![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/FKI6GPPYN5DFBERXUANGFPQYOA.png\"\/)
City of Orlando image (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\nOrlando\u2019s long-awaited plan to transform the downtown space beneath Interstate 4 into a bustling public destination is taking another major step forward. The Orlando City Commission is set to vote Monday on a $1.1 million contract to hire a firm to oversee construction of The Canopy \u2014 a one-of-a-kind outdoor gathering space planned for the heart of downtown.<\/p>\n
From \u2018Under-I\u2019 to The Canopy<\/p>\n
The Canopy has been more than a decade in the making. City leaders began to reimagine downtown as far back as 2014, and the idea has evolved significantly since then.<\/p>\n
City of Orlando image (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
What started as a concept called the \u201cBridge District\u201d later became the \u201cUnder-I Project\u201d before taking its current form as The Canopy. The project calls for transforming the stretch beneath the elevated I-4 bridge beams \u2014 between West Church Street to the south and West Washington Street to the north \u2014 into a vibrant, immersive outdoor destination.<\/p>\n
The vision includes a festival street and gathering space, a projection wall, artistic trees and sculptural elements, enhanced lighting, public restrooms, a bike path, streetscape improvements, a rideshare zone and parking. City officials say the goal is to turn what has long been an underutilized stretch of highway infrastructure into a thriving hub that draws residents and visitors alike.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/INFY4A4QYJGDFJNPVZRFMGRYNI.jpg\"\/)
The Canopy artist rendering (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
In 2024, the city released new renderings of the project. The city council later approved a $30 million cap on construction costs and awarded a contract to The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to bring the vision to life. The Canopy is expected to open in 2027.<\/p>\n
What local businesses are saying<\/p>\n
For business owners along Church Street, the project can\u2019t come soon enough.<\/p>\n
Yehya Rizeq, owner of Crepe Delicious, has been waiting years for The Canopy to become a reality \u2014 and has even extended his lease in anticipation of the foot traffic it could bring.<\/p>\n
[WATCH: Church Street business anticipates boost from \u2018The Canopy\u2019]<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it will be double and double what I\u2019m doing now,\u201d Rizeq told News 6.<\/p>\n
But his patience has limits. Rizeq said the project must be completed on time or he will walk away.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I have now a five-year lease but with an option. An option because if \u2018The Canopy\u2019 is not finished in two years, then I\u2019ll just cancel my lease,\u201d he said. \u201cIt all depends on \u2018The Canopy.\u2019 So, if in two years, \u2018The Canopy\u2019 is not finished, I\u2019ll cancel my lease. I cannot sustain my business here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rizeq also said he wants regular updates from the city and financial support for Church Street businesses if the project faces further delays.<\/p>\n
Others who work and spend time downtown share his enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, yeah. Honestly, a bigger, more family-oriented type of thing [would be nice],\u201d said Quentin Clark, who passes through the area regularly.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s on the agenda Monday<\/p>\n
To move construction forward, the city must hire a firm to handle Construction, Engineering and Inspection \u2014 known as CEI \u2014 services. Because part of the project sits within Florida Department of Transportation right-of-way, state rules require an independent firm to monitor and inspect the work as it progresses.<\/p>\n
The city issued a formal Request for Qualifications in late June 2026, inviting firms to compete for the work. Two companies were shortlisted: Mehta and Associates, Inc. and Mead & Hunt, Inc.<\/p>\n
A five-member advisory committee \u2014 made up of city Public Works and Economic Development staff \u2014 met Aug. 19 to hear presentations and independently score both firms. After a competitive evaluation, Mehta and Associates came out on top. The city issued its Notice of Intended Action on Aug. 21, formally signaling its intent to move forward with the firm.<\/p>\n
If the commission approves the contract Monday, the city will enter into a formal agreement with Mehta and Associates in an amount not to exceed $1.1 million, drawn from the project\u2019s previously approved budget. The Chief Procurement Officer would be authorized to execute the agreement, subject to review and approval by the City Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Part of a bigger downtown transformation<\/p>\n
The Canopy is just one piece of a broader effort to reshape downtown Orlando. The project is anchored in the Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Area Plan, which prioritizes activating vacant and underutilized areas. A 2023 amendment to that plan formalized the strategy to fund and support what has now become The Canopy.<\/p>\n
District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose, who has been involved in downtown planning efforts for years, captured the sentiment many city leaders share about the momentum building across downtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we\u2019ve been talking about this for a really long time. We started in 2014 imagining downtown and where we\u2019re going. What we\u2019re going to do to get to this moment is really rewarding,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our moment to show like, we have an opportunity to start moving things forward and building a better downtown Orlando, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s vote is another signal that the city is serious about making that vision a reality \u2014 and that businesses like Crepe Delicious are counting on it.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Orlando\u2019s long-awaited plan to transform the downtown space beneath Interstate 4 into a bustling public destination is taking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[21580,163450,163449,3638,3358,163445,163446,1335,139,13532,163443,141,140,163447,163441,163444,163442,163448],"class_list":["post-412440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-city-of-orlando","tag-downtown-orlando-community-redevelopment","tag-festival-street-design","tag-inc","tag-kia-center","tag-mead-hunt","tag-mehta-and-associates","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-city-commission","tag-orlando-economic-development","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-orlando-urban-planning","tag-the-canopy-project","tag-transportation-right-of-way-project","tag-under-i-4","tag-under-i-project-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412440","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=412440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}