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By Ken Storey
Driving around Central Florida, you might think its 2006 all over again. It seems like every corner is a new construction project but this time *most* of the projects seem to be smaller and more infill style. Here’s a list of seven townhome projects that will likely have some of the biggest impact on their communities.
Morse + Virginia Brownstones – This Phil Kean designed 8 unit set of “brownstones” adds height and density to the highly trafficked Morse Boulevard. Kean left his popular white boxes of various sizes design obsession for a more traditional look for these three-story townhomes. They’re some of the first major investment on Morse since the Great Recession, but they seem to have spurred more developments along the road with more townhomes, a hotel, and an office building now all in the works.
The View of Winter Park- Winter Park shocked Central Florida when it voted to allow the destruction the 1958 James Gamble Rogers II designed church to allow for a Mission-style 16-unit luxury townhome project to go in its place. With units average 4,700 sq. ft. this isn’t a typical townhome project but is in line with other similar developments around Winter Park. The biggest difference is this project activates a corner that hasn’t seen much traffic in decades since the church was rarely used outside of Sunday mornings.
Park Hill Townhomes- Just around the corner from the Winter Park Church of Christ, Scientist townhomes come to another high-end townhome project. Just like Morse + Virginia and the Church of Christ, Scientist townhomes, Park Hill will feature three-story units, but unlike the other two projects, Park Hill will actually see a lowering of the density with the ten-unit complex replacing 26 apartments, 18-unit Spanish Oaks Apartments and the 8-unit Golfview Apartments. Those two complexes were more than 40 years old and were two-stories tall. With outdoor rooftop kitchens and private courtyards amongst other luxury items, it’s no wonder why the marketing material for the townhomes state "buyers in the upper stratosphere will appreciate" these units. This might be the biggest investment along Park Avenue since 2006 when the Park Place building, home to Panera, opened.
Eleven on Thornton – A new urban infill residential development is coming to 844 N. Thornton Ave (MAP) called Park Lake Highlands. The new development will be comprised of 11 craftsman style rear-loaded three-story town home units. Each unit will have private front yards and two car garages. The development is in the Overstreet Oak Hill neighborhood of downtown Orlando adjacent to the Mills50 District. The developer, David Weekly Homes (Website), claims that the Overstreet Oak Hill neighborhood has a "limited housing inventory to choose from." The property currently houses an empty office building.
Fountain VU 5 -A new four story, 5 unit, rear-loaded, townhome development called Fountain VU 5 is coming to 330 Broadway Ave. Each unit will be 4,100 sq ft. and come with a double garage. The property is 1.422 acres and the townhouse front doors will face E. Ridgewood Ave. The project will blend well with the six-story Landmark Center buildings across the street (the giant mirrored glass buildings on Robinson), but Fountain VU does draw height into the residential enclave north of Lake Eola. The townhomes will also help hide the disasterous-looking Landmark Center parking garages that sit next to the site.
544 N. Bumby Ave – After sitting empty since 2012 this lot at the corner of Bumby and Concord, just across from Colonial Plaza, is slated for a 10-unit townhome project. This will be one of the biggest new additions to the Milk District in years (well, unless you count self-storage center) and will add even more residents within walking distance to the Colonial Plaza businesses. Clocking in at nearly 42-feet tall (three stories with rooftop patios) it also adds height to an area that is filled with dated single or two-story strip plaza buildings and single-family residences. The contemporary design would look more at home in SODO than here where the Milk District meets Mills/50, but it should give the area a decent updated look by distracting drivers from the ugliness that surrounds it.
By Ken Storey
Driving around Central Florida, you might think its 2006 all over again. It seems like every corner is a new construction project but this time *most* of the projects seem to be smaller and more infill style. Here’s a list of seven townhome projects that will likely have some of the biggest impact on their communities.
