2025 State of Downtown
2025 State of Downtown
Paul Drayton:
On behalf of the Downtown Orlando Partnership, welcome to the 2025 State of Downtown.
Jill Vaughan:
Downtown Orlando has so many things to celebrate. It's the heart of our city where innovation, culture, community all come together.
Paul Drayton:
We are a hub for arts and entertainment. From world class performances and vibrant public art to festivals that bring people together, creativity is part of our DNA.
Jill Vaughan:
We are a destination for sports and major events that draw visitors from across the country and around the world.
Paul Drayton:
We are a center for education opportunity where students, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders shape the future.
Jill Vaughan:
We are the place where residents and visitors can enjoy local restaurants, discover new experiences, and feel connected to the culture and the spirit of Orlando.
Paul Drayton:
For over 64 years, the Downtown Orlando Partnership has united leaders, inspired collaboration, and worked to build an inclusive city center. That commitment is strengthened today through our partnership with the City of Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer, and the downtown Development Board.
Jill Vaughan:
Together, we are creating a downtown that is welcoming and full of momentum.
Paul Drayton:
And today we celebrate our accomplishments, recognize our shared progress, and look ahead to the opportunities for a bright and exciting future.
Jill Vaughan:
And we would like to take a moment to recognize and thank the City of Orlando commissioners who are here today and who have helped shaped the downtown vision. If you could hold your applause till the end. District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray, District 2 Commissioner Tony Ortiz, District 3 Commissioner Robert Stewart, District 4, Commissioner Patty Sheen, District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose, and District 6 Commissioner Bari Burns. Can you see?
Paul Drayton:
Sorry you guys were a little tight down there.
Jill Vaughan:
And of course, a huge thank you to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and his family. Susie Trey and Hannah Dyer are here with us today. Can you please stand also to be recognized?
Paul Drayton:
We also would like to recognize the elected officials in attendance today. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, and District 1 City of Orlando Commissioner-elect Tom King. And any other elected officials, please stand to be recognized if we miss you.
Jill Vaughan:
A heartfelt thank you to Paul Drayton. So, thank you so much our 2025 board chair and to all the DOP board of directors and our chairman circle and downtown champions and all of our investors. We greatly appreciate you.
Paul Drayton:
The 2025 state of downtown would not be possible without the support of our incredible sponsors. Thank you to our event sponsors. Advent Health, AT&T, City of Orlando, Dean Meade, Downtown Development Board, Greater Orlando Sports Commission, Greenberg TR, Orlando Credit Union, Orlando Health, Orlando Magic, UCF Downtown, and Valencia College.
Jill Vaughan:
And we'd also like to we would also like to thank our reserve corporate seating sponsors, Baker Bario Architects, Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, Disney, Dr. Phillips Center, Espaces, JP Morgan Chase, Kimley Horn Lounge, Orlando Economic Partnership, Scansa, TLC
Engineering Solutions, Travel and Leisure, Turner Construction, Vera Mobility, and Visit Orlando.
Paul Drayton:
And a special thank you to our presenting sponsor, OUC, the reliable one. Your partnership and leadership help the city beautiful. Let's take a look.
Jill Vaughan:
And before I introduce President Mills, I did skip Creative City Project. So, thank you for being one of our reserve seating sponsors. So, thank you. Um, and it is now my pleasure to introduce President Larry Mills. He is the president of the Orlando Commission, Orlando Utilities Commission. and thank you for joining us today at the 2025 state of downtown presented by OU the reliable one. Thank you, Mr. Mills.
Larry Mills:
Thank you so much. Good afternoon everyone. There's only four people in here. Good afternoon everyone. Oh, that sounds a little better. Okay. Hey, I want to thank Jill and Paul so much uh for that intro. It's hard not to feel inspired by the momentum that we're seeing across downtown Orlando city and county. There's real momentum behind the growth of Orlando and as president of the board of commissioners of OUC and our chief executive is here Clint as well OUC is proud to be powering a stronger and even more innovative future for the city, the county, and the surrounding area. So, I'd like to begin by saying thank you to the downtown Orlando partnership for bringing us together and to Mayor Dyer and our city uh commissioners for their leadership and to each of you who are here today for helping shape what's next for our city
because the future is yet to be seen as to all that we have from when we look at our city and the things that are going on around How fitting that our event is here at
the KIA Center. Many of you may not know this is a venue that offsets 100% of its power with solar energy from community solar farms in our new OUC Sun Choice
program. This is the kind of smart sustainable progress and commitment keyword that will define the next chapter of downtown Orlando. From the
heart of this district, home to world class venues, thriving businesses, and unforgettable events, OUC is proud to power Central Florida skyline and the
places that define our city's spirit and character.
But then from the skyline to underground, we're also investing in infrastructure to build a better Orlando. As just one of many examples throughout the region, let me site OUC and the city of Orlando are partnering together in what is known as the Summerland Avenue improvement project. This is something that we're doing by replacing nearly 7,000 ft of water mane to modernize Orlando's potable water system and ensure clean, reliable water for generations to come. And let me parenthetically inject. I got a big smile when I was introduced to a gentleman out in the hall just now and they said Mills is president of OUC and his comment was all I remember is the reliable one. I thought, "Okay, Clint, it's working." But as we are still here, we're keeping buildings cool and comfortable in a reliable way, in an innovative way, such as our echofriendly chilled water service. OUC district cooling, we call it, which delivers energy efficient uh AC to landmarks like the Dr. Phillips Center, City Hall, and right here at the Kia Center. And we're making it easier than ever to drive electric in Orlando by investing in EV charging hubs across the region. Why? Just a few blocks away, our 21 port Robinson Recharge mobility hub has powered more than 40,000 EV charging stations and it just opened in 2023. exactly being used by city, local, and visitors as well. So, at OUC, we're we're proud to power progress. We're proud to spark possibility. We're proud because when purpose and innovation connect, there's truly no limit to what downtown Orlando can become. So, thank you for allowing me these few moments to welcome you and to introduce our program. And now it gives me great pleasure uh to be with you today in a seating capacity and to introduce David Barilla, executive director, Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelop Agency. David, it's on you.
David Barilla:
All right, so Jill was telling me it was bright up here, but I don't think I appreciated it till just now. Good afternoon, DTO. Afternoon. Y'all know me better than that. Get with me. Come on. Good afternoon, DTO. There we go. There we go. All right. So, you know, to start, I just want to say thank you. Jill mentioned it, but all our elected officials out there, our our our commissioners, our county representatives, everyone's here. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for being here. None of this would be possible without you. to Jill at the Downtown Orlando Partnership and Paul for doing so many great things uh for downtown and being our partners. Uh we just truly appreciate all the work that goes into not just today but everything they do all year long. Uh but let's talk about today for a bit. Can we do that? So today today's a little bit different. At least it is for me. So today is not about all the big sparkly moments. It's not about the context of just the friendly faces you see around you. It's about taking a moment to reflect and see how far we've come, how far we've come together. So, as we gather, I want us to think about this past year just for a moment because it's been great. We added thousands of new employees with companies like Travel and Leisure and ECS Florida. You all want to talk about restaurants. I do too. We added those, too. Acropolis, the outpost, right? Alakart at Art Squared. You saw it on the screen. If you haven't been there yet, you got to go check it out. It's absolutely delicious. You have options. New sports teams like the Orlando Storm. New events like the Front Yard Festival at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center this week downtown for the holidays. Don't miss it. I heard I heard something out there. It was probably there. My guess is it's our Dr. Phillips team. I don't know. I can't see you, but but that's my guess. Uh so, you know, you look at all that. It's dozens of new businesses. It's hundreds of new employees. And that, my friends, is just the beginning. But today, today is a chance just to press pause. Let's press pause, right? Let's take a step back from the everyday distractions that can come in and out of all of our lives and focus on the future we're building together. So, do me a favor. You know, I always ask you all to do something. This this year is easy. Are you ready? Close your eyes for just a second. Just close them. And I want you to picture yourself looking through the fog into DTO's future like a captain pairing through a periscope to find that transformational destination just over the horizon. Because true transformation, it doesn't happen by accident. It takes leadership. Right? And true leadership doesn't just set a course and step aside. True leadership is steadfast. True leadership is collaborative. True leadership is bold. Bold enough not just to change today, but to transform tomorrow. For two decades, that has been the story of DTO. We've had a leader who has empowered us to dream and then charted the course to deliver. A leader who looked through that periscope years ago and saw saw not only incremental progress but generational change. A leader who has guided us through calm waters and stormy seas, unwavering, unshakable, unstoppable, pausing only to celebrate the big wins and then leading us right back to our posts for what's next. So, I know y'all know who I'm talking about. But before I introduce it, let me ask you one question. What did you see when you looked through that DTO periscope? Maybe you saw a DTO with cultural vibrancy. Maybe you saw a DTO with economic prosperity. Maybe you saw a DTO with the social cohesion that we all long for. But what did he see? He saw all that. and he saw a DTO that will stand shoulder to shoulder with the great cities of our time. London, Tokyo, New York. Remember those. So now's the moment. Join me in a grand DTO welcome for the great best mayor in America today. The admiral of the DTO fleet, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
Mayor Dyer:
Wow, that was quite an intro. I'm glad Susie was here to hear that. I would hate to have to describe it to her. I feel like I should have done a cartwheel as I came across. But good afternoon, downtown Orlando. So when I was walking out, other than being overwhelmed by that great introduction and uh Pastor Mills um sermon that he gave on OUC, I was reflecting on um the fact that this building is 15 years oldand the first event we held in this building. Does anybody know what the first event we held in this building was? That must have been a city employee. State of downtown 15 years ago. We cut the ribbon outside on October 1st and um then cut the ribbon on this building. And since I'm the mayor, I get to uh stray from my prepared remarks. So, I'm going to talk about the building and what it's meant to us. Um over the course of of 15 years, um Allan Johnson and his whole staff, his whole team do an incredible job. And we have had um over 3,000 events in the Amway Kia Center since it opened. So that's uh Allan, 250 or so a year and 2 million visitors, patrons last year. I'll take some applause for that. That's pretty good. Um, Dr. Mills talked about how sustainable and what we've done in the green areas, but I just want to talk about So, last night, was anybody at the Magic game here last night? So, the building looked quite a bit different about 12 hours ago, and they have another Magic game tomorrow night. So, the the ends that the staff goes through to transform this building. Oh, and by the way, the reason it's so dogone cold in here is there is ice under the floor. So, they have to change out a hard court and ice and um all types of things to transform this building. And they do a tremendous job. So, let's give Allen and his entire teama great hand. So, back to the scripted part. Um the day that we had the first state of the city uh state of the downtown here that this building in that opening day represented the reality of what can happen when you do have a bold vision coupled with strategic investments and then you leverage partnerships and the results are catalytic projects as you've seen with the three venues camping world stadium Dr. Philip Center and this Kia Center. And as we stand here 15 years later, downtowns not just here in Orlando, but across the country and across the world are experiencing an era of reinvention. Since the pandemic escalated, a lot of long-term trends like remote work. I know in all of your businesses, you probably don't have the same staff that comes into your office every day that you had five years ago. but also the desired for mixed use development has forced cities to rethink the roles of their downtowns. Here is the good news. Here in Orlando, we've been planning for just that. And that's precisely what is happening around us right now. Prior to the pandemic, through partnerships and strategic planning of the venues and Creative Village and Project DTO, we've been building a vision together for a downtown that offers something for everyone. Last year at this event, we talked about uh the DTO action plan and two of the big ideas from that plan are downtown as a park and downtown Orlando is for everyone. And in pursuing those big ideas, we are focusing on four essential elements. First, there's arts and culture, which is absolutely critical to any downtown. Second, food. Third, business, education, and job creation. and fourth, places like this where people come together. So rather than just talk about these elements and why they're important in the abstract, we're going to do something a little bit different than we've done at any of the state of the downtowns in the past. So you've noticed that you there are one, two, three, six chairs out here. Why do you think that is? We're gonna have people fill those chairs uh to talk about those elements who are living those elements every day in our downtown. And we want to have a conversation about why those elements are so important as we move forward. And we want to talk about those elements and how they must connect with complement and energize one another. So we want to bring together a very dynamic group that I think you'll be very pleased with to have a frank conversation about our opportunities but also our challenges. So we brought some familiar faces and we brought some newer friends to fuel the discussion. So first we all know Craig Ustler whose vision has helped shape the last quarter century in DTO from Thornton Park to create a village. And any of you that want to do the cartwheel on the way out, that is fine as well. Okay. Orlando has truly become a foodie town, right? So, if you've had a great meal downtown, chances are you spent time in one of Jason Chin's restaurants. I've already mentioned that a great downtown must have a great arts and cultural scene. And Jennifer Evans is with us today to talk about tapping into the arts to drive a downtown transformation. And we also have a special guest who most of us don't know yet. Richard Perez with Midtown Development is responsible for developing some of the most iconic innovative places where people come together in cities around the world. David kind of led into that with Tokyo and New York and the things he was talking about in the intro and they are redeveloping the property on North Orange Avenue that used to be the home of the Orlando Sentinel. and help tie this all together. We're fortunate to have Sheena Fowler with Innovate Orlando to serve as our moderator and the face of the changing nature of the business in our downtown. All right, Sheena, are you ready?
Sheena Fowler:
I'm ready.
Mayor Dyer:
All right, let's do it.
Sheena Fowler:
Here we go. Okay, friends, here we are. David, you were not wrong. It is bright. It is bright. I like it. Okay. So, placemaking is the cornerstone of economic development, right? It is what sparks economies. It's what brings everything together. When we bring the layers of entertainment, of tastes, of feel, of sounds, of business and economic development, we start to drive new jobs. We have people that want to experiment in our cities. We have people that want to build new buildings in our cities. And today, we're going to do this. We're going to talk about all the different layers that it makes to have extraordinary placemaking and we're going to talk about the realities. We're going to talk about the momentum and what we're expecting next. Here on this stage is Mayor Dyer so graciously introduced everyone. We're seeing different places, different people and different perspectives of how you place-make a downtown, how you make an extraordinary economy that sparks new ideas that changes the world. So, let's get into it. Craig, let's start with you. You've been doing this for over 25 years in downtown Orlando. You've had investments like Thornton Park, North Quarter, and Creative Village. These were not quick flips. Talk about the parallels between what you saw 25 years ago and where we are today in order to bring downtown to life.
Craig Ustler:
Well, I have a fundamental belief in the in the power of downtown. Um, Mayor Dyer ran on this when he ran for mayor. And I think we intuitively at that time understood that if you don't have a strong downtown, you don't have a strong region. There's really not a great city in the world that isn't defined by the quality of its downtown. So, to me, that's always been obvious and and maybe not obvious to a town that's maybe as new as Orlando or a suburban base, but I I sort of took that as my benchmark. And then I see a lot of similarities. The market goes through cycles. Um, opportunity presents itself in different ways. uh Rick and I would tell you the real estate market, you know, you're still ultimately uh you know, you're beholden to how that goes. So there's a lot of similarities that to to the early 2000 and we entered into a really nice period of development there and then we sort of had the great recession, another nice boom, then we had COVID and sort of the correction we're in now. So I I just see us emerging kind of from the thaw that we've been in. Um but I would say we've just made a ton of progress. The the the building blocks that Mayor Dyer described are there now. It's really just more about layering. you keep using that word, but that's the right word. It's just layering on um the elements that make a place really great, which is sometimes the buildings, but more often the other things. It's arts and food and everything that sort of goes with the buildings. So, I look at it now as as probably a bit more of a complex puzzle, but uh but I'm I'm as bullish as I've ever been. I I I believe in downtown Orlando's got a ton of upside. I mean, we're really just scratching the surface on what we could become. And so, um, and the great news is the repositioning of downtown that that Mayor Dyer talked about for downtowns. It's actually pretty easy. I mean, it's live, learn, work, play. Office tenants, retail folks, restaurant folks, residences, workers, students, they all want the same thing and they want interesting walkable mixeduse places that are really a great place to hang out. You know, you hear the term central activity district now instead of central business district. So, I believe that we're on the right track and um, and we're excited.
Sheena Fowler:
You know, as as somebody who worked side by side with you over the last many many years recruiting companies to come here, we we often work together on that. One of the number one things that I got that I was surprised by was what's the food, right? For sure. Executives always want to know about the food. Jason, I turn to you. Last year, you and your wife Sue became the city's first James Beard finalist for outstanding restaurant tour. That's a big deal. That is a nationwide honor and you are the first in our community to do it. You've opened three restaurants in downtown. Reyes, the Monroe, Sparrow, with a fourth on the way, Auststeria Esther. Did I get it?
Jason Chin:
Yes
Sheena Fowler:
Okay. Excellent. And it's opening to family and friends this week. So, you to have seen these evolutions and ups and downs of downtown Orlando. What makes you believe to continue to open so many restaurants here?
Jason Chin:
Well, um first of all, thank you for uh recognizing um the importance that food has in um attracting uh people and talent. Um I I guess it's when we kind of started to grow um and expand at at a decent pace and uh people kind of caught on to what what we were about in um creating new unique and distinct um restaurants doing something different with every opening that came the exciting questions of what's next what you know what are you doing next and I would often uh answer that question with a question of well what do you think should be next, what should we do? What do you think Orlando needs? Um, and through that, it was pretty evident uh by how varied and how broad those responses were that uh really the short answer is we just need more. We need and not just in sheer number per capita, but we needed more and we need more variety. We we need more diversity and we need really what I was hearing was we need iconic restaurants that kind of defined the area that if say someone lived here for a time and then moved somewhere else that there it would be that restaurant that would remind them of home. So that really encouraged Sue and I to keep going with it and it really helped to kind of further crystallize the mission of we have at Good Salt Restaurant Group is to create district and neighborhood defining restaurants to stand for generations and to kind of really be that kind of center of placemaking.
Sheena Fowler:
Well, it's amazing because you not only deliver extraordinary food, you deliver amazing spaces, right? So they're they're iconic in the way that the way that you feel the atmosphere, right? And so I turn to you Jennifer. Atmosphere and culture is such an extraordinary part of placemaking and and you as the leader of United Arts have had such an impressive run with downtown DTO in creating these programs where we now have consistent music, right? Where you layered on top of the buildings that were being constructed and the the new restaurants that were coming in, you added this other layer. tell us about what that means to a community and how it changes things.
Jennifer Evans:
Absolutely. Well, thank you. And it it when you look at the master plan for years, it's talked about excellence every day and and it's wonderful that we have these these moments that we pause and celebrate as a community. But if you're arriving to Orlando on a Tuesday looking for a building or an office space and it's there's not a festival going on, it's a surprise, right? When you hear music happening. So, um along with the city creative city project, the downtown arts district and united arts started this program about a year and a half ago to really activate and create a sense of excellence every day in our downtown. And this was these are free music performances and we pay artists and that's part of this whole whole dynamic is that we need people to be able to thrive here and make a living. And so, this program is not only about activating our public spaces in downtown, keeping a vibrancy at lunchtime and in the social hours on Thursdays and on weekends. It's really about making sure that artists can make a living here, too. So, it creates a sense of security and safety downtown so that people um feel feel comfortable, but also a sense of belonging. They hear their culture, they hear their drum beat, they hear all these different diverse music playing. And so, it's really exciting to watch not artists respond to the experience of being heard and celebrated, but also for people to feel a sense of belonging and safe.
Sheena Fowler:
I love that you added in the element of the artists are getting paid, right? That this is this is a sustainable element for our community, right? And and having served as film commissioner in Orlando, I was privy to meet so many of our extraordinary artists that are here. And that's the number one thing I try to remind people. These we have such a high population of creatives in our community. It's fantastic to now have this soundtrack as we do walking meetings downtown and you think aboutwhy you go into the office. You want experiences that you're not going to get at home. And I thank you so much for for putting that together. Rick, as someone who has developed around the world, you look at infrastructure, you look economies, you make big decisions on where you're going to invest. Tell us about what you saw about downtown Orlando, what you've heard today about what Craig and Jason and Jennifer have built and why you made the the decision to invest in downtown Orlando.
Richard Perez:
Well, first of all, thank you for for having us here. We're we're overjoyed. Um, this has been a a bit of a process. Uh, that started with David Burrilla insisting that we take a look at downtown Orlando again and really move forward with the development of the Sentinel site. And as everybody got a taste of, you all know him, but that intro is the reason uh we were so motivated to be here. But the there are five reasons why we we've made the decision that we're going to move forward with the redevelopment of the Sentinel site. Um the first is visionary, professional, stable government in the city of Orlando. you often get or sometimes you get visionary government, sometimes you get stable government, but to have both visionary and stability, vision and stability is something that is a rarity around the United States uh and around the world frankly. Um and have that combination here is such an important factor. The second is having that that staff and that government and a DTO plan that perfectly aligns and you have a very clear picture of where you have a and a vision of downtown that is clearly articulated. It is a program that everybody can understand and everybody's getting behind. That is a motivating factor. The third is in and this is an essential ingredient agreement is a community that in our in our visits here is incredibly engaged. A community that has and you could see it through the DTO play. You could see it through the government a real sense of a of a shared vision of a very bright future. Right. The fourth is an economic and a demographic growth that should be the envy of the world. that is the envy of the world. Uh it's an unbelievably dynamic both in terms of the dem the the demographic growth and the economic growth. And fifth is a 20 acre or so piece of land in the middle of your downtown that doesn't that is right for redevelopment and doesn't have any of the negatives of redevelopment, which is no need to move out businesses or people. and that we can use it as a blueprint to carry on that vision, that stability, and that plan. And um you know, and and so when David laid that all out for us and we had the pleasure of meeting the mayor and the commissioners, uh the choice of of relooking and and re-engaging in the development of this site became frankly a no-brainer.
Sheena Fowler:
That's amazing. We and I think that's something we've heard from everyone here is that the all the are here, right? Everything was here that it became such an obvious decision to continue to move forward. And and as we look at the momentum that we've talked about, let's let's take a turn and let's have a an honest moment, right? That we can have a reality check where there are some things in downtown that still need to be worked on. We have the perception of safety. We have some some renovations that are going to be happening. We'll have some disruption with transportation. But this is the moment where downtowns either fracture or strengthen. And I think we can have a conversation about how we start to lean into that and how we do it together. So, Mayor Dyer, your plans over the last 20 years have been ambitious from significant infrastructure projects like new housing, Sunreil, Kia Center, Creative Village, and Dr. Phillips Center. But you have equally ambitious plans to transform downtown Orlando. These improvements required some temporary pain for some long-term gain. So let us understand what do you see about why this is the right time to be doing this and how we move forward.
Mayor Dyer:
Gina, I thought I was supposed to get a question in the first segment, not okay. Let's switch to the reality check, but um actually those are the questions I get to feel. Um, you know, during the state of the city address, we noted that the city was 150 years old, and we talked about different eras where the leadership of the city had to make difficult decisions about moving forward and investing in the community so you could reach to the future. And we have had stability here, not just for 20 years, but we've only had five mayors in the last 70 years. So, we've had some great leadership before I ever got here. I think of Mayor Frederick and for those of you who are old enough to be here when he was mayor, he had a really big decision to make and he decided that they needed to re plumb the entire downtown area. They had infrastructure that had been there probably for a hundred years or more. So they totally tore up Orange Avenue and associated streets and redid all the sanitary sewer, the um water, the uh other utilities. And I know there had to have been some pain for all of the businesses in the downtown during that era. But it was needed so that you could reach for the future. And now we have the DTO action plan which is going to we're going to two-way streets. We're going to improve sidewalks. We're going to increase the green space. We're going to make mobility easier. Um we're going to really take a look at our transit um that has around been around in ver basically the same way since the 70s and improve that for the future. So um you ask is the timing right? The timing is absolutely right and it's always the right time to invest in the future in our futures and our future is now.
Sheena Fowler:
It's amazing to see the fact that you've been able to do both right. we've been able to build and make sure we're adding in all of the layers of character so that we have that balance and and I think that's something that Jennifer and Jason you've seen over the years and and not just in Orlando but in other communities too that as you go through these changes as you go through these adaptations you have to have the elements of of culture and restaurants uh to be able to continue to carry through. So what are some of the elements of of how you see that that really carries communities through these moments of transition?
Jennifer Evans:
So the arts are early wins. Um they are whether it's it's adding public art or live music. It's a way to soften the experience especially when the hardscape is changing or slowing people down. And so thankfully our city and our private sector is investing in the arts and it it makes an impact whether you're you're having to walk further because of a construction on a on a sidewalk or traveling um on a road and you get to see an art a mural or you're hearing music from down the way and it pulls you that direction in a positive way. Um it can also from a health perspective the arts are proven to improve reduce stress. So, that also can help a lot. So, make sure to roll your windows down and listen to the music um either in your car or the live music. But that helps a lot. The arts really can reduce the stress in a downtown area um as well as as keep you positive. Yeah. And be short wins.
Sheena Fowler:
Jason.
Jason Chin:
Yeah. Um well, if you think about any downtown in its most elemental sense in terms of purpose, um it's a place It's meant for exchange on on many levels. Um exchange of ideas, economic exchange, um exchange of um social exchange and cultural exchange. And amidst all those, I'd say that the most fundamentally human, the most significant is um the exchange of cultures through food and the arts. And um the more that we allow that to happen, um there's more common ground that's found. uh there's more um understanding that we have of one another. And where there's more and more understanding, there is less room for fear. And uh it helps to kind of build bridges and to open doors to usher out any type of stagnation and usher in excitement and synergy and the sharing of dreams and the initiation of action to pursue those dreams. So with that, um really it's u it's I feel very fortunate and honored to be up here to to represent the hospitality um community and the and all the hard work that uh that not just us but like everybody in the industry is doing because uh if you've ever been in it, you know, you're not really in it to make to make riches. You're really in it for the love of the community. So, in that in that context, um really um I've kind of made it my own u personal mission and the mission of um of our team members in our downtown locations to really do their part in in helping to kind of have a bigger star so to speak in the in the narrative. You know, we speak about the per perception issue and um you know, I think a lot of times that's because people tend to adopt a truth that they might have extracted from a sensationalized news column or even worse doing a bit too deep of a dive in the comments section of an unfounded social media post, right? We've all done it. Um so really um you know there's um something that's really unique about Orlando and and our our hospitality scene. We've had friends come up and visit us from other um other cities like DC and Chicago and even as close as Tampa that all have the kind of a similar remark that like wow Orlando you guys your restaurant scene is very tight. You guys feel very like like there's a sense of camaraderie that they wish they had back home where they have more of a cutthroat kind of standoffish type of environment. And I think that, you know, when dwelling on on when considering that and why that is, it kind of dawned on me that that must be because a lot of us have a similar interest in that we're doing it to put Orlando on the map. And that phrase right there, it's it's it's heard a lot when if you go to any event where there's a few of us around, you'll probably hear put Orlando on the map. Put Orlando on the map. And I think that translates into kind of this dynamic we have as as the restaurant community where, you know, we might be considered competition to one another, but we never consider each other rivals because we're on the same team. So that to me is is a it's very encouraging. It feels like we're all positioned to to to to push forward in a big way to do it for for the home team, to do it for Orlando. And um so really, you know, going back to trying to control the narrative, we we're really hoping that as downtowners, we um we're able to kind of reach the ears and the hearts of of uh you know, of the purpose- driven, you know, movers in theindustry to really think of this period of transition like not as an existential threat, but as the incredible opportunity that it actually is.
Sheena Fowler:
Yeah. Well, it's an incredible opportunity to come and taste some of the extraordinary dishes that you put in front of us. So, thank you for continuing to do it because it it definitely draws us out, right? It is the reason that that we leave our homes is to gather and and to make sure that we have those spaces. So, so thank you.And and I I think a lot of us echo those feelings that you just shared is that especially when I first moved to Orlando, there was this element of collaboration, this element of yeah, we're going to compete and we're going to do what we need to do, but at the end of the day, we are rolling up our sleeves to put Orlando on the map to follow the vision that Mayor Dyer and his team have laid out that this isn't a community that is figuring out who we want to be, that we're young. That's such a glorious opportunity to be able to build a community and be part of building a culture. That's that's what we've been doing here. And I think Craig and Rick, you both have been through these types of disruptions. You've seen that you come out on the other side and it and when you look back, it's a bit of a blip, right? But in the moment, what are some of the a story that you could share where you saw these things pay off that the little bit of pain was worth the long-term value? Rick, you want to start?
Richard Perez:
Well, I think it really is about creating what motivates us every single day in our group, Midtown Development. We're our DNA as land owners and land investors that happen to develop, right?And so our our goal always is to create neighborhoods and communities and that the last piece of property in our assemblage is the most valuable piece of property not because time has passed or a cycle has happened but because it's a community or neighborhood people want to live in. Right? And that's our that's our goal. And one of the reasons why we've sort of not moved forward until now with regards to the site was we just didn't want to create another sort of cookie cutter kind of mixed use development. We wanted to create something special. And so when whenDavid and the city team came to us, one of the things that we said was we need to get the best person in the world in developing these types of communities interested in this. And if we can do that, we'll move forward. That's what excites us. And and we reached out to Heatherwick Studios in London and we said, "Will you partner with us on on this redevelopment?" and we uh we spent a lot of time with them and we are overjoyed that Heatherwick Studios agreed to the engagement and agreed to move it forward and and and for those of you who don't know Heatherwick Studios and um those are the same people that developed Little Island in New York.They are amazing thinkers in creating authentic spaces that people want to live in. And um and so putting all that together with the city government, the stability, the vision, and then encouraging and getting Heatherwick Studios to join us in this mission. Um you know, and we have along-term vision, right? We this is about this isn't going to happen overnight. this is going to be 20 years of development on this site if because we're going to do it right and we're going to do it um and we're going to create the type of community thatOrlando deserves. Um you know that's what sustains you over blips, right? Itis again that stability with vision and a long-term perspective on doing something great. And if you put those things together, um, success is, uh,never assured, but certainly moves you forward in in the right direction. So.
Sheena Fowler:
Craig.
Craig Ustler:
Um, I mean, I don't look at disruption or construction obviously as a bad thing. I mean, any developer would say that, but, um, but but I, but I really do mean it in a true sense. I mean, when we were first building Creative Village, nothing attracted more development like bringing other potential tenants um or capital partners or whatever. The way that Mayor Dyer and I did a talk inin the mid I was 2016 17, we were we jokingly said we led the country in cranes per capita because there was so much under construction downtown. um that actually so the inconvenience of the physical construction to me is more than offset by the momentum that it's building. You can just sort of see it with your eyes. Something like the Sentinel site being under construction or West Court or Creative Village phase 2 or whatever it is, I mean that creates a visual sort of identity that you want.So to me, the the good outweighs the bad. And um and it's also an example ofuh where social media has really really helped. Um, if you think about in any great city now, some of the most awesome restaurants you go to or art experiences are behind some door that you never would even know where they were except if you hadn't seen it on TikTok or found it on social media, whatever. And so, I just think it's some of it's the tools that the restaurant and the arts andwhatnot have to do. and Rick and I can figure out how to build things, you know, in a way where it can still work out. But it'll just be that it's theit's the act of of of doing something and get of getting underway with something that I think is going to be it's going to create a a momentum that's going to be valuable. So, I mean, is itdisruptive? Yeah. But I mean, that's that's what progress is. I mean, I I greatly prefer that to the alternative.
Sheena Fowler:
I agree. I agree. Well, speaking of momentum, here's the amazing thing. We know that these things are happening, but we have alignment, right? This is our Orlando. This is what we do. We bring things together. We have an optimism and alignment that brings everything together at the right moment. And every one of you have shown how you're not slowing down. You're finding these opportunities to bring more to our community to find opportunities to layer it together. And with this, I know we can dig in a little bit more about Rick's announcement. And Mayor Dyer, as your state of downtown, I would like to hand it over to you to talk a little bit more about Rick's big news.
Mayor Dyer:
Well, thank you, Sheena. So, we started out or I started out um my comments talking about the catalytic effect that the venues had. Um the venues along with um seeking the UCF medical school I think were really the start of where we learned partnership and collaboration and how to get things done because in both of those endeavors it took so many different people to form partnerships and collaboration from different aspects of our community. Um that led to Creative Village as another catalytic effect. um the to have the opportunity to redevelop 69 acres in your heart of downtown and we did have the benefit of it was all publicly owned. So we got to do to plan it. Imagine if that would have been right 10 different pieces of property we tried to assemble, we wouldn't have what w ehad today. But those are two cornerstone pieces of our community and I couldn't be more excited about what's going to happen on the Sentinel site. I truly believe that's going to be catalytic for our community as well. And again, there aren't many cities, Rick, where you could find 20 acres. Do you own 20 acres anywhere else in the heart of a downtown? Probably not. But to have that opportunity and to not just say, "Okay, let's put something up." But to really think about it and to bring in the very best architects in the world, um, you're going to be impressed. Let's learn about it. Let's roll the tape.
Thomas Heatherwick:
Hello, my name is Thomas Heatherwick and with my studio team, we've been doing projects all over the world over the last 30 years. Our passion has been to make pieces of cities, to make places where people come together. And we've had the chance to build a new museum inCape Town using a grain silo. to make a new island in New York that's a public park that brings people together to make the headquarters for Google in California to make new districts inTokyo which are all about nature and places for people to explore and in Shiana making big new areas where it's all about making a hyper physical place that can be engaging and connect people with each other and their emotions within places. So, we're very excited to be having the chance to work in downtownOrlando. This downtown area is surrounded by the very successful neighbors of these world famous parks and there are suburban main streets that are great for those areas. So there's really strong identities all around and then there in the middle that downtown is just ripe. It's ready to grow to make a destination with its own unique identity to make somewhere that will have the best of city living. So there are evening spots which bring people together, family spaces, dining places.It's about nature somewhere that brings people together in this hyper physical way in this time of the digital. The Orlando Sentinel site is an opportunity to create an amazing new district with a gathering space at its heart with thousands of new homes and dozens of new businesses to bring an urban density that unlocks new places to work, new places to play, and to relax and exercise. We're so used to places feeling like they're a version of somewhere else rather than being their own unique place. So the opportunity now that's so exciting is to be part of the wider revitalization of downtown. We're so excited to be working with the city on the future of downtown Orlando and this amazing opportunity that that exists for that center to thrive in the next phase ofOrlando's future.
Sheena Fowler:
Something we strategically did not allow anyone on the the panel to see the video and until this moment. So, it is exciting exciting for all of us to get to to tune in and see it live with you to day. Rick, wow, that is impressive. Tell us a little bit more about, you know, your philosophy around what you've already started to discover and and mayor, feel free to jump in here on on what you're doing here.
Richard Perez:
Why not Orlando, right? You have demographic shifts and economic shifts happening all overFlorida, all over the United States. You have billions of dollars getting invested into downtown Tampa, right, with uh with with the water street project. You have related Ross putting billions of dollars into downtown WestPalm Beach. You have billions of dollars being invested into downtown Miami. Why?It's because the younger generation and the older generation have come to the same conclusion. We want to live in communities that are communities that are connected and downtowns offer great transit, great parks, great community and cultural centers. All of those bones are there already in downtown Orlando. Why not downtown Orlando? We think this is the right moment, the right time, the right team, and we are just absolutely bullish about this project, about the future of Orlando and um and the future of all of the new friends that we've made um over the course of the last, youknow, year in terms of dialogue with with the city. We are um overjoyed that Thomas Heatherwick and his team have have see the vision, understand the vision and are and are are helping usmove that forward. And we're at the initial stages. There are still you know the the design is certainly not complete and we are uh you know working with Mayor Dyer, his team, the city commission to bring this vision to a reality.
Sheena Fowler:
Fantastic. Mayor Dyer, how's it been to work on this project so far?
Mayor Dyer:
Um, it it's awesome to have an opportunity. A lot of the times when you're working with developers, they come in with a fully baked plan and the city really is just reviewing it to make sure you make building codes and uh, land use requirements and things of that nature rather than feeling like you're a partner at the table and knowing just how important and strategic this parcel is. I don't think there's anybody that doesn't recognize you've got 20 acres.It's at Colonial and Orange Avenue. You're going to be the bookend to the Dr. Phillips Center. So, everything else in between those two areas is going to benefit. It's going to be like I think jet fuel um in terms of the economy and everything else around it. I think there's probably people out today trying to buy up the land that's on either side, east or west there. Um but I'm really excited about this investment.I'm I'm excited about West Court as well, which will be just north of here. So, you add in those two sites and we're only halfway done with Creative Village, right? So, it's not like that one's complete. There's just the upside of downtown Orlando. Um there's there's no imagination to stretching that.
Sheena Fowler:
Well, it's amazing, like you said, to to have the opportunity to partner. That really is something special, but it's so uniquely Orlando, right? Of course, that would be something that we get to do together. Jennifer, I'd love for you toto lay in your reaction to have this type of space. As as you heard, there's lots of green space and and space for people to to come together. What What's your reaction to this?
Jennifer Evans:
Well, it's ext it's extraordinary. First of all, it's it's we talked about excellence in placemaking and I live downtown. I walk downtown every day. I walk around Lake Eola. I walk home from the Magic Game and Inco. This city has so much positive energy and the great thing is is I've only been here for four and a half years, but when the building codes, the codes to make sure that we have a standard of excellence are critical to this success. And I've never built anything. So people who are building things maybe disagree, but when you drive into this city, there's a code that says we have to have an architectural element at the top of every building. And to me that is excellence because wherever you are standing or coming in from our city there is a creative design process that puts excellence first. And whether it's music on the streets or the built environment it's about excellence and what you've done and what you've done Craig and what you've done Jason and the mayor that you bring excellence and that's what we've got to stay focused on when it comes to placemaking.
Sheena Fowler:
So Jason, I know you are very close to opening your next restaurant, but does having this type of development in your community continue to fuel the fact thatyou keep these restaurants open and and fuel the inspiration for new ones on the horizon?
Jason Chin:
Oh yeah, 100%. I mean, really, if by the looks of it, it's going to be quite an attraction for people just to spend time and where there's movement in that regard, it's it's only upside from there. Um, so yeah, it's uh it from what I can see it looks to be a game changer.
Sheena Fowler:
Really excited. Fantastic. And and Craig having another development. We you know, as mayor mentioned, West Court and this how does this get you excited about everything that we're continuing to build with Creative Village?
Craig Ustler:
I mean, it's really it's really the evolution that you're looking for. One of the things that Mayor Dyer has talked about before is if you go to a lot of the great cities of the world, I think he made this comment when he was coming home from Boston one time. I mean, they're they're done for all intents and purposes. Rick and I can't go there and make as much of a difference, right, when it's 90 whatever percent built down. Orlando is still on this great sort of growth cycle. And the secret sauce is to get local independent developers like me, restauranteurs like Jason, that's typically the spark. Somebody like Rick's not going to go first first. He's going to wait and see the truly entrepreneurial people kind of happen in South Beach and everywhere else. And then you attract him and the architect, right? and and you end up sort of with the best of both worlds, right? You end up with sort of best-in-class development that could go anywhere and chooses Orlando and you pair that up with the people that are that are tried and true hometown folks that have been doing it for 10, 20, 30 years that mutually respect each other that are all pulling the boat in the same direction. I mean, that's kind of the magic that that you've seen happening some of the um if you look at at sort of the cities that we tend to emulate, a Nashville, a Denver, Austin,Texas, or whatever, that's that's really what's happened. It's sort of the best of both worlds come together and you don't lose your soul. You don't lose the personality that attracted Rick in the first place, but you layer onto it, especially at the quality he's talking about doing. Jennifer could not be moreright. It's about quality, not quantity in your downtown these days, right? I mean, and the fact that it's takes sometimes a little bit longer. Mayor Dyer has been great about this at Creative Village. It takes a little bit longer to get exactly what you want and get the quality that you want, but it's worth waiting for.
Sheena Fowler:
Yeah. And it's exciting as we we talk to businesses about where they want to locate and and having done that for so many years, they want to see that there's buildings. They want to see that there's more activity that that things are coming in and and mayor, we've done a lot of talking today about what's coming. You have been taking a lot of bets on downtown. I want to hear from you of of what you think we're going to be seeing in 27 and 28 based on all of the extraordinary bets that you've already made so far.
Mayor Dyer:
So I think that's what excites me the most quite honestly. I'll segue off of Craig a little bit. I always tell my fellow friend mayors at US conference mayors that I'm the happiest mayor in America and they're like, "Oh, how can you be the happiest mayor of America and I was during COVID?" I could say that. But every other day that I've woken up,I've been the happiest mayor in America because I live in a city where we're making our destiny making creating our future right now. And I was just thinking while Craig was saying that maybe we were pre-teens, right, when I came into office and now I feel like we're 10th graders or something like that in terms of the community. But we're a community where you can come into this community having never lived here and have an immediate impact and be part of our community because we're a welcoming community and we haven't made our future yet. We're preparing. We like to say we're a future ready city that we're adaptable, but every person in this audience today has the opportunity to help us shape this city, this downtown, and what it's going to be in the next how many ever years? You just asked me about three years, 10 years, or 20 years. And I couldn't be more excited. I if I'm only going to be mayor two more years, but I wouldn't want to be mayor anywhere else in America other than right here for the next decade because it is going to be an exciting time. And I think all over America, they're going to be talking about Orlando and not just for tourism. They're going to be talking about Orlando for what's happening in the downtown.
Sheena Fowler:
I couldn't agree more.Well, here's what I've been hearing from our friends on the stage today. That we had four elements, but they only work when they work together, right? When we layer the investment, we in we layer in the culture and the restaurants and the businesses then attract to that. It's extraordinary to see when we have extraordinary leadership, the community wants to follow and the community wants to build and add their piece with their expertise alongside of it. So now the question becomes what do all of you do? How do you add your excellence into this momentum? I think that's been a wonderful word that we heard over and over again today is excellence. We have excellence in food and culture and buildings and investments and strategy.And that strategy has led all of us to be here today. So, how do you add in it?How do you build more buildings? How do you create more jobs? How do you become future members of the downtown Orlando partnership to where we can bind together to make sure that we're delivering everything that we need for our community in downtown because we know that downtowns are not built with one plan, with one project, but it's a connected community. And that's what we heard today. We heard Mayor talk about the fact that it was working side by side with developers and how unique that was for our community. We heard Jennifer talk about listening to artists, what did they need? Listening to the developers understand what the communities want and Jason talked about his guests coming into the door and saying, "I'm going to develop and continue to grow and create more based on their feedback." That's that is a beautiful community that we've seen and we've seen different personalities come in and talk about our community from different angles. That is when a downtown becomes a place not that you just go and leave, but it becomes a place that you call home, a place that is yours, that you want to continue to invest in and grow in. I'd like to thank our panel today for joining us. I'd like to thank Mayor Dyer and his team for giving us the opportunity to have this candid conversation about our extraordinary downtown Orlando and everything that we're doing. Thank you for everything, all of your investments, all of your strategy, and I would like to welcome Jill back up to the stage.
Jill Vaughan:
Well, first of all, I love downtowns and I love our downtown. So, thank you. Thank you so much. And a special thanks on behalf of the downtown Orlando partnership, our board of directors and our trustees. Thank you to Mayor Dyer.Thank you for your vision. Thank you to the city of Orlando. Thank you to the downtown development board and David.And also I just really want to just once again express how much we appreciate your leadership and your collaboration. A huge thank you also again to our presenting sponsor OU the reliable one. Thank you to Commissioner Mills for giving um your remarks today. Um I'd also like to thank our event sponsors, Advent Health, AT&T, Dean Meade, the Greater Orlando Sports Commission,Greenberg Trigg, Orlando Credit Union, Orlando Health, Orlando Magic, and UCF Downtown and Valencia College, and all of our corporate seeding sponsors. You definitely help make this event possible, and I appreciate you. I also would love to extend gratitude today to our panelists. Thank you for sharing your insight, your vision, and yourcommitment to moving downtown Orlando forward. And three of these panelists are also DOP board members. So, thank you for that, too, as well. And as we celebrate today, we alsoencourage everyone to support our local nonprofit organi organizations today. Today is Giving Tuesday and they play an essential role in strengthening our downtown comm communityities. So, we would love for you to support ourdowntown nonprofits. Now, let's celebrate together. Join us for a cocktail reception in the GallagherLounge featuring local favorites, Black Rooster Takaria and Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream. And you should have all receiveda cocktail ticket on the way in, so we'll buy you each a drink. Um, please take a moment to visit our sponsorsalong the way. And also don't miss um discover downtown and check out theirtable because there is a beautiful new cookbook by Visit Orlando which is agreat taste of the city beautiful and on the cover is Good Salt West restaurantgroups. One of their executive chefs Wendy is on the cover of this beautiful cookbook. So check it out. If they dohappen to sell out they will have more at discover downtown. So definitely support that. But thank you again forbelieving in downtown Orlando. The best is yet to come. Thank you so much.