Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

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Heat up here. Good morning and welcome to the February 9th, 2020 26 workshop of the Orlando City Council. Today, we're going to continue our focus on the future of downtown. In this workshop, we will we're going to get an update on the 2026 DTO outlook plan amendment, potential expansion of the downtown CRA and the financing tools to support the growth. So, we're going to focus on the future. So, David Burrilla, our executive director of the DDB CRA, will walk us through the details. David. Morning. Appreciate your time to talk through a little bit and really as we start the course with the next generation of our downtown.

I just wanted to provide a little bit of history. We good now? Yeah.

All right. There we go. I'm not used to mics. I normally talk loud, but it works well in this environment. So, uh, it's been a little bit of time since we talked about the specifics of the DTO action plan. We have some new members of council, uh, since I had the chance to present on that. So, I'm not going to go through the full presentation. I wanted to provide just a few highlights because it helps set the stage for the variety of projects that we'll talk about near the end of the presentation. Um, so what is the action plan? Why is it called an action plan? Uh one of the main misconceptions is that it's another vision plan for kind of hey what is the environment that we want to see happen in downtown Orlando. Uh but the action plan is actually it's researchedbased. It's a strategic framework uh in a set of 14 specific actions for us to advance downtown Orlando to continue its competitiveness and keep it vibrant and ultimately grow. Uh now we didn't forget the vision. Uh the vision was set in a different project. It was something known as project DTO uh which many of you participated in. Uh that was in 2014 2015 where we were fortunate to have over 6,000 members of the community really come together with us uh and dream big. Uh we got to hear what they wanted the future of their downtown to be. Uh that image up there in the upper right of the screen is actually something we had in August. It was blistering hot. It was called Midday Mingle. But you can see just the number of members of the community that came out. We had dots and we were ranking a variety of different aspects of downtown that they wanted to see improved. Uh, and we heard things like, "Hey, we want improved bicycle and pedestrian amenities. We want better park spaces and civic spaces. We want you to recruit major corporate anchors to our downtown with high wage high-value jobs. Expand neighborhoods and housing options. Encourage great architecture in our downtown." Um so what that led us to uh is

ultimately in the action plan how we expand on that how we took those ideas that we they were 10 big ideas if you remember in project DTO uh and how we expanded upon those with specific actions and direction to make short-term goals and long-term goals and physical projects to start that transformation and start making an impact on people. Um so Orlando is a dynamic city. It's one uh that in the process of growth and transformation and we wanted to make sure we grounded these changes uh in a core area but then structured them in a way where they have the opportunity to expand to our greater downtown. So the map in ahead of you or in front of you shows the core area of our downtown in the center. That's the darkest area. Uh but then you see two other boxes. one of them uh being uh our greater study area and then ultimately the greater downtown area. And what that represents is when we're talking to members of the community uh though we often think about the specific boundaries of our downtown uh kind of overlapping with the downtown development board or the CRA area. Really if you're from hospital to hospital, if you're at Advent Health or you're down by Orlando Health, that's kind of the greater downtown area. And we wanted to make sure we included the concepts or the concepts that we had included how those could be expanded over time. Um, and we used three different lenses uh as we went through the action plan. We didn't want to uh just focus on any one thing. We wanted to make sure we were taking a holistic view of all aspects of our downtown. Uh the first of which uh this is the kind of the city specific the planning related items right the land use real estate data analysis a business and community assessment a core market inventory analysis we looked at placemaking a compet uh a competition assessment and making sure we have a diver a diversity of opportunity uh as well uh the next lens was space this is

everything you actually how you experience downtown when you're walking through the streets uh we looked at a structural analysis. It was a full three-dimensional view of everything you would experience as you're walking, let's say, from here all the way up to our north quarter area. It was block by block, parcel by parcel. We looked at street frameworks, macro connectivity, sidewalks, public spaces, curbto curb inventory, a natural systems analysis, and even a human activity analysis. If you're wondering what that is, it's basically a foot traffic study. So, but it sounds good. Human activity analysis. The final was mobility. Um, so this is all the ways you connect and get around downtown. Again, this was block byblock. Uh, in our transportation network, we looked at our traffic assessments, ease of crossing analysis, travel sheds, transit assessments, parking assessments, and the list goes on. Uh, um, how we did that uh was something uh through a walkable city framework. Uh so this was literally walking every city block, every city corner and documenting everything we found. You see one of the images there where they're actually uh uh measuring the intersection. Uh that was actually right next to the grandbo, but that was done throughout our downtown. And once that came together, it created a vast data set that we ultimately utilized to rank every individual block of downtown, every individual intersection of downtown. Um, you see the map in front of you. All those that those colors you see on that map, each one is an individual data point, whether it be a trash can, whether it be a door to get inside of a property, a window, because we knew that we had to understand the physical space that we have today. So, we can really track our progress as we move forward. All those data sets actually gave each block an individual score so we can see where the most bang for the buck might be as we looked at making investments uh

as we move forward. Uh this whole process has now been documented and published uh in a concept called uh street scene uh so other cities can actually utilize the work and the concepts that were developed here in downtown Orlando. Um um and as we did that and we got to talk about what those impacts would be, that costbenefit component, a lot of us uh and me many members of council discussed those memorable moments we have in some great cities of our day. uh whether it's the great architecture in Paris, whether it's New York, maybe it's the great food or Chicago, the great park spaces, everyone had a unique perspective as to the variety of different experiences they have around the globe in great urban places. Uh but there's one thing uh that really we found connects all of them. Um and that's walkability. uh and they we really uh came to conclude as a group uh that there's no quality that's more important in an urban environment uh than a walkable environment. A place where people can safely and joyously engage in the civic life of our city. And for this action plan on that's what we focused on. How people fit into a walkable walkable environment and how we create a place uh where not only we are proud of but where people thrive. Uh so the plan landed uh with three big ideas. We really didn't anticipate having three when we started. Uh the plan started uh really as a a mobility plan, a transportation plan in how we implement two-way street conversions. Uh but as we started to peel back layers of onions, layers of the onion, and as I mentioned, kind of work through the process by which I I we documented everything in downtown, we found that we really needed to take that holistic approach. Uh the first big idea sounds rather simple uh but implementing it uh takes a lot of work. It's downtown is

for everyone. Seems uh high level but downtown should be a place that everyone can gather. No matter your age, you should find something for you. No matter about your background, you should find something uh for you. Your ethnicity, you should find a reason that downtown draws you there and a place that you want to celebrate and spend time in. Uh the next big idea uh um again we didn't expect this one uh but it's downtown is a park uh in and of itself. Uh we had a lot of conversations as I was mentioning about other cities. One of those things we heard more about especially in the post-pandemic environment was people want a place that they can gather. They want a place to be social. They want a place to connect with their friends and family and community. Uh those places are civic spaces. Uh and we knew we needed to look at them. when uh we looked at one specific park, Piedmont Park in Atlanta, we found that it was a great park, it was also the complete size of downtown Orlando uh and we couldn't just wipe downtown Orlando off the map and make it a great park. But what we could do uh is take all the park spaces that we have in downtown and instead of kind of having each one uh be somewhat of a Swiss Army knife and having everything that you uh kind of check all the boxes for what makes up a great park, we could have each one be unique and play into the larger puzzle that downtown in itself functions as a park. So depending on the experience someone would want to have one day, maybe it's uh they want to take their kids to the park and have a great day outside, they'll know that, hey, our great kids park is Lake Yiola. or maybe it's something new and dynamic experience that they want to have and that would be something like the canopy. But if that was going to function, we had to connect them in a great walkable way so they can really function together as a whole. Uh which led us to downtown is easy to get around. So downtown easy to get around was the foundation of the plan. Uh it was looking at how we create uh an environment where businesses can thrive and looking at the foundational elements that ultimately get us there. Uh and that's improving access. We live

in a convenience uh economy and we need we know that people need to be able to access things in an easy way so the businesses can thrive there. Uh so what's next? Now that we have the plan and we kind of know the concepts and the research by which got us there and where we're looking to move, we have an opportunity before us. We have an opportunity to establish the region's central social district to create a place of diverse activity where people are brought together in a v variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. Um, but how do we do that? What steps do we need to take in order to get there? Uh, well, the first one, it's not always as glamorous, but uh, we have something known as a DTO outlook, which is our CRA plan. Uh that's the document what actually identifies the specific projects and initiatives that we're working on. It's required by the state that we have a plan and we update that periodically as we continue our redevelopment efforts in the CRA. Uh before I talk about a little bit um on the 2026 DTO amendment which you will consider later today, I wanted to just highle reference uh some accomplishments that have been made since our last update which was in 2023. Uh, one, the mayor announced that his state of downtown. We heard that Midtown Development announced its re-imagined nearly 20 acre former Orlando Sentinel site, uh, with a awardwinning worldrenowned designer, Heatherwick Studios, uh, which actually was identified in the DTO action plan as a catalytic way to connect our north quarter, our northern section of downtown, with the core of our city. We've acquired four catalytic properties. You probably know most of these by heart now. uh 30 South Orange at the corner of Orange and Pine, one North Orange uh one of Orlando's original skyscrapers or the original skyscraper and 205 215 East Central Boulevard uh which are as I like to refer to as some of the final pieces uh of Lake Ayola for us to continue that

expansion. Uh but we didn't just stop there. Uh we provided safe shelter and comprehensive case management and housing connection through uh an innovative solution for homeless individuals called 407 connect. We launched our clean and safe app that allows residents and workers uh to quickly report non-emergency and maintenance items so we can keep our downtown looking great. Uh we have almost 400 registered users and we've had over a thousand tickets created. So, it's great to see the community engaging uh in keeping our downtown uh on uh the best that it can be. Uh we activated Creative Village with Luminary Green, which is a vibrant public space. Uh and yes, it's in Creative Village, but it's also in the heart of our Paramore community. And I know uh many of you and I know I I can't uh go to any conversation about downtown uh where I don't hear that desire for more restaurant and retail uh in our core. uh and we've established and supported over 26 restaurant and retail establishments in the last three years which represents over 550% growth uh over the three years before that. Uh, and not stopping there, you heard me mention also in kind of some of the project DTO big visions about recruiting recruiting highwage high-v valueue jobs, we recruited nearly,00 highwage highv value jobs, which is nearly a 60% increase over the prior three years. Um, and if you'll indulge me for just a second, none of these accomplishments could really uh be done without an amazing team that I have that works on your behalf every day. Uh, most of them besides our clean team are sitting right here. So, I just want to express a sincere thank you to you all for really doing this work, uh, and making sure that we have the ability to keep making progress in downtown Orlando. Um, so what are some of those components? If I put all those logos on the screen, uh, it it would crowd out this. You probably wouldn't be able to read them all, but just some of the highlights. I imagine you've been to

many of them. My Love Orlando uh Cafe, uh Create Coffee, Leah, Asteria Esther, Buffalo Boss, Tika Bowls and Tacos, Sparrow Wine Bar, Gravity Tap Room, ECS, Outpost, and Travel and Leisure, which is hard to glance over because uh though we celebrated it just maybe about two weeks ago, give or take, and then welcoming them to downtown. Uh it is the largest relocation corporate relocation in the history of of downtown Orlando and I think serves as a great context of not only the trajectory we have but also the trajectory we have for our paramore community. Uh because now we look at having two major corporate anchors between EA and travel and leisure anchored in that community which I think is a great testament to the progress and the work uh that is being done by all. Um so this is just some background what the CRA plan is. as I mentioned that it's required by Florida statute and we update it fairly regularly. Uh some of the amendments uh that are looking to be made are those in reference to uh the mayor mentioned this the expansion of the CRA boundary. I'll highlight uh all of these uh in just a couple seconds. Uh the projects, initiatives, and strategies outlined in the DTO action plan uh which I discussed. We're including those in the plan. and then supporting some general plan updates and information maps and whatnot that co coincide with all of those projects. Uh so the updates are kind of dispersed through seven different chapters. I won't read all the contexts here. Uh but ultimately it's everything uh from the context of what the 2026 CRA uh plan amendment is all the way through our financial plan and implementation plan. Um, I'll go over just some high points in each chapter so you have an idea of the things that are being updated. You have a full copy of the updates that are being considered as well. Uh, um, but chapter one just has the planned history. It talks about the expansion of the CRA area uh, with the addition of the uh, area surrounding Camping World

Stadium. Uh, conformity and review for the city's comprehensive growth plan. Uh, the urban core uh, should be the most dense area of our city. So, it's important that our strategies are actually leading towards that so we can keep up uh with the thousands of people that continue to move here on a monthly basis. Um and an updated CRA map uh showing boundary updates by year. Um um obviously talks a little bit about the Camping World Stadium renovation that being within the CRA area improvements in the area and then our action plan projects, our improvements to transportation, pocket parks and catalytic sites. Uh so I wanted to show you a quick map of what the uh CRA will now look like once expanded. Uh the yellow area is the current CRA that we have today. Uh once uh expanded, you see there on the left side of the map, the area that's blue and shaded uh is the area that's being pro proposed for expansion. So that's the public uh property, both roadways, park space, and additional property uh that are directly around Camping World Stadium. that that yellow uh kind of looks a little bit like an island is Camping World Stadium that was previously added to the CRA. Um so many of you know about the improvements that are happening to Camping World. Uh I won't highlight all of them here. Uh but uh but you can see these amazing imagery which really continue to drive us forward at being a tremendous event destination. Uh but then you also notice the other areas that are are being added. Lake Lorna Park went through some extensive renovations recently. Uh and it's really important that the area surrounding it uh is enhanced as well so that we can really enhance the community as a whole, not just in individual components. Uh also some of the improvements that are being planned by the Central Florida's Expressway uh where they're improving about 1.5 miles uh uh of area around there with

extremely enhanced pedestrian space as well as vehicular space uh so we can continue to put our best foot forward as we house worldrenowned events. Um but then it let's take a look at some of those components that were part of the DTO action plan and ultimately uh what we'll be talking about a little bit later. Uh the first of which maybe um one of those marquee projects that we often talk about is Orange and Roslin uh 2-way. So the image before you uh is actually an image of Orange Avenue as it will be uh um when those improvements are complete. I'll talk about some of the specifics of the project a little bit later, but hopefully the imagery that you see here um gives you a sense of where we're going between a universal streetscape, two-way traffic, and an immense on street parking. And notice hopefully um the the hierarchy of the pedestrian space being the marquee element as we identified it being the most prominent component to long-term success and urban vitality. Uh Church Street uh with our Festival Street renovation, Magnolia Avenue, uh which we will be groundbreaking tomorrow uh tomorrow morning as we start this work. Uh 30 South Orange right there at the corner of Orange and Rosland. uh and obviously Lake um Lake Lucern Park as a gateway and signi and signature southern entranceway into downtown Orlando. Um and also the catalytic uh sites that we purchased. So uh we were successful on closing on those mid last year or early last year uh and really how those play into the future of our downtown and put us uh at the forefront of urban space revitalization. Um the next chapter really talks about our planning district. Some updates that were made in there um are really housed in the Paramore area as we continue to see growth. Uh it references the changes coming forth with West Court as well as

some additional housing opportunities uh with Carver Park and Griffin Park. Uh in our next chapter, chapter 4, where it discusses strate was a strategic analysis of our issues. Um you see the variety of different components that all went into updates there. for everything from transportation, access and connectivity to business environment, uh, arts and culture and marketplace. Uh, chapter five really focused on our street hierarchy, uh, and our new proposals that came through our action plan about our streetscapes. Um, uh, many of you may have remember when we were working through the action plan, we have about 14 different types of streetscapes in downtown Orlando right now. All of which beautiful in and of themsel. Uh but from a long-term maintenance component, uh they are extremely challenging and they don't necessarily enhance our downtown from an experience perspective. So we wanted to simplify those as we go through this major uh renovation. Uh and parklets parkletits is included in there as well as sidewalk features. And then our final two chapters are are really looking at uh our estimated uh revenues as well as our our debt service which we'll talk about in a little bit uh and the projects by which we'll be moving forward with as we start to make these changes. Uh so that brings us uh uh to those specifically. So one of the components of the action plan uh and again led by the mayor was wanting to make sure that these were more than just concepts. These are more than ideas. These are not visions. uh uh these are projects that we uh not only can identify but that we can complete. Um so we've been working very hard to ensure uh that each of these has a specific role in downtown and we're making the steps necessary to bring them to fruition. Uh so with that being said, I'm going to talk about several of them this morning. Uh all of them have uh uh are already kind of uh already left the the station as one might say. Uh um but we're excited to start the official components uh just tomorrow. I'll talk about the canopy. I'll talk about

improvements in Lake Yola, 30 South Orange, Magnolia, North Quarter, uh Church Street in both phases, Orange Avenue and Rosland, Bobcar, Mariposa Grove, and of course Carver Park. Uh so one of our initial key projects is is the canopy. So what's happening with the canopy? We've been talking about uh the canopy for some time. Uh it was prior to Ultimate I4, as many of you remember, really just surface parking that was underneath that area was very convenient for people to come downtown and really patronize, whether it be businesses or whether uh they'd be working during the day. Um once it did close, we started a community vision process as to what the community wanted to see happen to this space. We heard a variety of different things and it also came with a variety of different proposals. uh uh the kind of uh the one which sifted its way to the top uh is now known as the canopy uh um which really looks to fulfill the desires that we heard for a space that fosters connection, artistic immersion, green space and enhanced mobility in DTO. Uh a little different from some of the versions that we previously kind of discussed. We were not uh we heard a loud outcry for more surface parking in downtown. As I mentioned, uh, this space really was all surface parking prior to coming with Ultimate I4. Um, so the imagery that you see in the upper right corner is kind of where the end plan uh, landed. So we honed in on that architect, that artistic event space really on the area south of Pine Street. So you see it focused in at about a third of the park. the remainder from there north uh is various components that really hone in on establishing transportation uh and parking as an option for those who are coming downtown. Uh so kind of the most northern section over central uh has nearly uh 300 parking spots uh that can be there uh that people will be able to

utilize whenever they're coming to downtown. We also have a ride share hub that's kind of on that next block between Pine and Central. uh some ADA parking south of that and then the iconic event space which is really meant to give you that oldworld feel uh of the historic uh trees, the oak trees, oak hammock uh but in a very new age way uh as we look to merge what old Orlando is uh to the new advancements that we have in Orlando in the technology scene uh such as the modeling of simulation and gaming. Uh both spines are anchored uh by bicycle and pedestrian walkways uh that are enhanced with landscaping. Um really to increase not only the connections that we have in downtown but also the experience that individuals have along the way. Uh the project if received approval today uh will be kind of will be moving dirt as uh one might say uh this summer uh with a completion date uh in 2027 or early 2028. uh another project uh Lake Yola improvements. So, as I mentioned in some of our catalytic purchases, uh we were fortunate to get the uh potentially the two remaining sites in Lake Eola right there at the south west gateway uh which create an amazing opportunity to create an entrance way uh that really emphasizes the downtown core's relationship uh with our beautiful signature park uh in a way that not only celebrates its connection but also its inclusion into all the activities. of our daily life. So, you've probably seen many imageries uh images that kind of showcase what the concepts can be as how we really create that iconic walkway. Uh many of you know from Lake Yola's perspective, really the grand entrance to Lake Eola was always envisioned to be uh coming down Washington uh really right by the uh amphitheater. Uh um but that opportunity is really it's hindered in a number of

ways. One of them by the elevation that you may know when you come down right by the Aspire building there, but also that we didn't really have the opportunity to expand and make that connection on that southeast uh southwestern gateway because we didn't own the properties there. We were supported by the Orlando Land Trust uh in 2021 to kind of start that process where they partnered with us to purchase the former 7-Eleven building. Uh and then the two final catalytic uh sites that I mentioned, 205 and 215, now open that opportunity for us. Uh um so uh later this month uh we will be proposing to move forward with a contract that will bring on a uh design and construction firm. Uh that for that they will be working on design for the most part throughout this year uh and then start construction uh probably late this year and complete it next year uh on the Lake Eyola Gateway project. Uh the project that they also be working on is 30 South Orange. Uh so 30 South Orange is that postage stamp size property right on the corner of Orange and Pine. Uh so as we were having many of the conversations that I referenced earlier about about our experiences in great cities um and this one really prominate propagated out of uh a lot of people's experiences in New York. Uh you've probably all have had that moment when you're walking uh down streets in Manhattan and you kind of stumble across a little small space uh that may be between buildings and you notice that people may be sitting there. They may be on their computers working remotely. They may be reading a book. Any variety of things but it's a place of escape. It's a place of respit but really adds into the fabric of our city. Um, one of the things that we all know is we're very fortunate in downtown Orlando. We don't have a lot of missing teeth. So, we don't have a lot of opportunities to kind of create those mini pocket parks, especially along Orange Avenue. Uh, this site uh unfortunately uh had a building on it that burned down in the early 2000s and has been sitting there since uh um not really providing any uh additions to our city's core. Uh with our purchase, it's envisioned to create

one of those amazing pocket park components. Uh you see the image there on the screen, which shows an elevated park uh a little bit of way to separate it from uh the walkways that go along Pine and along Orange. Uh but also uh create an opportunity potentially to sit, have some lunch, uh get that the kind of hustle and bustle of the city drowned out by a water feature, an iconic shade structure. We all know we need more shade uh here in Florida. Uh but that doubles as a lighting fixture at night. And what you also hopefully see is a an enhanced attention uh to how we treat our water. That's all the plantings, the for Florida friendly plantings that we have there. So we can start to treat water where it lands. Uh that concept, that idea gets expanded throughout all of our improvements with the DTO action plan, including our sidewalks and open spaces. Uh, as I mentioned, the same group, uh, it's Turner that was selected for that previously, um, that is taking on the gateway is taking on this project. This will be on the same timeline as the Lakeola Gateway. Uh, they will be starting design uh, hopefully later this month, early next month. Uh, and then have uh, construction started by the end of this year and then completion hopefully next year. Uh the next project uh uh our our Magnolia Avenue interim project. Uh really our our our marquee start to the DTO action plan. Uh we will be there tomorrow uh uh shovels in hand to get this started. Um um but as we started to look at downtown Orlando and look at how it can be a premier pedestrian environment, we knew we needed to have two spines that really drew the community. And just by the way they were designed. If you have been in downtown Orlando every day or if you've never been here before, just the pure look and design of these streets would tell you this is the this is the path that I should be walking down. So, Church Street, which I'll talk about in a second, is that east west spine to

connect individuals from our Paramore community over into the CBD. Magnolia is that north south spine. So the images you see on the right are of Magnolia uh or Magnolia final as I might say as you see it as a festival street there. You see all the green space and low impact development on both sides of that again as we can look to treat water in the right way where it lands rather than where it goes. And then you see also the opportunity it creates to integrate um um various types of activities and events in the core of our city. So think about the farmers market and the thousands of people that come to that every year. how we can integrate them not only to our park with our gateway that we'll be working on, but also to the immense number of businesses that we hope to have established along the Magnolia corridor as we look to enhance the economic development efforts uh and connect the dots as one might speak. Um so Magnolia Avenue, why are we starting with Magnolia Avenue? Uh well, if we're going to start to uh reinvision Orange and Rosland, we knew we needed a path to continue connectivity in downtown uh to continue those detour components while we're working on our two major roadways. Uh so Magnolia is that uh so Magnolia will start tomorrow. It'll be complete uh in 6 months. Uh we'll be removing uh the uh the dedicated lane system that is there for limo. Uh that really uh yes, it it created a great transportation system. it hindered the economic growth of that corridor. Uh but limo will still operate in the corridor. It will just be in mixed lane traffic just as a typical buswood uh that you would see in any other area uh of the city. Uh we'll also be adding on street parking everywhere possible uh while we do this improvement uh so we can enhance the connectivity and the access that people have to downtown and especially our main corridor. Um, another key project, uh, is our north quarter two-way. Uh, so not to just be focused in, uh, what we

generally refer to as our central business district. We wanted to make sure that we were moving forward with the plan that was started previously, the two-way uh, Orange Avenue or Magnolia, also in the the northern section of our downtown, the north quarter. Uh so as part of uh the package the bond package that we'll be talking about in a little bit is some additional funding to create uh to really enhance that corridor um this project will be started from a design a final design standpoint. We have some preliminary preliminary design already um this year uh or I'm sorry next year and then have look to have that delivered in 2028. Uh Church Street. So, I referenced Church Street previously as our really marquee east west corridor. Um, you see that image in the upper right. I showcased it larger earlier. Uh, but Church Street is really the the original definition of what downtown Orlando is to many people. Uh, we have a information center as you know. It's discover downtown. It's right on the corner of Orange Avenue and Church Street. Uh, and if Rose uh was here, our information center manager, she would tell you that the number one question she is here. Yeah,

there you go. Rose will tell you, I thought she was still working. She never wants to leave her post because she is always very excited to make sure that anyone who comes to downtown uh the downtown information center is is greeted warmly uh and with an immense amount of information. But the number one question that she ever that she gets effectively, especially from those people that are traveling internationally, uh is where is Church Street? Uh and and the answer is you're on it, right? Because we're on Church Street. But the reason they asked that question because it doesn't provide the experience that they were anticipating why this street would have such an iconic presence around the world. Um so we knew we needed to really look at how we can reintroduce church street in a way uh that not only celebrates what it has been in the past but uh the progression that downtown has had uh and connecting it to our sports and entertainment corridor uh as we continue and arts corridor now with Dr. Philip Center for Performing Arts. So um you see the imagery there. It's a festival street. That's a design concept in which uh it kind of blurs the line between the pedestrian space and the vehicular space. Bigger sidewalks. Think street cafes uh so the community can enjoy additional space there. Architectural lighting across the street. You see that foon lighting strong um over the top. Uh more green plantings. I said low impact development places to sit. One of the components I really that stood out to us when we were looking at the data points was the places to to sit. If you're walking through downtown Orlando, uh right now you'd be hardressed to potentially find a bench or a place to sit. And we are integrating those components in all of our designs moving forward, especially on our festival streets. Uh um which is a big uh which is a big component of being an age-friendly city as well. Uh so this project uh is at 100% designs right now. Uh we will look to put shovels in the ground in April and May on our first section. Our first section is going to

go from Garland down to the train tracks. Uh and we will have pedestrian access throughout the time the entire time. We know we have a lot of events. So while the street is undergoing renovation, pedestrian access will be maintained along the sidewalks and then while the sidewalks are under uh renovation, pedestrian access will be maintained on the street. Uh as soon as we complete that that western segment really stop uh stopping at the train tracks, we will then immediately move forward to the eastern segment which will take us all the way down to Orange Avenue and and then finally as we work on Orange and Roslin will connect it to Magnolia with that final segment between Orange and Magnolia. Um and then the big ones Orange Avenue uh and Rosland Avenue. So, these are the main north and south corridors that we have in downtown Orlando. They were converted uh to kind of one-way traffic uh in a tale of its times back in the 70s when downtown started to be places to kind of get through. Uh you were working here, you saw a lot of urban sprawl. People wanted to leave their offices at the end of the day uh and and you saw community spur up really and this was not as we all know uh specific to downtown Orlando. This was happening throughout the country. Uh but we've evolved really now we're seeing uh you know infill development. People want to spend time in connected city centers and we needed to take the opportunity to reinvision how we set that foundation of our city. Uh so two-way weighing Orange Avenue and Rosland Avenue had to be on that list. Uh the image that you see on the right uh gives you a concept at what that will ultimately look like. So, um the the sidewalk uh piece that you see there is a vision of what our universal streetscape uh will look like. Uh so you see that it hopefully is simple so easy maintenance. But the also the reason for that is we don't want it to be something that you're uh admiring. You're looking down saying look at this great brick

pattern or look at these tremendous pavers. We want you looking up. We want you looking around you hopefully seeing uh the the beauty in the city of itself. uh looking in the windows and seeing new businesses uh and also u being mindful of the traffic that that may be around you. You see added on street parking. Um one of the things that we hear so often is how do we get more on street parking? Um yes, that makes it easy for those looking to park in downtown. But really what that enhances is uh the opportunity for success that our businesses have. uh as you can think about how our society has evolved in recent years, especially in this post-pandemic environment uh with things like Uber Eats and quick pickups and curbside pickup, you need a place to ultimately stop, even it is just for a couple minutes uh to enhance the access and business opportunities. So um um with this project, we've actually released an RFA. Um those responses are in for our initial designers and a team will be reviewing those and making a recommendation uh to you on who the ultimate designer will be. uh they will work on designs for Ori uh and Rosland for the remainder uh of this year um and with the goal of starting construction on them uh in 2027 and completing them in 2028. Uh and then some final key projects and then I'll be happy to address any questions are Bob Carr. Um, so, uh, you approved a design concept team, Baker Barios, uh, in partnership, uh, with, uh, many other local firms, uh, to design really what is looked to as being a a town hall of sorts for our tech community. uh with gaming and simulation that I referenced before being such a big part of the future of Orlando, uh we knew we needed a place uh for them to gather, for them to continue to to kind of pollinate ideas and take the community from where we are today uh and continue to advance that. Uh we'll have those initial design concepts uh this

year uh and then engineering and drawing concepts next year on moving the Bobcar forward. uh Maraposa Grove which is affordable housing uh for seniors uh is as well a part of this package. So uh that building is already under construction now uh and we anticipate uh being able to cut a ribbon in 2028. Uh and then additional affordable housing for Carver Park uh really in our southern paramore area uh with a target timeline of breaking ground on that site either late this year or early next year. So all of these initial key projects uh are uh being funded by CRA revenues. Uh later this afternoon uh um you will consider uh a bond offering uh for which is a not to exceed of $160 million uh in order to fund uh again these initial key projects that I referenced to you. Uh um we're excited for the opportunity that we have before us. Uh I I I jokingly say in many presentations is that you know this year it's going to be we're glitching or something like that. It's not glitching on my screen. Just up there.

Some new strobe lighting for downtown.

There we go. So that's what the canopy is going to look like. No, I just uh uh but I jokingly say that this year in downtown it will be shovel after shovel. Uh but but uh I that couldn't be more spot-on. So you heard me reference several dates tomorrow uh with Magnolia in a couple months with Church Street uh our gateway projects after that then Orange and Rosland the Canopy uh it will be fast moving in downtown uh but it will be fast moving for construction. There'll be some growing pains uh but I just can't wait to reintroduce the downtown that we'll have uh just several years from now to the world uh as one of the forefront and leading urban destinations not only in the country but throughout the world. and I'm happy to address any questions. Uh,

thank you, David. Good update. A lot of exciting stuff coming up. Okay, questions and comments, Commissioner Sheen.

Okay, thank you, Mayor. Uh, good presentation, David. But I just have a couple concerns and comments that I'd like to make. Um, I hate that chalk that they're supposed to use chalk paint when they do anything in downtown and they're painting all over this beautiful work that we do. So, I think we need to really work on making sure that they don't that we put something beautiful in it doesn't end up getting painted over by every, you know, federal, state, everything. I mean, downtown just looks like a it looks it looks awful right now because it's just paint and garbage everywhere. It just it it really takes away from the experience. So, if we're going to worry about the sidewalks and how the um appearance is, I think we can certainly deal with that first. Um, and you know, the the the drawings are beautiful, but they also didn't address the scooters that are dumped everywhere. I mean, I walk through downtown myself um a lot and I love walking through downtown, but we do have a problem with the scooters everywhere. Um, we need to find a place to a way to corral those so they're not so people aren't tripping over them where they're not blocking handicapped access for people and it just continues to be a problem. Um, I do have a concern too about the the canopy. I see a lot of landscaping underneath the cover of that of the of the of I4 and we've really failed at Summerland under the 408. We put planters in there and I ride my bike on the new trail all the time

and I hit those planters because everything's dead and you can't see them and it's dark and you hit that as you come through and I just want to make sure we don't make the same mistake at the canopy that we have a bunch of dead plants and stuff because it stuff, you know, plants will not grow if there's no light. So, I just want to make sure that we address that because we failed miserably at at Summerland under the 408. I don't know what we can do. Maybe we can fill those in or do something, but the plants are dead. It looks awful and it's actually dangerous for people coming through because you because like I say, if you're riding a bike, it's light, you hit the darkness, and you hit this, you know, mess. So, again, it's a it's a small mistake that we made, but I want to make sure we don't make a larger mistake with the canopy with that same kind of a of a problem. And um and you know, I'm very proud to have worked with the Orlando Land Trust on the purchase. I don't think we give those folks enough credit. I mean, they actually negotiated the price down to where we could purchase that property. And um I'm a little distressed though because as I see the plan for that gateway, it looks like a bus terminal. I'm sorry. It's sterile. It's not very pretty. Um you know, it's not at all what we had imagined. It was supposed to be historic and pretty and something that really welcomed. It honestly looks like a I've seen prettier bus terminals. So, I wish we I really hope as the commissioner of the district that you know that I get some information because I'm really distressed after all the hard work that we put in. It's just going to be something that looks like an ugly bus terminal. I mean, that's something we put so much time, effort, and energy into. And I'm really disappointed in the presentation today. I know we've done so much great work together, but you know, I'm not here just to give praise. you know, I'm I really have some some huge concerns about about that about that entryway. So, that's all I had. Mayor, thank you.

Uh, Commissioner Rose and then Commissioner Ortiz.

Uh, great presentation. Glad to have been at the forefront when we start first started this in 2014. I would say for those who don't understand, government doesn't always move swift, but it's commitment. And I want to thank David because David's been here since the beginning of the DTL outlook in 2014. um for creating a better downtown that's helping to build a stronger more connected community. Um there's always this divide of the east side and the west side and I think the projects that are the developments that we are about to forego will allow the connectivity to be better. Um it would add adding the artwork and all the other amenities that we are adding to the the core. Um history has a funny way of repeating itself when we talk about two-way and orange avenue how it was once upon a time. And so I think we are moving into a greater place and a better space when we talk about downtown Orlando. Um connectivity, being able to do something 247 um in our city. So I want to thank you all and the entire CRA, every piece of staff um especially the clean team, right? So they work late at night when downtown is a mess. They work late at night making sure that we don't know what happened the night before. So Harry and the entire um clean team, thank you for your leadership. I want to echo uh Commissioner Sheen about the scooter policy. I actually had just emailed transportation. I think we need to look at some sort of penalization process because I've had scooters dropped off in front of my home, right? Because I'm in the CRA boundaries as well. And so I've come outside to a scooter literally dropped at my um front door. So I think that's something that transportation uh public works as well. How do we connect? How do we make sure it all comes together so that our sidewalks are used for um the entire community? And that's all I have. I look forward to all of the great things to come.

Okay, Commissioner Ortiz and Commissioner Burns. Thank you, Mayor. Um just a few quick thank you for that great presentation. I appreciate to be updated on everything that's going on and it's exciting. These are exciting times. Can you do you care to expand a little bit about the data points when you when you guys went out there? Who was involved on this? um was it stakeholders from from downtown the ones who were involved? What do you all do to gather that data point and what were those data points?

Yeah, so the the data point a part of the 25,000 data points I think you're you're referencing uh commissioner that was an effort uh at least gathering that data was components members of city staff as well as our consultant team that was working on working with us on the project that was led by Perkins and Will. The data points in and of themselves were if if you were to walk downtown right now, uh, anything you see would be on that list. It was where every pot was, uh, where every literally doorway was, um, where every, as I mentioned, bench would be, where every trash can is, where every, uh, sidewalk entry is. So, think about a crosswalk. So, we wanted to make sure really everything from the second story down, we understood what it was, whether it was an activated storefront, whether it wasn't an activated storefront. Uh because all of those components go into really defining that the experience that you have. So, if you were walking down um a sidewalk, let's say, uh it would probably be a different experience that you had if there was actually a place, a destination along the way, whether it be maybe a place like ghtos to stop uh for pizza or vice versa, a whole block where you can't access any type of building because it's um um maybe it's a long office building or something of that nature. All of those go into that. Um, so as we went into the component of scoring each different block, it really started to lead a lot of the recommendations on where we needed to see some of these transformation trans where we need to see the transformation and then focus projects along those corridors.

I appreciate that. Um, so it's almost like an architectural depiction of everything, you know, all the elements. Spot on.

All right. Appreciate that. Um, how much of our CRA revenue is going to go into maintenance of our downtown? So uh maintenance is something that that vacasillates. However, uh our we look at our operating costs if if you look at it that way as about a third of our CRA revenue uh that go through our general operating cost. What we're looking at moving forward is that as we uh take on these projects, we obviously will uh oh, I shouldn't say obviously, we ideally will have lower maintenance costs based on the types of materials and the types of construction that we're doing. One component uh that we're also looking to do is we're installing uh conduit throughout the entire corridor to limit the amount of additional uh borings that will be necessary as new development comes into the area so we don't have to have as many of the street markings and those type of things because we're trying to anticipate as much as we can. Can't anticipate everything. Uh but we want to make sure that we're having as much foresight as feasibly possible in order to do that. I'm just concerned what's going to happen when the CRA sunsets, how we're going to handle that maintenance. Um, anyhow, that I guess we cross that bridge when we get there, right? So, um, on transportation, the limo, the mixed space utilization on on Magnolia. I'm excited about that because I know for the longest time it's only be just for the limo and I noticed sometimes traffic gets a little confusing. So, so now it's going to be mixed use. Uh how is that is that going to have you guys done any studies about how that's going to affect the uh limo service? I mean is this something that is not going to affect it that much or what was the deal in there?

Yeah, we had a full limo assessment as part of uh the action plan. We were formulating these ideas uh lead times and links was a part of that that component. you know, a dedicated lane from a bus operational system is is obviously the most advantageous because, you know, you have that dedicated component, but we knew we needed to think about the broader aspect and impacts of downtown. Um, so when we come back with the final Magnolia, uh, we envision Limo moving off of that corridor uh, and back on to kind of, uh, uh, the spines of downtown and Magnolia becoming again a premier pedestrian corridor. Uh but from a functional standpoint uh it it can function just as if it is today. Um and we'll be able to utilize that core for more uh than just buses in and of itself.

The reason I asked is because you know we have this plan on Seaman. So I want to see I kind of that would be like a pilot program to see how that may work in our own corridor. Anyhow, the last couple of questions. How many new parking spots are we expecting to create on that new segment on uh on Orange Avenue? And how much of this how much is is is this project expected to increase the parking revenue as a whole? Have we done that? Have we checked that out?

Yeah. So, we haven't looked at uh how much those revenues would increase potential on the parking revenue. I know the parking department is looking at a rate study as well where they're looking at what's the appropriate amount to charge for on street parking. Uh the designs that will depict exactly how many spaces are created. Uh as I mentioned the team uh we received the design firms uh basically applications their response to our RQS and we'll be selecting them to come up with the ultimate designs. Um in the concept phase we saw uh you know gains and it's not all parking. You also need to think about just general access as I mentioned about quick pickups and those type of things as well as loading with freight zones. Uh but it's it's definitely it's a three-digit number. It's over a hundred that we would see that would be sporadically added. And the context of those spaces that we were hoping to to partner with our transportation team on is utilizing them in a way where they turn over. So, uh, it's not something that, uh, our on street spaces should fill up by 9:00 in the morning when people are necessarily coming to work. Um, those should be the spaces that kind of turn over throughout the day. If someone's coming downtown to to go to work all day, they should find their way into one of our many garages uh, and allow the rest of the community to potentially pop downtown for lunch or maybe make a quick pickup. Uh, throughout that process,

they're going to have meters, I would imagine. Yeah. Well, probably meterless, but the function of a meter. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Great presentation. I appreciate it. Thank you, Commissioner Burns. All right. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, David, for that presentation. Very uh informative. Um and I'm excited about the activity that will be happening over the next couple of years. My questions, excuse me, are focused on the Church Street

uh kind of improvement. And uh my first question is with those improvements, do you foresee any incentives for property owners to invest in their property because we can you know make the street beautiful but if the property owners are not investing or you know changing the use. So do you anticipate any incentives for property owners to do that?

Uh yes. So uh what we wanted to do uh was hopefully get ahead of it. Uh so when you heard me reference some of the additional uh success that we had with our restaurant and retail programs in the last three years, uh that was one way where we wanted to create programs uh that looked at giving again property owners and businesses incentives for making a a long-term commitment to downtown as we start as I say kind of setting the table uh in downtown for for long-term success. We also retoled our facade program uh and made it extensively more uh lucrative but in a partnership fashion uh where we wanted to encourage property owners to make investments in their own buildings but we're willing to come alongside them and partner with them uh to enhance those in a way that they may not have been able to uh justify or afford if it was for them as well. Uh we've all we've been in active communication specifically about that Church Street corridor with the property owners that are directing around it. Uh we've been excited to hear uh that they have uh probably just as much excitement if not more than we do about the reactivation uh in that area and the interest that they're getting uh from new businesses wanting to be a part of that. So uh it did provide a unique opportunity for us to take on that construction and kind of minimize business impacts. But also in that same time, we're working uh with them on ensuring that we have some really great uh you know, new businesses to really introduce the community to uh soon after we release the the new vision and structure uh of what Church Street will look like.

Okay, good. Thank you. And and then the next one uh still associated with Church Street. Um and it's more from a a safety standpoint because I I see where we are looking to create this festival street festival. Uh but that seems to contradict what we've been attempting to do on Orange Avenue as getting rid of rid of the festival feel. So it seems like we were working to get rid of the festival field on Orange Avenue. Now, we're creating through this design a festival field on Church Street. And so, my question is, will there uh well, I would like to hear more about the the law enforcement activities? Will there be some changes in those activities? And what do we what are we planning to prevent what was happening on on Orange Avenue? U and and then also, will there be a consideration for changing some of the the noise ordinances? Uh because again when you talk about a a street festival, I would assume that there may be music on the outside of establishments where we previously weren't allowing that on Orange Avenue. So can you address that?

Sure. So as far as the design in of itself, so a festival street is is a design concept. Uh I don't want to give the incorrect impression that it means that there's festivals happening in the then on the street every day or on the traditional element uh like we did see on Orange and Central which is on every Friday and Saturday night and sometimes Sundays you know those streets would close and become a de facto uh festival not by design uh but just by closing the street as our chief of police would tell you for public safety reasons. Um, Church and then Magnolia are really pedestrianoriented streets, but they will they're streets nonetheless. So, uh, you know, vehicles will have it'll be designed for vehicles. They're also designed for firetruck access uh that can go up and down those, but the context of the heightened design does allow uh at very I don't want to say sporadic, but defined components that uh should it be appropriate, let's say, uh, to highlight an event that's coming at Kia Center, Camping World, or Dr. Phillips and connect those that they can be closed down. We have designed a uh Ballard system uh in coordination with uh our our safety partners uh that can be installed uh that is not only aesthetically pleasing uh uh but also uh provides the right amount of safety uh from the various types of components that are needed when you when you have people uh in the roadway. So from a sound perspective uh we don't anticipate at this time any changes to the noise ordinance. Uh Church Street is what's known in known as our downtown entertainment area uh which already has a heightened level of sound in the noise ordinance. It basically can be a little bit louder a little bit later. Um and we just anticipate keeping that uh at this particular time.

Okay. All right. Thank you very much, Commissioner Sheen. Just I just had a quick followup too. Um I went to Luminary Green to a festival, which by the way, it's it's wonderful. It's a wonderful space to have festivals and everything like that, but we had the Asian uh Lunar New Year festival, which again it was it was it was a great festival,

but the problem is a lot of the people that came were from out of town. I mean, it draws from all over the state because these festivals are very very popular. And because we have the parking by app, if you're a resident of Orlando, you know, when you go to the to the area around Green that you have to pay by the app. I got to tell you that 90% of those folks that came from out of town did not understand parking by app. They're used to seeing a parking meter. So, they thought they were okay. And I I I looked down and I saw one visitor after another getting I mean the whole line of people were getting tickets. And if I didn't know, you know, I mean, I was used to go to the pottery studio and they were said, "Hey, they're going to start ticketing us soon." So, it's like it's not really marked that clearly. And here we're having we're welcoming people from all over the state to our downtown and we're welcoming giving them tickets. So I think we just need to market a little bit clearly or put you know numbers on the spaces or something to indicate that that's not a free parking space because when we're having 90% of the visitors that come to an event getting parking tickets, we're kind of doing something wrong. You know, it's not clear to them. And um I I can't believe we haven't heard more complaints about it. But um but I noticed them getting tickets and I'm like, "Oh man, I wish I could get get out there and warn them all." But it was just it was just so many folks that had come in it was impossible. But you know, we have to have some visual, you know, cue that people need to pay for parking if they come down there v via the app. So, but anyway, it was but like I say, great design. Everybody's having a great time. The food was incredible. It was like 30 degrees and it still had hundreds of people lined up to get in. It was it was a great event. Commissioner Rose,

I think I would add to that. Um, that's something that I've been talking to the 18A office about. I think we need to have the promot our communication has to go through our promoters from our transportation as they're getting the 18A letting them letting individuals know. So, we just had Art Squared and we had um an event at Art Squared this weekend. We had zero issues. While we were promoting, we were letting everyone know where to park, how much to park. So, I think that's a line of communication that we have to do as a city when we're when we're talking to the promoters so that they we can encourage them to start advertising parking because that really isn't a us thing. That's a promotional thing. And I can share like how I can share the the graphics that we used this weekend so we can kind of do more of that. But we told everyone where to park, how much it was, where they could go and and directed them. So, I think that's important. I think that's what the messaging piece that we could use as a city and from the 18A office to the promoters that are having events downtown so that we can alleviate that. Surprisingly, you're right. Don't don't jinx us, uh, Commissioner Sheen, but we don't get a lot of complaints because people kind of realize, oh, I made a mistake. There was a big sign in front of where I parked at. So, I think that I I can share with you all what we did um this past weekend. And I think that's just what we have to do. start promoting more of where parking opportunities are. Which goes back to a a question I asked a couple months ago. Are we going back to the wayfinding pro um program or is that mixed altogether?

Wayfinding program the digitals that we had talked about back in 2019. Yeah. So we don't have a definitive plan to look at uh digital pedestrian wayfinding at the moment. Uh it is something that we continually, you know, are considering, but there's not a formal plan that's looked at installing those at this moment. All right, David, you got a lot on the agenda today. So, sure do. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. That'll conclude our workshop for this morning.