According to local reports, there were some well known structural problems that are coming into play with the completion of the Paramount on Lake Eola.

The developer of the 16 Story, 300+ unit condo complex located just south of Lake Eola stated that it spent more than $16 million to add extra bracing to the building. The general contractor noticed cracks on concrete columns caused by insufficient rebar within the beams. The building received a certificate of occupancy after government inspection earlier this year.

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In the past few months (almost years it seems) we have seen the likes of the proposed Plaza 12-screen movie theater follow the ups and downs of the overall real estate market. It was ready to go, then it wasn’t, then it was, and again…it wasn’t. Well I am here to report that it looks like there is life once again…maybe. LOL

That is if the $2.5 million and $3.5 million incentive package from the City of Orlando holds up. This is a loan that the city would provide and would be paid back with theater profits. Anyhow, I’m tired of writing so I’ll just link you to the article on the Orl Sentinel…Thanks.

More Downtown Movie Theater Talk Here!!!

Downtown Orlando Fireworks at the Fountain 2008

Friday, July 4, 2008 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Lake Eola Park - Downtown Orlando

Cost: Free

Entertainment:

* Live entertainment begins at 4 p.m. and will include the K92FM “Colgate Country Showdown” at the Amphitheater and classic rock on the 96.5 WHTQ stage!

* The Orlando Concert Band performs in the Amphitheater at 8 p.m.

* Also, on site will be six of Central Florida’s top radio stations: Star 94.5, AM 580 WDBO, 98.9 WMMO, Power 95.3, 96.5 WHTQ and K92FM, the Orlando Magic and two huge bounce houses in the kids’ area and a state of the art, full-motion driving simulator allowing participants to experience the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

The Lexington Hotel located on SR 50(Colonial Drive) just West of I-4 will be grounds for the latest Orlando branch chain of Crowne Plaza hotels. InterContinental Hotels Group, which is the parent company to Crowne Plaza, mentioned that it hopes to attract and lure travelers of Central Business District companies. The facility will be used to host small to mid size meetings in the downtown Orlando area. Plans are to add approximately 1,500 square feet

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On Thursday June 19th, take advantage and ride the Lynx bus system anywhere in Central Florida for free.

Try it and save some gas!

Visit this site to print out a pass: Dump the Pump Day!

As you may know from reading up on the downtown movie theater subject, there has been significant speculation of what would happen since The Plaza officially opened in early ’07. We heard that one movie company picked it up and then dropped it. Then we heard that the large and reputable AMC Company picked it up

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So heres a bit of info for those of you interested in this Inventory Close-Out Auction…

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2008

Time: Bidder Check-in is at 12 Noon and the auction will start at 1pm

Duration: appx 1.5 hrs

Place: Embassy Suites Orlando-Downtown - 191 East Pine St., Orlando, FL

Number of Units: 42 units are available to be sold

The Auction Information Center is open daily 12pm to 7pm.

More Solaire at the Plaza Auction talk here…

So the trailer for this future condo has been sitting there on the corner of Liberty Ave. and Jackson St. for at least a year now and I drive past it at close to 3 times a week…is it me or does it now seem to be completely vacated? I haven’t seen a single sole walking in or out of it nor have I seen a single car in the parking lot in ages. Somethings up.

Ohhh and It gets better. I now hear that there is some sort of “notice” on the sign in front of the trailer… Is it a notice to vacate…or a notice to potential buyers that their window of opportunity has been shut…? Chime in if you know.

Check back in a day or two as I am going to be looking at this sign when i’m driving downtown in the next day or two to see what the deal is…

Today is the official “Grand Opening” of the Vue in Downtown Orlando. The ribbon cutting ceremony starts @ 5:30PM and should last until around 8:30PM. If you’re interested on how the place turned out, tonight would be a good time to go and see what all of the hype is about. This facility boasts a 407 foot tall residential tower with great views of Lake Eola(it’s main selling point). Reports released say there are about 50 residents currently living in the facility and another 100 more expected to close soon.

In my personal opinion, I would hold off on getting in on the grassroots level. The Vue has 300+ units and right now…only half of these look likely to be filled soon. That means there are plenty more units available and I am sure there are not enough buyers here in “Poorlando” that can afford it. Half a million for a 1,100 sq/ft seems quite unattainable for most of us. Who the heck are the people that are living there now and what do they do for a living…what do you guys think???

Nonetheless, the unit looks great(overlooking the hefty price tag) and will add a nice touch to the emerging Downtown Orlando skyline.

Other perks are:

• secured private parking for residents only
• 24 hr doorman
• pool, tennis court, cyber cafe, and media room
• acoustically engineered concrete floors and walls to minimize sound transfer between units
• storage rooms available
• club quality fitness center

Last Wednesday, the Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer and City Commissioner Pat Sheehan made a visit to Star Tower and amassed views of the city via the roof-top amenity deck. Their tour was part of the grand opening and ribbon-cutting festivities of Star Tower to Orlando’s core business district. Dyer is confident that the development will be successful over time and is glad to see the CBD’s residential market continuing to absorb more young, business savvy professionals and retiree’s alike.

The 100-unit complex is said to have over 80% of it’s inventory sold which is a miracle in itself considering the state of the local condo economy and the real estate market in general. I find this interesting considering I don’t see these units being listed or really advertised for sale anywhere…do you?

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As of Thursday 10/4/07, I still have not heard of anything new on this. Those out there reading…feel free to chime in on the status of this if you know anything. I am going to continue to pry around some more to see if I can get this info for everyone…Stay tuned!!!

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will be hosting the 2007 State of Downtown Address today @ The Ballroom at Church Street. He is expected to talk about the achievements of the past year which include the $3.8 billion in construction planned or underway in the city.

This address is scheduled to start @ Noon today.

For more information and coverage of the speech, click here

After reading a few blogs and news reports, it looks like the rumors are in deed true. In fact, after hearing about this, I checked the Improv’s site and there was proof on the homepage.

The Orlando Improv located in Church Street Station is now closed. It will make way for a new up-scale Italian restaurant called Rustic Steak. The 7,000 square foot facility has been host to many large name acts like Andrew Dice Clay, Bill Bellamy, and Tracy Morgan in the 5 years of existence. The website says they are Temporarily closed so I assume that there are plans to bring the Improv back to life in a different location in town.

The facility had to be closed due to losing it’s liqueur license.

According to sources familiar with the Solaire project, a number of people(60-80 total) are walking away from their deposits in the next few days.

The developer anticipates having 80+ units available after all is said and done. He also mentioned that there are no plans to reduce the prices of these units to sell them.

The city of Orlando has taken new measures to cut down on panhandling problems that have been prevalent in the streets of downtown in the past. On Monday, the city passed an ordinance which prohibits begging or panhandling in between the hours of sunset and sunrise.

The city actually has designated “panhandling zones” denoted by blue painted boxes on certain sidewalks(I had no idea). Out of the 36 original areas, only 5 are visible today. A lot of the visibility or lack of is due to the condo construction boom in downtown Orlando areas. Many of the painted surfaces have been eroded away or simply demolished during such construction.

Anyone caught violating this ordinance may be fined as much as $500 or serve up to 60 days in jail.