the corner for trees/landscaping.

That whole Pine/Church street area is going to be nice once all this stuff gets built out!

I like the exterior, and the floor plan of the end units, If I lived in an interior unit I don't think I'd like to have my company enter a hallway next to a bedroom and have to go directly upstairs.  Most floor plans like this have direct access to the second floor living area.by exterior steps or elevation grade. I do like clearing out architecturally insignificant single family homes converted to professional office buildings downtown; however.

[gibby]

This looks like a great project.

[dcluley98]

The skylights going to top two floors and decks on the roof are awesome.  Ground floor is a bit odd with a bedroom downstairs.  I like it a lot.  I am sure it will be way out of my league price wise though.  Anybody know details on pricing yet?  

[JFW657]

I wonder what the view will be like from those rooftop terraces...

 

[John Hargrove]

Keep the townhomes coming. I love these projects.

[GTR]

22 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

I really like the modern facade design on that.  The two detached garages are ridiculous, though.  Shouldn't let them do that, just put the end unit garages in the building like the rest of them and keep that space in the corner for trees/landscaping.

That whole Pine/Church street area is going to be nice once all this stuff gets built out!

Yeah I love the design but the detached garages for the two end units (i.e., the most desirable units) is a very stupid move.  You get to pay more to walk to your car uncovered.

[dcluley98]

14 hours ago, JFW657 said:

I wonder what the view will be like from those rooftop terraces...

 

I bet it will be pretty good.  You can get a view of lake Eola park between South Eola and Thorton Park Central.  I guess it depends on how tall this is compared to South Eola.  If the deck on the new building is higher than South Eola, then it would be great but it doesn't look like it would clear that.  I guess it is better than shabby duplexes next to lake Olive though, lol.

[popsiclebrandon]

21 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

I bet it will be pretty good.  You can get a view of lake Eola park between South Eola and Thorton Park Central.  I guess it depends on how tall this is compared to South Eola.  If the deck on the new building is higher than South Eola, then it would be great but it doesn't look like it would clear that.  I guess it is better than shabby duplexes next to lake Olive though, lol.

Aren't the condos on the corner of Eola and Central taller? I want to say they are 4 stories so probably not much of a view.

[dcluley98]

1 hour ago, popsiclebrandon said:

Aren't the condos on the corner of Eola and Central taller? I want to say they are 4 stories so probably not much of a view.

Yes, that is South Eola I was referring to.  They are 4 stories, but the ground floor is a bit under grade, which is a bit odd for Florida.

 It depends on the starting elevation of the site and the height of the floors whether the roof deck will be tall enough to see over the other building. I doubt it would clear it, however, so you are stuck with a window of lake eola park between the two slightly taller condos to the west and north.  Given the geometry, the end unit furthest east would have the best views.

Edited July 17, 2016 by dcluley98

[Jernigan]

On July 14, 2016 at 3:03 PM, Jernigan said:

First Green Bank does all that cool stuff but that doesnt mean a cool looking building.   Their buildings in Lake County are new and nice and their Winter Park one feels LEED when walking in...but drive by the building near Orlando Health and it's an eyesore that they inherited.

BishopBeale has done a lot of ground level work to that tower.   New facade on Orange a mural facing south that looks like it came out of Mills50 and new bike racks.

A comment on FGBs Facebook page resonated with me - they will be one of the only major banks with a drive through downtown.   Not a very "Green" message.

[alex]

I like the townhomes, but a project of 16,000 sq ft (not counting garages) this close to downtown should have more than six units. Realistically, this same building could house 16- to 20-unit condos or apartments. That said, still a good addition to the area.

[UngaBungalow]

3 hours ago, alex said:

I like the townhomes, but a project of 16,000 sq ft (not counting garages) this close to downtown should have more than six units. Realistically, this same building could house 16- to 20-unit condos or apartments. That said, still a good addition to the area.

I hear that, but they were already worried that there was too much height in the project already. Which is a shame really, as that whole corridor will continue to trend upwards.

[GTR]

I wonder how these will be priced.  Those three lots next to each out did not come cheap.  To have to share that cost only among 6 townhouses is a big burden.  I imagine these will be priced even higher than the Brownstones that aren't selling.

Edited July 19, 2016 by GTR

[alex]

35 minutes ago, UngaBungalow said:

I hear that, but they were already worried that there was too much height in the project already. Which is a shame really, as that whole corridor will continue to trend upwards.

True, and it's a good transition from South Eola into Thornton Park. But I was thinking more along the lines of keeping the same building size (three stories) and dividing it up better for more density. Instead of 6 units x 2,600 sq ft, why not have 16 units x 1,000 sq ft? Depending on pricing, a developer could potentially make more money: 6 units @ $600,000 < 16 units @ $240,000. 

But I'm not a developer, so I'm sure they have their reasons for doing what they do. The proposed units at 2,500-3,000 sq ft just seem really suburban/inefficient for this lot.

[John Hargrove]

My biased perspective is that we need more family-sized units downtown. Looking at stuff built in the last 10 years, they are rare. 

[jack]

Cool project but I wish there was a better transition to the single family. We go from 12 story high rise to 3 story in half of a block. Where are the 4-6 story apartments? 

[gibby]

There will still be two lots between this development and the 201 S. Eola building.

[AndyPok1]

8 hours ago, castorvx said:

My biased perspective is that we need more family-sized units downtown. Looking at stuff built in the last 10 years, they are rare. 

Agreed.  Love the bungalows, but a 1300sqft 3 bedroom simply doesn't work in 2016.

[UngaBungalow]

On 7/18/2016 at 7:49 AM, Jernigan said:

A comment on FGBs Facebook page resonated with me - they will be one of the only major banks with a drive through downtown.   Not a very "Green" message.

Maybe they'll be the first drive thru that allows bicycles!

[HankStrong]

Maybe they'll post signs to turn off your car in the 110 heat index.