Orlando Attractions Area News & Developments

[jrs2]

https://www.themeparktourist.com/news/20220806/32320/epic-universe-hotel-slated-be-completed-end-2023

so it looks like that first hotel that they are planning to clad in the chameleon reflective glass panels, at Universal Blvd & Kirkman Road Extension (NE parcel)...is expected to be open by the end of 2023.

https://www.themeparktourist.com/news/20230708/32268/epic-universe-taking-shape-here-how-it-currently-looks

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by jrs2

[prahaboheme]

Hopefully it looks better than this 
Or that Endless Summer ala W192 resort up the street

There is a reason why buildings like this go up overnight….

[jgardnerucf]

Gotta keep dem 3rd shift boys at Finfrock busy!

[shardoon]

This is interesting. Marriott branded hotel towers up tp 400ft. IMO, not gonna happen any time soon. This is more of a land use plan years in the future. 

https://www.growthspotter.com/2023/07/11/marriott-branded-resort-with-hotel-timeshares-planned-for-vacant-land-near-disney-world/

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, shardoon said:

This is interesting. Marriott branded hotel towers up tp 400ft. IMO, not gonna happen any time soon. This is more of a land use plan years in the future. 

https://www.growthspotter.com/2023/07/11/marriott-branded-resort-with-hotel-timeshares-planned-for-vacant-land-near-disney-world/

fascinating stuff.  um, is Fairmont going off of I-Drive South right there, or is it going just north of World Center?  I think it's two projects, Fairmont and another one...and now this one...

so is this development the contingency station location/ partnership for BL?

from their website:

13 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

Hopefully it looks better than this 
Or that Endless Summer ala W192 resort up the street

There is a reason why buildings like this go up overnight….

based on what I'm hearing (and seeing in the videos), whatever you see as concrete is being clad with that glass sheath.  very Vegassy...

[shardoon]

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

fascinating stuff.  um, is Fairmont going off of I-Drive South right there, or is it going just north of World Center?  I think it's two projects, Fairmont and another one...and now this one...

so is this development the contingency station location/ partnership for BL?

from their website:

based on what I'm hearing (and seeing in the videos), whatever you see as concrete is being clad with that glass sheath.  very Vegassy...

Don't forget that Nobu is in there somewhere. I think Fairmont is on the corner parcel of 535 and World Center Drive. I think Nobu is somehwre north or the Marriott World Center. Honestly, it is getting rather confusing down there with all the parcels....... 

Still waiting for a St. Regis and a Rosewood LOL

[jrs2]

3 hours ago, shardoon said:

Don't forget that Nobu is in there somewhere. I think Fairmont is on the corner parcel of 535 and World Center Drive. I think Nobu is somehwre north or the Marriott World Center. Honestly, it is getting rather confusing down there with all the parcels....... 

Still waiting for a St. Regis and a Rosewood LOL

Yes, Nobu.

I have a question.  The hotel going near White Castle, it was slated to go between the new Marriott Vacations HQ building right at Darryl Carter & Palm Pkwy.  Well, I drove by there recently and there is not much land there.  Is there a site plan for that hotel?

[jrs2]

 

[jrs2]

5 hours ago, shardoon said:

Don't forget that Nobu is in there somewhere. I think Fairmont is on the corner parcel of 535 and World Center Drive. I think Nobu is somehwre north or the Marriott World Center. Honestly, it is getting rather confusing down there with all the parcels....... 

Still waiting for a St. Regis and a Rosewood LOL

I tried but there is no news on that Tao Group hotel slated for O-Town west.  I'm thinking we'll have updates on that, Nobu, Fairmont, The W, over the next few months.  Conrad will be opening soon as they are getting closer to being done on that project.  That's a biggie for Orlando's hotel market.

[jrs2]

wow, Plynesian Village Resort.  I had no idea they were building this:

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2023/01/17/how-hotels-are-changing-in-disney-world-in-2023/

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2023/04/08/huge-construction-changes-at-disneys-polynesian-village-resort/

Edited July 12, 2023 by jrs2

[shardoon]

48 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

wow, Plynesian Village Resort.  I had no idea they were building this:

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2023/01/17/how-hotels-are-changing-in-disney-world-in-2023/

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2023/04/08/huge-construction-changes-at-disneys-polynesian-village-resort/

I believe these are timeshares..... they killed the luau for thos 

[jrs2]

Here's what I've been looking for... an aerial shot of Conrad Evermore.  They just filled the pool with water.  Check this place out:

https://www.wdw-magazine.com/evermore-orlando-resort-construction-milestone/

https://www.cvent.com/venues/orlando/resort/evermore-orlando-resort/venue-ad29532e-ae06-4113-a9a5-18ed79f990f6

in the photo, there's no parking decks.  but, on the map, two are depicted.

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by jrs2

[jack]

16 hours ago, jrs2 said:

Here's what I've been looking for... an aerial shot of Conrad Evermore.  They just filled the pool with water.  Check this place out:

https://www.wdw-magazine.com/evermore-orlando-resort-construction-milestone/

https://www.cvent.com/venues/orlando/resort/evermore-orlando-resort/venue-ad29532e-ae06-4113-a9a5-18ed79f990f6

in the photo, there's no parking decks.  but, on the map, two are depicted.

 

Garages go up fast. They can build them last. 

What is crazy is this is similar to what that hotel in Lake Nona was supposed to be. As far as I know, they still have not started. These guys came out of no where and actually built it. Kudos to them. 

[jrs2]

11 minutes ago, jack said:

Garages go up fast. They can build them last. 

What is crazy is this is similar to what that hotel in Lake Nona was supposed to be. As far as I know, they still have not started. These guys came out of no where and actually built it. Kudos to them. 

yeah, that hotel; I've been waiting to see what happens with that as well.

[jrs2]

Here's another aerial of Conrad Evermore:

https://www.gottagoorlando.com/post/new-evermore-orlando-resort-near-walt-disney-world-celebrates-huge-construction-milestone

https://chipandco.com/evermore-orlando-resort-near-walt-disney-world-celebrates-topping-off-of-evermore-bay-531795/

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by jrs2

[prahaboheme]

I’m amazed they have kept some of the villas. I had a brief stint at Grand Cypress as a teenager and cleaned them!

[jrs2]

On 7/12/2023 at 11:46 AM, shardoon said:

Don't forget that Nobu is in there somewhere. I think Fairmont is on the corner parcel of 535 and World Center Drive. I think Nobu is somehwre north or the Marriott World Center. Honestly, it is getting rather confusing down there with all the parcels....... 

Still waiting for a St. Regis and a Rosewood LOL

so here is a short list of these hotel proposals:

1. Tao Group - O-Town West - proposed

2. Nobu - Marriott World Center zone- between 536 & 535 - proposed

3. Fairmont - I-Drive South & 536 - proposed

4. New Marriott Property w/timeshares - I-Drive South & 536 - proposed

5. Conrad Evermore- u/c and nearing completion (sounds so dirty)

6. Lake Nona Resort - proposed

7. W Hotel - Destination Pkwy & Universal Blvd (NW corner) - proposed

8. 30+ story 4-5 star property (Westwood & W. Entrance Drive (west of Tru)) - proposed

9. WDW Polynesian expansion - u/c

10. Epic U 1 (912) - NE corner of Kirkman & Universal Blvd. - u/c

11. Epic U 2 - NW corner of Kirkman & Universal Blvd. - u/c

12. Epic U. Helios Grand (within park) (910) - u/c

13. other...

wow. I forgot to press Submit.  I wrote this hours ago.

[ragerunner]

The new Villain-Con Minion Blast ride has soft opened at Universal Studios Orlando. We take a look at this unique standing/moving walkway shooting ride. It actually works better than we had anticipated and it brings a much need family ride to Universal Studios with no height limit.

 

[jrs2]

On 7/15/2023 at 5:12 PM, ragerunner said:

The new Villain-Con Minion Blast ride has soft opened at Universal Studios Orlando. We take a look at this unique standing/moving walkway shooting ride. It actually works better than we had anticipated and it brings a much need family ride to Universal Studios with no height limit.

 

that looks like fun.  it reminds me of a standing version of the Buzz Lightyear ride at MGM.  That should be a huge hit.

[jrs2]

I know most are like...blah...when it comes to apartment buildings, but, I've never thought much about the Oakridge corridor.  Premium Outlets is there, Artegon/Deezerland is there, and most everything else is old and run down sans Texas de Brazil etc, and the world's busiest Ross.

However...ever since they built the Grand National overpass and express lanes exit, all I can say is...wow.  So when they had that $100M proposal for retail and medical office across Oakridge from the mall, they only built the outparcels; Bahama Breeze, etc.  and then the project stalled.  Well, since then they built that hotel towards the back of the property, and, BAM, they have built out the apartments on the remainder.  Livano.  Check it out:

https://landsouth.com/the-livano-grand-national/

This tract used to be a grass field; it also had a concrete footprint of a former motel or whatever.  People would use it for mall overflow parking.  

In the first photo, you can see Premium Outlets beyond it to the north.  In the second photo, Deezerland to the east.  In the fourth, the retail center behind it to the south.

[Uncommon]

I work in this area. It's really built up. The entire I-drive district is actually much more than fun touristy stuff. There's a large cluster of homes, apartments, townhomes, and restaurants being built and it's contributed to the area being much more walkable than it used to be.

[jrs2]

Deezerland.

https://www.vhb.com/news/artegon-marketplace-gets-residential-retrofit/

so, the Deseo Grande is that apartment building with garage built at the SW corner of Deezerland's outer parking loop.  According to the article it is Phase I of a partial redevelopment of that land.

Well, I drove in there on Saturday and I can tell you that they have already started Phase II, towards the east of Deseo Grande.  I am impressed.  They said they'd do it and they are doing it.  No photos; sorry.

But, man...between this at Deezerland, Livano across from Premium Outlets, and the apartment building at Grand National & Major across I-4, we're talking a ton of residential unit in the heart of the northern edge of the tourist corridor.  And if you go down to Carrier Drive, there is yet another cluster of apartment buildings and construction underway with new units already built over the past two years.  So the north of SLR zone is getting a heavy dose of residential.

Here's an article about Phase II from 2022:

https://floridayimby.com/2022/07/deseo-apartments-could-get-second-phase-offering-365-units-in-orlando-fl.html

Edited July 17, 2023 by jrs2

[jrs2]

14 minutes ago, Uncommon said:

I work in this area. It's really built up. The entire I-drive district is actually much more than fun touristy stuff. There's a large cluster of homes, apartments, townhomes, and restaurants being built and it's contributed to the area being much more walkable than it used to be.

good to know.  check out my post about Deezerland.  that place maybe utilizes 1/3 of it's parking lot.  And right now the SW quadrant of that parking lot is getting redeveloped.  It's just a glorious thing.  North I-Drive has been stigmatized for so long and now it is getting built up.  I used to roam down there a lot and the new thing was the expansion at FunSpot, Orlando Eye, and the redo of Festival Bay to Artegon to compliment the redo of Belz of Premium Outlets phases 1 and 2.  It is really exciting because development begets development.

[jrs2]

Here's a project that is proposed to go directly across the street from the JW in Bonnet Creek:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/plans-filed-for-new-resort-in-bonnet-creek-area.980706/

 

[jrs2]

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/orange-county-convention-center-expansion-tops-list-projects-contending-330m-funds/O7EAUPIO6ZC3VNBUQ6J6LS2ZTQ/

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/26/orange-county-convention-center-tops-list-for-tax-dollar-uses-task-force-finds/

Edited July 18, 2023 by jrs2