An ownership group led by executives of Orlando-based Glasstone Group filed a development plan application this month for a 17-story vacation rental tower at 11304 International Drive near SeaWorld.
Called Glasstone Morada Orlando in county filings, the project will include 240 short-term rental units, commercial space, and a three-story parking garage if approved. The nearly 200-foot-tall tower would be located at the entrance to Park Square Homes’ Paradiso Grand resort community, and just north of the recently completed Grande Point Apartments.
Glasstone has big plans for the parking garage roof, which guests will be able to access from the fourth floor. It will house an expansive amenity deck with a swimming pool and pool deck, pickleball courts, a basketball court, a rooftop garden, and landscaped areas for outdoor recreation. A 10,000-square-foot restaurant will anchor one side of the deck, while a reflecting pool will mark the entrance below.
The 10,000 square feet of commercial space cited in plans is for a fourth-floor restaurant that anchors the amenity deck. (Rabits and Romano Architecture)
If approved, the tower’s three-story parking garage will be screened by a living wall, with plants that help absorb heat and keep the structure cooler. The conceptual palette pairs off-white stucco and stone cladding with clear and neutral glass and dark green accents.
The parking garage would accommodate 424 vehicles, substantially more than the 253 required under the county’s calculations. Vehicle access will come from Paradiso Grande Boulevard, and the plans add a bus shelter and sidewalk improvements along International Drive.
The building’s ground-floor footprint is 66,367 square feet. About 1.22 acres, or 42% of the property, will remain as open space, exceeding the 25% required. A walking path will extend around an existing stormwater pond immediately north of the tower.
The decision to build vacation rentals runs counter to recent development patterns elsewhere in Orlando’s tourism corridor, where several companies have turned toward conventional apartments.
Marriott Vacations Worldwide filed plans in July to replace an unbuilt 225-unit timeshare project in World Gateway with as many as 382 apartments. The following month, Davis Development proposed another 298 apartments in the tourism corridor, where several large rental communities have recently opened. They include the 342-unit first phase of Bainbridge World Center and Davis Development’s own 356-unit Paros Vineland.
Situated along International Drive, the project site sits just south of the Central Florida Parkway and in close proximity to SeaWorld Orlando. (Rabits & Romano Architecture)
Meanwhile, a previous owner of the Glasstone Morada property sought county approval in 2023 to replace 27,772 square feet of commercial space, 38 short-term rental units, and 47 hotel rooms with 267 conventional apartments.
IDrive Three Land LLC purchased the 2.92-acre property for $4 million in August 2024. Kimaya, the commercial development arm of Park Square Homes, originated the current vacation rental concept last year when it requested permission to replace those 267 apartments with 240 short-term rental units.
Since then, corporate filings indicate that Glasstone executives have taken the lead on the project. IDrive Three Land LLC listed Kimaya and I-Drive Condos Development Shareholders LLC as co-managers until a March 5 amended report removed Kimaya and replaced Park Square Homes co-CEO Vishaal Gupta as registered agent with Glasstone co-founder and co-CEO Juliana Boselli Neves. I-Drive Condos, led by Neves and Glasstone co-CEO Marcelo Teixeira, is now the owner’s sole listed manager.
The decision to build vacation rentals runs counter to recent development patterns elsewhere in Orlando’s tourism corridor, where several companies have turned toward conventional apartments. PAC Land Development’s 225-unit Grand Pointe community is right next door.
Marriott Vacations Worldwide filed plans in July to replace an unbuilt 225-unit timeshare project in World Gateway with as many as 382 apartments. The following month, Davis Development proposed another 298 apartments in the tourism corridor, where several large rental communities have recently opened. They include the 342-unit first phase of Bainbridge World Center and Davis Development’s own 356-unit Paros Vineland.
Glasstone’s businesses span real estate brokerage, short-term rental management, property management, and development. Its website identifies both Neves and Teixeira as executives involved in the development of a new Orlando resort.
San Antonio-based Pape-Dawson leads civil engineering and landscape architecture on the project, while Orlando-based Rabits and Romano Architecture designed the building.
Glasstone executives did not respond to a request for comment.
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