ORLANDO, Fla. — Expect a lot of construction in downtown Orlando in the near future. 

What You Need To Know

City of Orlando staff presented their DTO Action Plan during a public presentation Thursday 

Staff detailed five projects coming to downtown this year to revitalize the area and attract more visitors

Their hope is to turn downtown Orlando into a walkable city, encourage people to visit and attract businesses

Projects include new parks, traffic changes and a gateway sign at Lake Eola Park

City of Orlando staff presented updates on upcoming projects listed in the DTO Action Plan. They say that funding comes from the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

David Barilla, who is part of Orlando’s Downtown Redevelopment Board and CRA, says the plan is to make downtown a walkable city.

“We wanted to make sure that we were delivering not only on what the community wanted but also integrating it into the right research-based approaches to really redefine our downtown,” said Barilla.

Five projects were discussed. Improvements to Magnolia Avenue will begin in phases, from South Street to Livingston Street. This will begin at the end of the month or early February, reconfiguring the road from one-way to two-way travel, integrating the bus lane into normal traffic, and add more parking.

The second project is a 4,400 square foot pocket park at 30 S. Orange Avenue. Designs will begin next month and will include shade, a food service, and water element.

In February, the design phase for a gateway at Lake Eola will create a grand entrance to the park. It will be located at the northeast corner of the intersection at Central Boulevard and Rosalind Avenue.

The Canopy, a park located under I-4, will include public art. Staff hope to create a space where visitors can relax and connect with the city. Construction will start this summer.

The final project is the first reconstruction phase on Church Street, starting this spring. Plans include modifying into two 11-foot lanes and adding more landscaping.

“We had, for obvious reasons, to work a very long time to make sure that we had the right plans, we had the right specs, and those things behind the scenes, permits so to speak,” said Barilla. “But now we’ll start to see shovels in the ground, and transformation is just on the horizon.”

The town hall, held at the Orlando Public Library downtown, attracted dozens of residents and business owners curious to learn more.

“I’m just really impressed and really happy that Orlando is doing a lot of beautifications,” said Mariela Carillo, who works downtown. “I think that’s something that’s really needed in a lot of cities.”

Dallas Bradford, supervisor of The Bao Spot on Church Street, says he is all on board for the city’s plans to bring the historic street back to life.

“The idea of bringing back Church Street is what kind of got us all excited,” said Bradford. “We’re all excited to bring it back to what it used to be, bustling and full of life, and a lot of people still come here looking for that, so we want to give them something to come to.”

City staff hope to transform downtown into a place people want to spend their entire day and encourage more businesses to call it home.

“I think parks and things like that will give people a reason to bring their kids downtown and that will make them explore. And if they come down with the kids during the day and come back at night, at least that will give them some reason to at least stay and explore the downtown area,” said Bradford.