Orange County has begun preliminary planning for two new high-density mixed-use developments on county-owned properties near Epic Universe, as the immediate area around the upcoming theme park and the Orange County Convention Center continues to grow.

Orange County has been “stress testing” these properties to see how much development they can hold. The planning department has released a hypothetical development scenario, site plan, and renderings for each property, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The county is exploring construction of 2,678 multifamily units on the two properties, including 1,008 units and 54,000 square feet of commercial space on a 14.4-acre at 5980 Destination Pkwy and 1,670 units on a 29-acre property at 10191 International Dr. The first property is located next to a future SunRail station and currently provides overflow parking for the convention center. The second property is located south of the Beachline Expressway and would be connected to the SunRail station through a pedestrian bridge over the highway. That piece is mostly vacant.

 

Orange County Planning Manager Alberto Vargas gave a presentation on the potential redevelopment of the two county-owned properties Tuesday during an event hosted by Urban Land Institute.

“That gives you a general idea of the potential development scenarios,” Vargas said. “We continue to explore and are pretty early on in the process.”

Vargas also gave an overview of the current development pipeline. Some of these projects include transportation improvements, such as the planned Sunrail station located just east of the convention center, expanded bus access, and increased walkability through smarter design and infrastructure upgrades. One of these upgrades is a planned pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Sand Lake Road and International Drive.

Another major infrastructure project is the ongoing work on the I-4/Sand Lake Road interchange. The project will reconfigure the ramps at the interchange, increase capacity on Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road, and replace the existing left turns from westbound Sand Lake Road to southbound Turkey Lake Road with a new loop ramp. Sand Lake Road was recently transformed into a diverging diamond interchange, which temporarily redirects traffic to the other side of the road to eliminate left turns onto I-4.

Additionally, the improvements consist of building two westbound express lanes that will connect the existing express lanes near Kirkman Road to an area close to Sand Lake Road. Construction began on the upgrades in 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2027.

Epic Universe, which is set to open next year, is driving much of the surrounding construction. Universal’s Stella Nova and Terra Luna resorts are both scheduled to open in 2025 at the entrance to the park and will each have 750 rooms.

Universal is also building Catchlight Crossings, a 1,000-unit affordable housing community located just south of Epic Universe. Russ Dagon said that their development partner Wendover Housing Partners will begin vertical construction by the end of September.

“One of the things that we wanted to do with our task force when we started this effort, is challenge other private enterprises into [building affordable housing]. We’re pleased to see Disney follow suit. I know there are others [interested] because we’re having conversations with other businesses, so hopefully this trend continues,” he said.

The Orange County Convention Center’s $560 million expansion is another major project driving development in the area. The expansion will add an 80,000-square-foot ballroom with seating for up to 10,000 people, a 60,000-square-foot meeting area, and a “grand concourse” connecting the north and south buildings. Mark Tester expects the design to be finalized in Q1 of 2025 and for a groundbreaking date in the second half of next year. The expansion is projected to be complete in 2028.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at (407)607-8160 or TyWilliams@GrowthSpotter.com. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.