Join Daily City's Podcast & E-Newsletter
By Ken Storey
In early December, Dr. Phillips Inc. announced plans for a new 202-acre, $480 million development just west of College Park called The Packing District. The new development, which is expected to take 10-15 years to fully realize, will see many of the historic buildings in the district get updated with new uses while a new road network will open up the area to dozens of new buildings.
At full build out the development is expected to create over 800 new jobs and should bring in $151 million in taxes over the next 25 years.
The first buildings of the district should open by the middle of next year around the same time as the new park.
Since the announcement in December, Dr. Philips Inc. has slowly been releasing info on the project. Now nearly two and half months later we are starting to get a better idea of what this transformative project will entail.
Here's what The Daily City knows so far...
Plentiful parks and outdoor spaces
Bike and Pedestrian Friendly Road Improvements
The stretch of Princeton between OBT and John Young Parkway is a pedestrian nightmare. A roundabout on Princeton at Texas Avenue will help slow traffic along this stretch while also discouraging large industrial traffic from using this route.
Princeton will feature 14-foot wide sidewalks along one side of the street with smaller 7-foot sidewalks on the other side with a separated 10-foot bike lane. Both the bike lanes and the sidewalks will be separated from the traffic lanes landscaped buffers. Parallel parking and landscaped medians will also help enhance the street.
On Orange Blossom Trail the bike lanes remain, but the median is stretched to 17 feet with turning lanes built into it. Both streets will get tons of new trees and lane size reductions.
The improvements between the two roads will cost approximately $7.5 million with Dr. Philips funding roughly a third of the cost. A smaller network of roads fill in the project. The proposed layout looks to meet the Complete Streets requirements of walkable communities.
By Ken Storey
In early December, Dr. Phillips Inc. announced plans for a new 202-acre, $480 million development just west of College Park called The Packing District. The new development, which is expected to take 10-15 years to fully realize, will see many of the historic buildings in the district get updated with new uses while a new road network will open up the area to dozens of new buildings.
At full build out the development is expected to create over 800 new jobs and should bring in $151 million in taxes over the next 25 years.
The first buildings of the district should open by the middle of next year around the same time as the new park.
Since the announcement in December, Dr. Philips Inc. has slowly been releasing info on the project. Now nearly two and half months later we are starting to get a better idea of what this transformative project will entail.
Here's what The Daily City knows so far...
Plentiful parks and outdoor spaces
- Orlando Tennis Centre with 16 courts (5 hard surface, 11 clay) will take up nearly half the land at the project.
- Bike trails will link the district to the proposed Pine Hills Trail and the Lake Fairview Trail that will link downtown Orlando to the Wekiva Trail. The park land is being transferred to the city this year with the park opening mid-next year.
- A 10-acre lake will accent the new 104-acre park along the western half of the district.
- Walking trails will circle the lake with two large mixed-use athletic fields nearby and an events lawn.
- Overlooking the lake, next to the events lawn, will be an outdoor pavilion with a potential small café and outdoor dining space.
- Small courtyards and pocket parks dot the other half of the district.
Bike and Pedestrian Friendly Road Improvements
The stretch of Princeton between OBT and John Young Parkway is a pedestrian nightmare. A roundabout on Princeton at Texas Avenue will help slow traffic along this stretch while also discouraging large industrial traffic from using this route.
Princeton will feature 14-foot wide sidewalks along one side of the street with smaller 7-foot sidewalks on the other side with a separated 10-foot bike lane. Both the bike lanes and the sidewalks will be separated from the traffic lanes landscaped buffers. Parallel parking and landscaped medians will also help enhance the street.
On Orange Blossom Trail the bike lanes remain, but the median is stretched to 17 feet with turning lanes built into it. Both streets will get tons of new trees and lane size reductions.
The improvements between the two roads will cost approximately $7.5 million with Dr. Philips funding roughly a third of the cost. A smaller network of roads fill in the project. The proposed layout looks to meet the Complete Streets requirements of walkable communities.
A Mix of Old Buildings and New Construction
The district was at one time the home to Dr. Philip “Doc” Phillips’s citrus packing warehouses. His son transformed the area into the region’s first industrial park in the mid-1950s. Many of those warehouses will be preserved as part of the project.
Dr. Philips Inc. has confirmed a partnership with East End Market’s John Rife, though details of the partnership have not been released.
The renderings of the Southern Box Company building, the former home of the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, conjure up images of an indoor food market. Renderings also show a water tower that looks similar to the one at the Amazon Hose warehouse which was demolished.
A small round building topped with a large neon sign reading ‘Dr. Phillips’ in the renderings is in nearly the exact same location and is a similar size to the original.
Retail and Food District
Dr. Phillips officials mentioned that the retail in the project will include office space, a grocer, a coffee shop, and a brewery. Officials with the organization compared the district to Atlanta’s Ponce City Market. Restauranteur John Rivers' name was mentioned as someone involved with the project. A working urban farm is also planned for the development; this could be linked with the fleet farming initiatives. The farm to table demonstration facility will most likely be tied to this urban farm as well.
The renderings of the Southern Box Company building, the former home of the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, conjure up images of an indoor food market. Renderings also show a water tower that looks similar to the one at the Amazon Hose warehouse which was demolished.
A small round building topped with a large neon sign reading ‘Dr. Phillips’ in the renderings is in nearly the exact same location and is a similar size to the original.
Retail and Food District
Dr. Phillips officials mentioned that the retail in the project will include office space, a grocer, a coffee shop, and a brewery. Officials with the organization compared the district to Atlanta’s Ponce City Market. Restauranteur John Rivers' name was mentioned as someone involved with the project. A working urban farm is also planned for the development; this could be linked with the fleet farming initiatives. The farm to table demonstration facility will most likely be tied to this urban farm as well.