ORLANDO, Fla. – Local leaders came out to Orlando’s new Packing District Thursday to commemorate the start of construction of what will be a 66-acre park that will help transform what once was a predominant industrial area.
The park will be located along Princeton Street near John Young Parkway and Orange Blossom Trail.
Last November, construction began for more than 300 new apartments at this development.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says he sees this kind of development demand continuing to grow, with residential construction outpacing itself compared to last year.
“This is going to connect a lot of surrounding neighborhoods,” he said. “Surprisingly, even during this pandemic, there’s been substantial growth. We have 1,000-1,500 people moving to Central Florida every single week in our community.”
According to a news release, the land for the new park comes from Dr. Phillips Charities as part of a gift to the city of Orlando.
The space will also house Orlando’s Tennis Centre featuring more than a dozen new courts, plus walking and biking trails.
Crews outside continue to redevelop Princeton Street down to four lanes of traffic.
Dyer told News 6 he expects the park to be completed sometime during summer 2021.