Just two weeks ago, Alexie Fonseca, senior VP for Colliers, was sitting on a panel for NAIOP when an audience member asked what her dream redevelopment site would be. She didn’t hesitate: the former Orlando Sentinel property.
“I’m dying for that site — I just have so many great ideas,” she said. “I know how it should be redeveloped. It’s a sexy site, and I think it would really change downtown.”
The comment was prescient, as she later learned that the Miami investors who bought the former newspaper property had been meeting privately with Mayor Buddy Dyer to discuss a transformational, $2 billion plan for the site.
Alexie Fonseca, Senior VP at Colliers, called the Orlando Sentinel property “a sexy site” that could transform downtown. (Staff photo)
Midtown Development, led by Alex Vadia and Richard Perez, bought the nearly 20-acre site in 2016 for $35.1 million. It was the firm’s second major investment in Orlando; Midtown previously acquired the vacant 400 block of North Orange Avenue across from the county courthouse and sold it for $17 million to Property Markets Group, which developed the 27-story Society Orlando apartment tower there.
In the five years since the newspaper vacated the building, Midtown has kept mum on its plans for the property. The only hint of a redevelopment plan came in 2021, when the developer demolished three buildings on the block between Concord and Amelia streets.
Orlando Spokeswoman Andrea Otero told GrowthSpotter that Midtown officials haven’t had any pre-application meetings with city planners, but that the first step would be to demolish the former newspaper building and parking lots and prepare them for future development. Even a demolition must receive appearance review approval from the city. The developer would then have the option of rezoning the property to a planned development, followed by a master plan and appearance review, before filing building permits. The planning, design and permitting will take years.
“The announcement yesterday was a first step in a long-range vision for the redevelopment of the Orlando Sentinel site, Otero said. “Although we don’t have specifics on the development plan as of yet, we anticipate demolition and preparation of the site sometime next year (2026).”
Perez told members of the Orlando Downtown Partnership it could take decades to complete the buildout over multiple phases.
Thomas Heatherwick, the London architect charged with leading the design, called the downtown site “an opportunity to create an amazing new district, with a gathering space at its heart, with thousands of new homes and dozens of new businesses, to bring an urban density that unlocks new places to work, new places to play, and to relax and exercise.”
Heatherwick and Midtown collaborated on the reimagining of South Miami’s Sunset Place from a tired mall into a vibrant, mixed-use district with over 1,500 apartments, shops, restaurants, and a central plaza that serves as a gathering space. They extended the street grid through the property to create smaller blocks and active streets, including some that were closed to vehicular traffic, to create an inviting pedestrian space.
Another signature of Heatherwick’s portfolio is the use of biophilic design, which incorporates natural and organic elements in the built environment. Some of Heatherwick’s buildings, like the Tree of Life sculpture in China’s Xi’an Centre Cultural Business District, mimic the natural form, while other projects blend rounded shapes with lush plantings and trees on the terraces, inside glassed atriums and on rooftops.
5 Mind-Bending Buildings Designed By Thomas Heatherwick
By engaging an internationally recognized design and architecture firm, Midtown will then start to build out the specific details of a development plan, Otero said. “It will include residential, retail and food and beverage space with a unique, elevated green space and park experience.”
Fonseca said she wasn’t aware of Midtown’s plans when she named the Sentinel property as her dream redevelopment site, but she’s confident Midtown has assembled a team that will create a world-class district in downtown Orlando. “They’ll deliver on that. It’s a great concept,” she said.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.