A development group led by Bellavista Building Group‘s Aldo Martin is planning to build 15 luxury townhomes near Lake Eola that will start at around $1 million.
Martin partnered with Marcio Ramos of RBZ Corp, Francesco Arato of Alamo Homes Group, and a fourth silent partner to form East Central Holdings LLC, which has purchased three lots in downtown Orlando on E. Central Boulevard and Pine Street, about a block east of Lake Eola.
The Towns at Eola plan calls for a two-phase development starting with the 10 northern units fronting on Central, followed by the five southern units. A one-way drive aisle would align with the existing driveways and provide access to each unit’s garage.
The site plan calls for 15 luxury townhomes with a one-way drive aisle between E. Central Boulevard and Pine Street. The 10 units on the Central Avenue lots will be constructed in Phase 1. (Site plan by Catalyst Design Group)
Each unit would have three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The first 10 units will each have a 2-car garage. The last five will use a slightly smaller footprint with a one-car garage. The front entrance will have a small deck facing either the street or a private walkway within the community.
“The thing that we’re going for is to bring a luxury-type townhome to downtown,” Martin told GrowthSpotter. “We’ve done some in SoDo, and we’re actually going to start another project on Michigan Avenue and Lake Holden. They’re similar concepts for people who want to live downtown but don’t want a condo or apartment.”
The developers are working with Catalyst Design Group for planning, engineering, architecture and landscape design. They received a courtesy review last week from Orlando’s Appearance Review Board for the concept, where the feedback was generally positive, though one member thought the design was somewhat busy and the window pattern looked “random.”
Each of the 15 three-story townhomes will have rooftop decks with views of Lake Eola. (Rendering by Catalyst Design Group)
The design calls for contemporary architecture with a mix of white stucco, charcoal gray metal, stone, and wood-toned accent trim and doors. (Rendering by Catalyst Design Group)
The drive aisle will align with the existing driveways to minimize the impact on the existing streetscape. (Rendering by Catalyst Design Group)
Front doors and stoops will front on a private walkway extending from E Central Boulevard to Pine Street. (Rendering by Catalyst Design Group)
The design includes a small parklet in the common area. (Rendering by Catalyst Design Group)
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Each of the 15 three-story townhomes will have rooftop decks with views of Lake Eola. (Rendering by Catalyst Design Group)
“There’s a lot going on,” one member said.
The staff had few notes, but questioned how the developer would maintain access to Pine Street during the Phase 2 construction.
“I think we should be able to start construction in mid-2027,” Martin said. He said they need to apply for rezoning to create a unified site plan for the three parcels. The partners are also under contract for a fourth parcel on E. Pine Street, so if that closes, they’ll be able to expand the project to 20 townhomes.
Martin said the units are not planned to have elevators. “Most likely it’s going to be steps because there’s not a lot of square footage in the units, and the elevator would take away a lot of space.”
Pricing will be finalized at a later date, but it will be comparable to other townhome projects in the Central Business District.
“Right down the street from us, Jordan Homes is doing something similar on Robinson, and I think he’s listing units there between $900,000 and $1.2 million,” Martin said. “I’m thinking we’re going to land in the same range — maybe a little bit more — because we’re closer to Lake Eola and the downtown area. But it’s somewhere in that range.”
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