Downtown Orlando is Growing

It’s no secret Downtown Orlando is growing, and it’s happening at a very steady pace

Just this year the city added about 750 new residential units to Downtown Orlando, and even more are expected to be built next year.

If you live, work, or play in Downtown Orlando, you are in luck. Downtown is changing and growing — and as downtown barber Sean Stylez says, it’s all for the better – especially for the wallet. “More money,” Sean Stylez said.

The majority of the growth is residential properties made up of high rises in downtown. City leaders say about 750 units were built this year, and some are still up for grabs.

“It’s been fortunately organic growth based on demand and people wanting to live in Downtown Orlando, so we have not had to offer incentives for residential projects,” said Thomas Chatmon, the executive eirector of the Downtown Development Board for the city of Orlando.

Chatmon said most of those new properties like Modera Central and CitiTower leased a large number of units in less than a year. He takes this as a sign that the market is strong and demand is high.

Already, city leaders are looking to next year’s big projects.

“The biggie for 2019 will be the realization of opening day of Creative Village,” Chatmon said. “It has been a vision for many, many, years and of course phase one of that which consists of more than $600 million of development,” Chatmon said.

Chatmon said another 750 residential units slated to open in 2019 are already under construction. Those units consist of Parramore Oaks, Amelia Court, and a property at 512 E. Church Street.

“It’s attracting more of the young crowd now, ’cause now you still got your old school and classics but it’s starting to become more urban,” Stylez said.

Stylez isn’t arguing with the steady flow of traffic, he’s looking forward to what this growth could mean for the future of Downtown Orlando.

City leaders say just the first phase of the Creative Village will be opening next year. They anticipate the entire project to be the focal point of downtown development for the next 10 to 20 years.

Source: “Orlando Marks Downtown Growth, Looks Ahead to Creative Village,” Spectrum News 13