Downtown News and Stuff…

It’s been a while, so lots to talk about! First on the list, the Paramount On Lake Eola had its official grand opening on July 4th. Large crowds, already downtown for the fireworks and festivities, made the opening a pretty crowded event. All in all, things seemed to have gone smoothly, except for a bit of an elevator issue that probably wasn’t too fun for the people inside the packed elevators, I’m glad I waited to visit the following day. Closings are to set begin in the upcoming days, but no word on how many contracts are solid for closing and how many buyers plan on forfeiting their deposits, which by the way was a minimum 15%, so not so easy to walk away from on the typical $400K+ condo the Paramount is offering. Officially though, only 5 units are still available that are not under contract, including the $1.2M penthouse (or Mansion as it’s called), that sits as a 2 story detached unit on the pool deck. Interesting concept, and like the several other 2 story townhouse villas situated on the pool deck, have elevator access to a private garage within the parking garage below. No word on additional retail plans, besides the WaMu bank and Publix, that as I’m sure I mentioned a thousand times, will be opening Labor Day!

Construction on 55 West looks to be wrapping up nicely, but no word yet on what exactly is to become of the large tower and Esplanade retail center. The word is that it is now between 2 Four-Star hotels that would take over a portion of the tower, with the remaining units to remain as condos. Will keep you posted on how this turns out. On the upside, the Church Street area as a whole has definitely picked up over these last few months, even with construction fencing and barriers situated dead center in the complex. Much of the success seems to be a result of the reawakened Church Street Station complex with Hamburger Mary’s, Cheyenne Saloon, Dessert Lady, and Ceviche Tapas Restaurant. No updates on Ceviche’s neighbor, the former Improv space that is set to become Rustic Steakhouse from the owners of Spice Modern Steakhouse.

Also, plans seem to be coming together for the idea I reported earlier for the development of a business district under the I-4 overpass, now being called the “Bridge Project”. The idea is to “bridge” the gap between Church Street Station and the “other” side of I4, where the new Arena is being built. Latest plans mention the construction of 2 story buildings under the interstate providing space for retail stores and art galleries. And mentioning the new Arena, ground-breaking is set for July 25th!!!

In entertainment and restaurant news, the Travel Channel aired an episode of “Samantha Brown: Passport to Great Weekends”, that focused on a weekend in Orlando, and surprisingly, actually took place in Orlando and not Disney or the parks. The episode showcased glass-blowing at the City Arts Factory downtown, NV (a semi-private bar/photo-art gallery), the Grand Bohemian hotel, along with a visit to Winter Park’s Park Ave that included the Farmer’s Market and The Wine Room, which apparently, unknown to me, has the world’s largest selection of wines available for tasting. And speaking of wine, another unknown fact to me, did you know Orlando has 3 Master Sommeliers. That’s equal to the number NYC has, and more impressive is the fact that there are only 158 total Master Sommeliers in the world!

And finally, Forty-VII (as in 40-7, or 407, get it?) clothing store is set to open toward the end of the summer in a large corner retail space in the Plaza. The plan is for a unique street style clothing store that will stay open late to cater to downtown night life, even planning live music. And lastly, the Tijuana Flats downtown drought looks to be at an end, the new location in Thorton Park Central is completing build-out and is planned to open July 28th!!