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Orlando’s Reconstruction Plan To Transform Magnolia Avenue Forever
Orlando is about to embark on the biggest downtown reconstruction it has ever tried, and Orlando’s Mayor Buddy Dyer hopes it changes the landscape forever and becomes a huge part of his legacy. The $160 million improvement program will begin with turning Magnolia Avenue into a two-lane road between Anderson Street and the Orange County courthouse.
“This project reflects our commitment to building a modern, people-centered downtown,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in a city press release. “The city is revamping its streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, and public transportation systems to create a modern transit network that improves opportunities for residents and businesses, enhancing the quality of life in downtown Orlando.”
The change should be stark. Right now, Magnolia is an underutilized downtown street and bringing foot traffic to a road that very few drivers ever take has proven difficult. David Barilla, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelopment Agency, the two main agencies responsible for the project, looks forward to the day when the street comes alive. “By reimagining how our streets function, we’re improving how people move through downtown while creating an environment that supports local businesses, encourages investment, and enhances the overall downtown experience.”
Plans don’t stop there. The LYMMO bus lanes are being removed, and Barilla told City Council at a workshop that there will be ample room for wider sidewalks and streetscape. “Just the pure look and design of these streets would tell you this is the path that I should be walking down.”
Street parking will be added as well. The LYMMO buses will operate in and out of regular traffic, just like in most other places in the country. The intent is to drive people to Magnolia Avenue, and to make it easier to navigate downtown with a main thoroughfare now being a two-way street. The long-term plan will be to convert both Orange Avenue and Rosalind Avenue into two-way streets as well, but this work will not start until 2027 at the earliest. The city wants to complete Magnolia’s conversion this year. In addition to taking out the LYMMO bus only lanes, the city will also remove all the planters and lighting currently located in the median of Magnolia. In the city’s CRA loan documents, they have estimated the total cost for the rebuild to be between 4.6 and 5.8 milliom dollars. So far, the city hopes they can do the project for less than half that, awarding a contract to the Gomez Construction Company for 2.3 million in late 2025. Pulp City Magazine will monitor the city to see if there are any change orders that will push that price higher.
The overall reimagining of downtown will cost as much as 160 million. City Council has already approved the borrowing which will be paid for from the city’s downtown taxing district called the Downtown CRA. It takes tax revenues from downtown entities and funnels them into a special fund that can only be spent on improvements to downtown. Taxpayers from all of Orange County also contribute small amounts of their taxes into this special district to promote a healthy center of the region. It was the primary borrower to fund the last round of major improvements, the building of a new arena now called the Kia Center, performing arts center, and renovations to what is now Camping World Stadium.
The plan is ambitious. It includes 2 new parks. One is The Canopy, the long dreamed of park underneath I-4 that will span 4 city blocks. Another will be where a building burned down at the corner of Orange and Pine Street back in 2005. Money will also be allocated for reinventing the area around Camping World Stadium including Lake Lorna Doone Park. The biggest change will be making downtown’s major streets two way. If the city can pull off its latest grand project, it will become a big part of the legacy of retiring Mayor Buddy Dyer. The city of Orlando has created a webpage where you can see all of the upcoming construction projects in downtown at https://www.orlando.gov/Building-Development/City-Projects/Building-a-Better-Downtown-Orlando
Mike Synan
News | Sports | Politics
- After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com
