Orlando Development News

[jzquince69]

I think the red line on the map Smiley posted is it for the proposal for 2009/2013.

I foresee that if it gets approved and is a success, they will follow the example of TriRail and double track where it isn't yet along that route and decrease wait times.

After that, IMO, I only see them expanding commuter rail up existing tracks or easements, such as into Lake Co. along 441, as long as CSX lines aren't interrupted too much.

[Jahi98]

True. I can definately see a commuter line going into Lake County.

[jzquince69]

they approved the tax yesterday to fund the PAC, Arena, and improved Citrus Bowl.

[Sunstorm]

What's this that I read in Florida Trend recently about Orlando getting a new tallest? It said the city commission has voted to allow a 45 story building, downtown I believe. I don't think that I've seen anything here about that here. Are there any posts about this project on the other skyscraper sites. This thread here at SSC is the only one I usually look at concerning Otown projects.

[FLAWDA-FELLA]

Originally Posted by Sunstorm

What's this that I read in Florida Trend recently about Orlando getting a new tallest? It said the city commission has voted to allow a 45 story building, downtown I believe. I don't think that I've seen anything here about that here. Are there any posts about this project on the other skyscraper sites. This thread here at SSC is the only one I usually look at concerning Otown projects.

I haven't heard anything about this new project yet, but maybe you can find something on www.orlandoskyscrapers.com. Btw, there is already a proposed tower with 46 floors at about 460'.

[jzquince69]

Are they talking about Orl. City Place? I won't hold my breath on that one.

As you know, always gotta look at total height in feet; depending on height per floor, you can have a 45 story tower that's only 450' tall, which is a few feet taller than Suntrust. Or, in say, Chicago, you can have the Daley Center at 32 stories and 660+' in height.

[Dale]

I'm pretty sure it was approved at 458'.

[Sunstorm]

The article said it would be Orlando's tallest, unless that was just an assumption made by the person who wrote the article. And, yes jz, I think it was called City Place. It's to include a least a couple of other 30somthing story towers. I was very surpised to read about all this.

[jzquince69]

Big News regarding Commuter Rail: Smiley, help me on linking this:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...orl-home-promo

[smiley]

I think the map is the same as before, so I'll just link it:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media...7/24421222.jpg

Deal finally made on commuter rail

Gov. Bush likely to unveil CSX agreement today

Jay Hamburg and Etan Horowitz | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted August 2, 2006
Gov. Jeb Bush is expected to announce a nearly $500 million deal today to bring commuter rail to Central Florida, capping a 20-year dream to relieve gridlock in one of the nation's most congested regions.

With funding mostly lined up and details over routes and stops just about worked out, only minor negotiations remain before construction can begin, and trains could start running between DeBary and Orlando by late 2009. An extended route into Osceola County is scheduled to be completed by 2013.

Bush is expected to announce a deal with CSX Transportation, which owns the 61 miles of track on which the commuter trains would run. The state would buy the tracks and in exchange, it would improve existing freight lines so that CSX can increase its capacity and move some of its trains away from urban areas, possibly farther from downtown Orlando.

"It will be good news for Central Florida and the rest of the state," said U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, who has been working to get commuter rail in the region since 1993.

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to release more details about the project following the governor's announcement today at 12:30 p.m. at the main Lynx bus station in downtown Orlando. Commuter-rail cars are planned to be on hand for the public to see after 1:30 p.m.

"This increases mobility options and freight capacities for the future of Florida," said Denver Stutler, Florida's transportation secretary.

The deal with CSX was the final component needed to push the rail project forward. It is being called an "agreement in principle" between Florida and CSX with some details such as liability for any environmental contamination around the existing tracks to be worked out in the near future, Stutler said.

But both he and Gary Sease, a spokesman for CSX, said a strong framework was in place and both expected the deal to be finalized in the near future.

FDOT will oversee the design, construction and operation of the rail system. The purchase of the rail lines will come from state funds.

The deal also creates new possibilities for housing and retail development around transit stations in Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties.

Long time coming

Transportation planners have pushed for some form of rail to relieve congestion in Central Florida for more than 20 years, but funding problems and political battles nixed the idea.

This time, governments have agreed that rail is needed and have pledged money to get it built.

In addition to the $500 million for the tracks, construction of the system, including the stops, will amount to about $475 million. The federal government will chip in half. The state will provide 25 percent, and local county and city government will put up the other 25 percent.

The state also will pay operating costs through 2015.

"What a great opportunity for this region," said Shelley Lauten, director of myregion.org, a think tank that tackles growth issues in seven Central Florida counties. "It shows what we can do when we work together."

Supporters of commuter rail say it will begin to take some pressure off Central Florida roadways, where congestion is ranked as the nation's ninth worst.

Pressure has been building to develop mass-transit options in a region whose population is expected to double to more than 7 million people by 2050.

"I think it's wonderful," said Linda Chapin, director of the Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies at the University of Central Florida. "We had a chance at rail in the late 1990s and we blew it."

Chapin pushed for an earlier project, but she had left office as Orange County chairman when the County Commission turned down a light-rail proposal by one vote in 1999. She called today's announcement a "good first step."

A regional impact

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty said counties will have to continue to work together to figure out how to operate and pay for the system in the future.

Orange County already has put aside $30 million to build transit stations.

"This project is important," Crotty said. "It is not the end all. It's a starting place."

Leaders in Volusia County, where about 30,000 residents commute every day to jobs in Seminole and Orange counties, were ecstatic about the news.

"I think what it will do is connect us in ways that we have only been connected by automobile and I-4," said Linda White, president and chief executive officer of the West Volusia Chamber of Commerce. "And we all know the issues we have in terms of that connection. It will allow us to rethink where we relocate business, how we look at workers and how we move people back and forth."

White said that the commuter rail also will boost plans for a $23 million Partnership Center in Orange City, which will host seminars, conferences and concerts.

"This will give them [commuters] an opportunity not to have to go through the stress of driving, the cost of gasoline and the maintenance on their vehicles," Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno said. "It will change the lifestyle of the people who will be using it."

Jay Hamburg can be reached at jhamburg@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5673. Etan Horowitz can be reached at ehorowitz@orlandosentinel.com or 386-851-7915.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...orl-home-promo

[jzquince69]

thanx Smiley:

there's an update article to this one... Jeb rolled into the Lynx station around 12:40 pm today aboard a 2-car Commuter Rail deal and announced that the deal went thru. Tally bought the lines from CSX for $150M. Fed 50%, FLA 25%, Local 25%.

the rest of the article is a repeat of the one above. It's still on schedule for 2009 (the first line from DeBary to DT).

pretty sure they will be double-decker cars.

somewhat related: there was an OBJ article 2 weeks ago stating that CSX intends to build a $1B multimodal freight hub near Winter Haven specifically to handle freight from Chi-town. interesting read. (sorry, no link)

[Hisma]

it's about time.
Orlando is finally starting to get all the elements of a real city.
A world-class PAC, mass transit, and a real live-work-play downtown. It's amazing to see where this city was just a decade ago, to where it is now.

[Jasonhouse]

^Yes, it is...

btw, I was in Orlando this past weekend... Things are looking good downtown, with the area around the Suntrust building getting dense.


That's awesome that Orlando got commuter rail... Especially since it is now a sure thing that some kind of expanded mass transit will occur for us Tampa folks.

Hopefully they can tweak the plan a bit to speed up those commute times... Remember, people have to travel to and from the stations, and that takes time too... But overall, I think the plan is good. That first route will hit some major employment centers, and also serve to help bleed some traffic growth off of I-4...

[smiley]

Finally, for God's sakes. I thought ORlando would never get going to force Tampa to play catchup and build something.

Seriously, it will be good for all.

[Lakelander]

Congrats! This is big news for Jax, as well. The relocation of major freight to CSX's "S" line removes major rail traffic from inner city Jax as well (the "A" line through Orlando terminates in downtown Jax). With the state investing so much in the Baldwin to Plant City line (S line), it now makes financial sense on the state's part to back future commuter rail from Jax to Orange Park.

[jzquince69]

... and other local news, c/o Sunshine at UP:

IKEA Expands in South

Home furnishings retailer IKEA announced plans to build a store in Orlando, expanding its reach in the U.S. South. Currently, the closest IKEA store to the area is in Atlanta. The company plans for a 310,000-square-foot space with 1,200 parking spaces, to be built on 22 acres off of Eastgate Drive, at the southeastern end of The Mall at Millenia. It anticipates an opening in the fall of 2007. IKEA's expansion plans also include an opening in the summer of 2007 in Sunrise, Fla., along with stores in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Canton, Mich.; Draper, Utah; Dublin, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Round Rock, Texas; and Somerville, Mass.


http://commercialpropertynews.com/cp..._id=1002575280

[jzquince69]

C/O Maxxlife at UP:

"Ran across an article that has Orlando as the #8 U.S. city in terms of Tech related growth. Below is the top 10 list from the article. Here is the LINK if you want to read the whole piece. " (can't get the link to work)

1. Seattle • City population: 570,430 • Companies that call it home: Amazon, RealNetworks, AT&T
Wireless, T-Mobile • The details: The June 2006 Dice Report ranks Seattle No. 10 in available
jobs, with 1,901 listed, up over 300 from one year ago. Indeed.com ranks Seattle No. 4 in
number of tech jobs per capita, with 13 jobs per 1000 people. And a WashTech/CWA report
issued this week calls Seattle a "bright spot" of technology growth in a recovering market.

2. Atlanta • City population: 419,122 • Companies that call it home: Cingular, EarthLink, Internet
Security Systems • The details: The June 2006 Dice Report ranks Atlanta No. 9 in available jobs,
with 2,366 listed. Indeed.com ranks Atlanta No. 1 in tech number of jobs per capita, with 17 per
1000 people.

3. Boston • City population: 569,165 • Companies that call it home: Akamai Technologies, EMC
Corp., CMGI venture capital • The details: The June 2006 Dice Report ranks Boston No. 7 in
available jobs, with 2,699 listed, up over 400 from one year ago. Indeed.com ranks Boston No. 5
in the number of tech jobs per capita, with 11 per 1000 people. WashTech/CWA, in a report
issued this week, gives Boston props for holding its own in IT job creation after the recession.

4. Washington, D.C. • City population: 553,523 • Companies that call it home: Sprint Nextel,
America Online (nearby), Computer Sciences Corporation • The details: The June 2006 Dice
Report ranks Washington No. 2 in available jobs, with 2,548 listed. Indeed.com ranks
Washington No. 3 in the number of tech jobs per capita, with 14 jobs per 1000 people.
WashTech/CWA, in a report issued this week, gives Washington props for holding its own in IT
job creation after the recession.

5. Dallas • City population: 1,210,393 • Companies that call it home: Aspen Communications,
CompUSA, Electronic Data Systems, Kinkos • The details: WashTech/CWA, in a report issued this
week, gives Dallas props for hold its own in IT job creation after the recession. Dallas is home to
the "technology corridor," the source of nearly 100,000 jobs before the recession.

6. Philadelphia • City population: 1,470,151 • Companies that call it home: Unisys, SAP America,
Verizon • The details: The June 2006 Dice Report ranks Philadelphia No. 6 in available jobs, with
3,345 listed, up approximately 500 from one year ago. Indeed.com ranks Philadelphia No. 13 in
the number of tech jobs per capita, with eight jobs per 1000 people.

7. Chicago • City population: 2,862,244 • Companies that call it home: Accenture, US Robotics,
Telephone and Data Systems, Click Commerce, Motorola (nearby) • The details: The June 2006
Dice Report ranks Chicago No. 5 in available jobs, with 3,648 listed, up almost 700 from one year
ago.

8. Orlando • City population: 205,648 • Companies that call it home: Lockheed Martin, Symantec,
Electronic Arts (nearby) • The details: Indeed.com ranks Orlando No. 9 in the number of jobs per
capita, with 10 technology jobs per 1000 people. Joel Kotkin, a writer on economic and political
trends, lists Orlando among areas ripe to become the next Silicon Valley, noting its quick
economic and population growth, and according to Inc. Magazine, among the reasons is that
Florida has a job growth of 9.6 percent between 2001-2005, the third highest in the country.

9. Los Angeles • City population: 3,845,541 • Companies that call it home: DirecTV, Belkin,
Univision, Memorex • The details: The June 2006 Dice Report ranks Lose Angeles No. 4 in
available jobs, with 5,218 listed, up over 700 from one year ago. NimbleCat.com, a tech jobtracking
service, finds that Los Angeles comes in first place in tech job creation.

10. Charlotte • City population: 651,359 • Companies that call it home: SPX Corporation, Time
Warner Cable, Bank of America • The details: Indeed.com ranks Charlotte No. 7 in the number of
tech jobs per capita, with 10 technology jobs per 1000 people. Inc. Magazine in its Boomtowns
'06 report calls Charlotte the 11th best place in the United States to do business. The cost of
living in Charlotte is 30 percent lower than in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[jzquince69]

C/O dcfilmknight at UP:

The Contemporary is adding a 15 or 16 story tower to its complex. It is rumored that the project will be announced and break ground in October.

[jzquince69]

c/o Tim at UP:

THe Landmark-- to take over old Hyatt & 192 property:

[TampaMike]

I like that one