ORLANDO, Fla. – Downtown Orlando is about to undergo a major change if the plans Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced Tuesday come to fruition.
Dyer gave the annual State of Downtown address at the Kia Center, where he laid out the DTO Action Plan, which grew out of the Project DTO 2.0 plan he unveiled last year. It’s designed to remake the downtown core as a regional social hub, adding more parks, more pedestrian-friendly spaces, and even changing the roads.
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“So the core vision of our DTO action plan is that we’ll achieve transformational improvements by way of three big ideas. First, downtown Orlando is easy to get around in. Second, downtown Orlando is a park. And third, downtown Orlando is for everyone,” Dyer said. “And under each of these big ideas are key activities that will drive our transportation some are long-term structural changes. Others are already taking shape right now.”
A big change will be turning Orange and Magnolia avenues, currently one-way roads, into two-way roads. This is something that the city has long considered over the years for sections of the roads.
Dyer says Orange Avenue would be reconfigured with a northbound lane, a southbound lane, and a center lane with a large medium. This would allow for more curbside use like pickup and dropoff zones, more outdoor dining areas and more gathering spaces. There will be a pocket park at 30 South Orange, which is currently an empty lot at Orange Avenue and Pine Street.
Magnolia Avenue would also become a two-way street, turning it into what Dyer said would be our version of the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.
The city would also establish festival streets for flexible uses. Church Street would again get another facelift, with a Central Plaza where people can gather and celebrate. Large shade would be added, outdoor dining would be expanded. The Canopy, a project under the I-4 overpass, would adjoin Church Street. The Canopy has been a concept for years, and it’s once again getting new life. It’s meant to be an immersive, artistic civic space that allows people to safely walk from Church Street to the Kia Center. We got a look at plans for The Canopy in February, and it’s slated for a 2025 groundbreaking.
There would be other pocket park spaces throughout downtown, and Lake Lucerne would also join the downtown transformation with shade structures, playgrounds, a boardwalk, jogging paths and an event space.
Other plans would expand Lake Eola, create a “Luminary Green” at Creative Village Park with monthly markets, a movie night and weekly live performances. He also touted the Westcourt District project, which is being built across from the Kia Center, as an entertainment district with the first Kimpton hotel in Central Florida, a residential tower, a dog park, a beer hall, a 12-story office tower and retail spaces. Dyer announced that Live Nation will operate the 3,500-seat entertainment venue that is also being built.
All of this is meant to attract more businesses and residents from all over Orlando.
The changes also work with efforts to increase public safety and reduce homelessness. To that end, Dyer touted a new city unsheltered response team to deal with encampments, and a new Orlando Police Department homeless intervention unit with specially-trained officers and mental health specialists. The goal is to go out and get the homeless the help they need while also addressing camping and aggressive panhandling. Dyer also addressed the need for more shelter space, but did not offer any new plans. Instead, he implored other communities and groups in Central Florida to help.
“No one community, no one city, should be responsible for providing the services for the entire region,” Dyer said.
High-rise development is booming in the downtown area. Earlier this year, News 6′s Justin Warmoth reported that $1.5 billion worth of residential projects were in the works in the downtown area.
But businesses also are struggling downtown. Owners News 6 talked to said people have a view of the downtown area as dangerous and flooded with homeless people.
In trying to tackle public safety, Orlando City Council has made several changes to the way nightclubs and bars operate downtown, including changes to private parking lots, the city’s noise ordinance, requiring bars to have an after-midnight use permit and more.
In the latest change, the city council restricted new nightclubs and bars to roughly one per city block.
Some of these changes have led to frustration from these businesses. One owner told us the changes have led to dozens of layoffs.
Dto Action Plan Summary by Christie Zizo on Scribd
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