{"id":104295,"date":"2026-01-03T12:54:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/104295\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T12:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:54:07","slug":"developers-70m-plan-for-entertainment-district-near-disney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/104295\/","title":{"rendered":"Developers’ $70+M plan for entertainment district near Disney"},"content":{"rendered":"

In one of the most anticipated and consequential deals of the year, South Florida-based Accesso<\/a> paid over $70 million for the site of its planned mixed-use entertainment district, Ovation Orlando,<\/a> propelling a project to redevelop one of Osceola County\u2019s most prominent eyesores.<\/p>\n

Together with its joint venture partner, Meyers Group<\/a>, Accesso acquired 76 acres at the northeast corner of Interstate 4 and U.S. 192, the former Orlando Sun resort property. The deal closed on Dec. 30, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.<\/a> Bill Shewalter, Executive Vice President of Development, said Accesso will begin demolishing the old hotel buildings on the property in two weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis land acquisition is a pivotal milestone in bringing the Ovation project to life, and we look forward to fully realizing our vision for this transformative mixed-use district,\u201d stated Alan Garzon, Managing Partner of Accesso Development.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe district will be divided into five zones, starting with The Celebration, which\u00a0will feature adult and family-friendly retail, dining and entertainment. (Courtesy of Accesso)<\/p>\n

The developers have had the property under contract for over three years but had to overcome numerous obstacles to close the deal, including negotiating a development agreement with Osceola County, and resolving a hefty code enforcement bill.<\/p>\n

They are now ready to move the $1 billion Ovation project forward with a mix of upscale and new-to-market brands. Accesso will be eligible for up to $6.5 million in reimbursements for the demolition costs as part of an incentive package approved by Osceola County commissioners in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very relieved, but I also want to say that I was always very confident that this team would be able to pull this project together,\u201d Shewalter told GrowthSpotter. \u201cThe confidence was due to the location, a mile east of Disney across from Celebration on Interstate 4 at a full interchange in the most dynamic tourist market in the country, and on the theme park corridor, which is arguably the most successful retail quarter of highway in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HotelHotel pads are currently being offered for sale within Ovation. The district will have three hotels with a combined total of 740 rooms. (Courtesy of Accesso)<\/p>\n

Garzon said their goal is to develop the entire district in a single phase, but those plans could change. \u201cWe also like the flexibility of being able to do it in multiple phases, but our preference is to do it in one phase,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Upon completion, the developers say, Ovation Orlando will offer 670,000 square feet of experiential retail, elevated dining, including musical themed restaurants, lifestyle amenities, culture, entertainment, 740 hotel rooms and condos, and other attractions, creating a year-round magnet for both visitors and residents. Hotel pads are currently being offered for sale within Ovation.<\/p>\n

\"Retail<\/p>\n

Ovation Orlando is divided into five adjacent zones:<\/p>\n

Zone One \u2013 The Celebration\u00a0will offer inviting and walkable space with adult and family-friendly retail, dining and entertainment featuring green spaces, pop-up vendors, and a relaxed seating environment;
\nZone Two \u2013 The Water\u2019s Edge will include world-class dining along the shoreline at a three-acre lake;
\nZone Three \u2013 The Indulgence is designed to be a sophisticated hub and will include a signature hotel;
\nZone Four \u2013 The Street will offer unique retail, restaurants and entertainment with a design reminiscent of Times Square, and;
\nZone Five\u00a0 \u2013 The Beat will include diverse and lively music and late-night themed clubs, music venues and restaurants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe combination of all of the positive attributes of this location, in this market, with this mix of design and merchandise, has generated terrific leasing momentum with much of the available spaces committed,\u201d said Warren Dauber, Vice President of Leasing.<\/p>\n

Once complete, the property will include three hotels, including a 4-star, full-service hotel with 350 rooms. The other two hotels would be select service, three-star hotels with 150 and 175 rooms. Retail offerings will include upscale brands, new concepts as well as unique corporate flag attractions. Entertainment options will encompass live music, comedy, bowling and other themed attractions, in addition to nationally recognized dining and nightlife establishments.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Red Huber\/Orlando Sentinel<\/p>\n

The former Orlando Sun at W192 and Interstate 4 has been sold for $70 million to become the Ovation Orlando entertainment district. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)<\/p>\n

For decades, New York-based Fortuna Realty<\/a> owned the one-time Hyatt resort that has long been considered one of the biggest eyesores on Kissimmee\u2019s W192 tourism corridor. It has been a priority for the county to see it developed to its full potential.<\/p>\n

Osceola Commissioners approved a 20-year joint marketing program, which would reimburse the developer for up to $10 million of Tourist Development Tax revenue over the course of the agreement. The development agreement also includes more than $15 million in mobility and fire impact fee credits.<\/p>\n

\u201cTourism is a cornerstone of our economy, and Project Ovation builds on that strength while delivering real benefits for our residents, from creating hundreds of jobs to providing significant direct investment in our community,\u201d said Commissioner Brandon Arrington, Chairman of the Osceola Board of County Commissioners. \u201cBy attracting destination-style amenities to the heart of Central Florida\u2019s tourism corridor, we\u2019re working to deliver on our Board\u2019s vision to bring new opportunities for world-class leisure, dining, and entertainment activities without having to leave Osceola County.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Orlando market is the number one tourist destination in the U.S., welcoming 75 million visitors in 2024 \u2013 more than New York City, Las Vegas and every other U.S. tourist destination. The Orlando MSA has been the second-fastest-growing U.S. metro area by population percentage over the past decade and has the largest concentration of hotel plus time share units in the country.<\/p>\n

The development agreement also resolved over $1 million in outstanding code enforcement fines, reducing them by 90%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money to clear the lien was transferred (on Wednesday),\u201d Shewalter said. \u201cSo that was part of the long process of closing a project of this magnitude \u2026there was an arrangement made (with the county), so there was an adjustment and a resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

County Manager Don Fisher learned about the closing on New Year\u2019s Eve.\u00a0\u201cWe did have some communications that they were getting close to closing, but we did not have a date,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it\u2019s good news to hear that this has actually happened. I just drove out there yesterday, and it\u2019s really a complete eyesore at such a prominent location. And to get that cleaned up with a really outstanding development for the site, is really good news for the county and the corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at\u00a0lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com<\/a> or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on\u00a0Facebook<\/a> and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In one of the most anticipated and consequential deals of the year, South Florida-based Accesso paid over $70…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,28,1975,114,139,141,140,1976,1974,480,109],"class_list":{"0":"post-104295","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-florida","10":"tag-kissimmee","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-orlando","13":"tag-orlando-headlines","14":"tag-orlando-news","15":"tag-osceola-county","16":"tag-osceola-county-developments","17":"tag-real-estate","18":"tag-social"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}