Adding Apartments to Hotel at Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Concrete being poured inside Walt Disney Theatre Image via Photo Source

According to the Orlando Sentinel, in August, the only developer to submit to the RFP for a hotel in front of the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Orlando Developments (DOD), withdrew the submission because they want to expand the scope of the project to include apartments.

According to Cassandra Lafser, Public Information Officer for the Office of the Mayor, "the solicitation we put out was specifically for a hotel. During conversations with the developer, they began suggesting doing a mixed-use development that included a hotel on the site. Upon review, the City determined a mixed-use development did present a good opportunity."

This is a change in the scope of the RFP. According to Lafser, "The developer withdrew their hotel proposal, allowing the City to issue a broader solicitation." So, a new RFP will be created and (perhaps) more than one developer will submit.

Details are still being finalized, "and there is not a timeline," says Lafser.

Orlando Sentinel said the occupancy rate for apartments downtown is huge and, since DOD submitted for the RFP, plans for two new downtown hotels have popped up. These could be the reasons the developer wanted to expand the scope of the project to include apartments.

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