ORLANDO, Fla. – A new affordable housing complex opened Tuesday afternoon in downtown Orlando, marking the completion of the first phase of the Creative Village project and adding 115 apartments to the growing neighborhood.
The Beacon, a five-story building, includes studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments for income-qualifying households. Workers at the complex said 62 of the 115 units have been rented so far.
The opening was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, highlighting the latest step in the redevelopment of 68 acres in the heart of downtown Orlando.
“We demolished the old Amway Arena. So it gave us the opportunity to redevelop 68 acres right in the heart of our downtown, which is now the Creative Village,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
[FLASHBACK: Watch the 2012 implosion of Orlando’s old Amway Arena]
The old Amway Arena was demolished on March 25, 2012. The land, roughly the size of 51 football fields, has since become home to several major developments, including the UCF and Valencia College downtown campus, which opened in 2019, and Luminary Green Park, which opened in 2022.
Creative Village sits within Parramore, a historically Black neighborhood with a long and complex history. The neighborhood was shaped by segregation, and in 1962, Interstate 4 divided Parramore from the rest of downtown Orlando.
Orange County Commissioner Mike Scott said the changes in the area reflect growth in the community.
“It’s like a metamorphosis,” Scott said. “When you look at what has happened in this community, it is indicative of growth and maturity.”
Part of the larger vision for the area is making Parramore and downtown Orlando more walkable and better connected.
[WATCH: Parramore developer pitches ‘Green District Smart City,’ promises affordable housing and jobs]
Orlando Commissioner Shan Rose said that matters because many residents rely on walking or biking.
“Roughly about 60% of the residents in the community do not have their own regional transportation, which means they walk, they bike,” Rose said.
Dyer said the second phase of Creative Village is expected to get underway by the end of the year. That phase is expected to bring more office space, more housing and more opportunities for people living in downtown Orlando.
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