2005 State of Downtown

September 20, 2005

Thank you, Frank, for that excellent recap and for all of the great work you, your Board and staff deliver for downtown and the City of Orlando each and every day. I would also like to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership for hosting this meeting, and especially our Orlando City Commissioners who share our vision for downtown.

Before I begin, I want to take a moment and reflect on our fellow American citizens along the Gulf Coast. As we see the images of the devastation in so many communities, we realize just how blessed we are to be here today, meeting in our downtown with all the growth and prosperity around us. From our experiences with Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, I know the dedication and resolve of the people in this room to restore communities. And I know that you have given selflessly to rebuild the cities of the Gulf Coast. Last Friday’s Tri-County League of Cities food drive for the Second Harvest Food Bank, was a prime example of our community’s commitment… our citizens made the most donations ever at a single site for Second Harvest with more than 75,000 pounds of food… your compassion is commendable.

As I was thinking about how best to describe the state of our downtown … something occurred to me. Each of you, as you made your way here today, experienced a part of what has become our downtown’s exciting renaissance… projects and programs that did not exist 2 years ago.

Arriving from the North on I-4, you passed the sites of the new Federal Court House Building and the new Florida AM college of Law, which will open in a few short months and serve as home to 750 law school students in the heart of our City.

Arriving from the South on I-4, you witnessed the excitement of our growing downtown skyline and the new CNL tower, which will be completed by year-end.

If you came from the East, through downtown; you may have passed one of many projects underway, including the new residential units at the Sanctuary and the Jackson, the new construction site for the 35-story VUE project … or the soon-to-break-ground Paramount project, which will include our first full-service downtown grocery store in decades.

If you came from the West, you may have seen the new Carver Park or Parramore Village residential sites, or our new Parramore Heritage Park. You probably noticed students from the inaugural class of UCF’s state-of-the-art School of Film and Digital Media.

If you simply walked here or rode the Lymmo circulator, you most likely witnessed the dramatic construction of Premier Trade Plaza rising out of the ground at our City’s cornerstone block, or perhaps, you passed 55 West… these two projects will forever change the flavor of our central core.

If you arrived from the North or South on Orange Avenue, you passed through our City Gateways, anchored by Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional Healthcare. We are fortunate to have two of Florida’s largest and fastest growing medical centers downtown, and expanding under the visionary leadership of Don Jernigan and John Hillenmeyer.

Florida Hospital will begin construction on October 25th, on a new fifteen-floor 660,000 square foot building that is twice the size of the existing hospital tower. And next Spring, Orlando Regional will open their new 400,000 square foot Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.

I think all of us here today agree that in just a few short years, and in many cases just during the past year, our downtown has truly turned around … and we’re not done yet. Just today, a new residential project, Thornton Commons, went before the Municipal Planning Board. When City Council approves the board action, this development will include 510 residential condominiums, approximately 37,000 square feet of retail space, and over 1,000 parking spaces. On the corner of Eola Drive and Church Streets, is a proposed 12-story multi-family residential property with 133 apartment units and ground floor retail and parking components. And in October, the Monarch at the northeast corner of Liberty and South Street, will go before the MPB for approval on a 23-story condominium project with ground floor retail space and parking. HOW ABOUT THAT!

Since I became Mayor I have shared my vision for our downtown … in fact, I’ve shared it so many times most of you should be able to recite it by now. Let me see … who here today can recite my vision? How about Kimbra Hennessey? (“Your vision is for a Center City with multi-modal transportation, world-class destinations and venues, vibrant neighborhoods, a diversified economy with high-quality, high-wage jobs… an urban core where citizens and visitors alike, want to live, work, play and learn.”) That’s right! And ladies and gentlemen, with the commitment from every stakeholder in this room, we are turning that vision into action!

With all the new development and a rapidly growing urban population, improved transportation will be critical to our downtown’s success. That is why I created the City’s first cabinet level Transportation Department, which recently launched the most comprehensive downtown transportation plan in the City’s history. Upon completion, the plan will show that improving transportation in our City’s core benefits not only those living here, but also visitors to our downtown.

The keystone of our transportation system is transit circulators... like the Lymmo. Joanie Schirm leads our new “Get Around Team” that is advocating transit circulators to link all parts of our downtown: from Florida Hospital in the North to Orlando Regional Hospital in the South; from the Citrus Bowl in the West to Thornton Park in the East. This effort will allow our citizens to access areas downtown quickly and safely… without ever using a car.

Our transportation systems extend beyond the City limits. Thanks to our Congressional Delegation, and specifically Congressman Mica, we have secured the federal funding share to begin commuter rail in 2009. Commuter rail can reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and you know what? Even if you you’re not a frequent rider, commuter rail will finally rid the frustration associated with regular freight train interruptions.

As I stood before you last year, I said that if we are to succeed, we must bridge our core with Thornton Park on the east and Parramore on the West … and we are building that bridge with our bold Pathways for Parramore initiative. Working hand-in-hand with Commissioner Lynum, we are getting it done. Building off the recommendations of our Parramore Task Force, which was lead by Brian Butler, we are unveiling for the first time a vision plan for this important part of our City.

This plan directs block-by-block development, ensuring mixed-use development similar to City View and Hughes Supply in the area east of Parramore Avenue, a largely undeveloped commercial area. The “Town Center” in Parramore will include a mixture of office, residential and retail development, and we will work to ensure business opportunities that reflects the diversity of our community.

The key to the vision plan is our first pathway … housing. Already, we have three projects that will deliver on our commitment to provide affordable quality housing. Carver Park, Parramore Village, and Federal Otey Place will bring approximately 330 new units of housing to Parramore . . . increasing not just homeowners . . . but stakeholders . . . the foundation of any healthy neighborhood. And we will not stop there. I’ve directed staff to identify programs to assist existing Parramore residents with home ownership opportunities in both Parramore Village and Federal Otey Place.

We are also focused on enhancing the quality of life within the Parramore neighborhood. I want to thank Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Senator Bill Nelson for their efforts to secure $17 million in federal funding for the City to completely transform West Church Street from Terry Avenue, past the new Parramore Heritage Park, to the Citrus Bowl. This comprehensive revitalization will return Church Street to a grand boulevard connecting Parramore and Downtown.

You heard my educational priorities many times before… especially for the children of Parramore. What you may not have heard is that I’ve asked a group of our partners, led by Florida Hospital’s Rich Morrison, to plan for a new children’s education campus that will combine the Nap Ford School, a Boy’s and Girl’s Club, and the Orange County Early Learning Coalition. This campus will serve children from infancy through eighth grade, and will offer after school services for children through 12th grade. This is an important commitment and it is one of the most significant investments we can make!

I want to shift gears… I want to return to a conversation that I started last year about upgrading the cultural, sporting and entertainment facilities that serve our entire region. Their improvement will require long-term commitment from the City of Orlando, Orange County, and our many regional partners.

I want to improve the community venues because doing so is directly tied to the region's ability to thrive. We are in competition with other cities and other regions throughout the country for jobs, commercial investment, and economic development. Modern facilities and rich cultural opportunities attract positive growth in Central Florida. I want to make sure that the next time a company like Scripps short-lists Orlando; we have the world-class facilities that ensure our place at the top of the list.

Unfortunately, Orlando now lags behind other southeastern cities including Memphis, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa, and even Jacksonville. In fact, over the last 15 years, Orlando is the only major City in the southeastern United States that hasn't invested in or modernized community facilities. Our citizens deserve better.

Think about it, many of our fondest memories are centered around activities and events that happen at ball parks, at concert halls and in stadiums. They are the icons of civic identity and pride … Baltimore’s Camden Yards, Denver’s Mile High Stadium and New York’s Lincoln Center all help define the soul of their cities. No matter where you’re from, Orlando is your home and we deserve to build new memories with our children, friends and family in facilities we can be proud of. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s our turn.

A year ago, at this very event, we started the discussion of the need to invest in community facilities, including our aging Florida Citrus Bowl, TD Waterhouse Centre, and a new Performing Arts Center. Last Friday, our hard work and efforts delivered news that will bring our vision to fruition.

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty confirmed to me in writing that he supports using the tourist development tax to fund community projects for the most deserving population … the people that live here!

In seeking the funding for the quality community facilities, we all realize the answer lies in supporting a vision that does not short-change our citizens. I applaud Mayor Crotty for his willingness to push for the level of resources for our downtown facilities that we dedicated to our mission to build a world-class convention center that is key in supporting our tourism industry. And, let me be extremely clear, we support our hospitality industry partners and will include them in any tourist tax and community facility discussions.

We have made great strides in the decades old plan for a new world-class Performing Arts Center. Just last year, I announced the formation of the Orlando Performing Arts Center Board of Directors chaired by Jim Pugh and comprised of key community leaders, including Dick Nunis and Jim Seneff, to create the framework for this much needed facility. On September 1st, they reached a major milestone by selecting Houston-based developer Hines to define a plan for submittal to Dr. Hitt, Mayor Crotty and me in early 2006.

With an economic impact of more than $42 million from the 2005 Capital One Bowl game alone and as host of the largest Black College Football Classic in the Country, Florida Citrus Sports has harnessed a group of community stakeholders chaired by Ford Kiene and Harvey Massey to recommend upgrades needed to increase the number and quality of Citrus Bowl events. Our downtown stadium’s benefits reach well beyond our downtown businesses … the events impact all of our partners including our theme parks, our arts and our hospitality industry. Citrus Bowl events have become a model of how joint commitment results in joint benefit.

Citizens have also begun to realize that our hometown arena should offer more. While our facility is booked for 152 events this year, including Arena Football, religious convocations, graduations, concerts, not to mention 45 Magic home games, Orlando is being passed over for newer facilities; forcing our citizens to drive to Tampa, Melbourne and beyond for quality entertainment.

Since the beginning of this discussion, I’ve been overwhelmed by the ground swell of support from groups and individuals in our community that care about our future. For the first time, business, government, community and private groups are in dialogue about bringing a vision for multiple world-class facilities to reality. We must harness and coordinate this energy and enthusiasm so that plans for each facility compliment rather than compete with one another.

To that end, I have asked Mayor Bill Frederick to assist me in encouraging the critical stakeholders to work together toward a unified facilities vision.

We cannot afford to shy away from making this investment. Ask our Economic Development partners like Jacob Stuart Ray Gilley and they will tell you that these facilities are critical to attracting the high-wage jobs that we need to provide opportunities for our citizens and grow our economy. I believe the timing is right … by investing in these facilities; we are investing in our economy, in our people and in our future.

One of our best opportunities to define that future and diversify our economy is our 70-acre Centroplex. In the past few months our aging and under-utilized Expo Centre has been transformed to a new home for the UCF School of Film and Digital Media as well as the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, which will soon grow to a hot bed of activity, and home to over 3,000 students.

The new downtown UCF facility is just the start . . . Dr. John Hitt and University staff have become valuable and dedicated partners in diversifying our economy and growing high-wage high-value jobs, and I thank Dr. Hitt for his friendship and vision. We are already hearing from Digital Media firms that are interested in locating close to the UCF facility. Imagine the Centroplex transformed into an urban creative village comprised with a mixture of residential, retail, office and education uses. Well, we’re making it happen!

For the past six months staff has been working on a thorough analysis to develop an RFQ to transform the Centroplex into a district attractive to high-tech and Digital Media firms and support services. In the coming decades, Orlando will be known worldwide for its Digital Media Village.

Orlando is a City with a great downtown. However, Orlando can be a city with a spectacular downtown . . . Central Floridians throughout the Region all gain when downtown is flourishing. Time and time again, studies show that a prosperous downtown influences property values in neighborhoods throughout the City and beyond. Our downtown serves as the central neighborhood for the entire region and defines us as a community and it’s where we come together for culture, entertainment, business, government services and more.

My goal is to create a downtown that is one of the best in America, one that is the envy of other cities. One that appeals to citizens and visitors alike. I could not be more optimistic about our future.

In closing, I want to again thank our City Council members who have embraced much of what we have done and have always been there to move our City forward. Now, I challenge each and every one of you to think BOLD, think BIG and remember our vision, as we continue building opportunities for our citizens and future generations.

This is your City! This is your Downtown!

It’s our turn!