Mayor’s Speech
State of Downtown Address Luncheon
October 4, 2006
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Starting with a man named Walt Disney … who dared to imagine that vast orange groves could become the world’s top travel destination … our region has been defined by our ability to dream BIG.

For the past several years, we’ve gathered at this event and discussed our big dreams. We’ve imagined and talked about how to create a world-class urban core for our residents.

I submit to you that while laying out our vision was important … more important was our commitment to act on that vision … to push beyond a possibility and create reality.

In fact, just two years ago almost to the day, at this very State of the Downtown address, we announced our City Council’s vision for building three new community venues – a performing arts center, an events center and a renovated citrus bowl. On that day two years ago, I pledged that we together, would have the new performing arts center out of the ground within four years and we’re right on schedule.

And I joked, and even got a little grief for it, that little ole Jacksonville was hosting the Super Bowl that year. Well, this year Miami is hosting the Super Bowl, but the important difference is that now, Orlando could host the Super Bowl in years to come.

Mayor Crotty, my friend and partner, is here with us today. Last week, he and I stood together with our city council and county commission to unveil a plan that builds on our amazing residential, retail and commercial renaissance - and delivers us at the doorstep of becoming the greatest city, not just in Florida, but in the entire country.

I called the plan a “Triple Crown for Downtown” and that is just what it is. In the midst of one of the nation’s most successful revitalizations of a downtown we will build three world-class community venues … venues that will make us proud and show the world that Orlando is no longer a second tier city. We will stand head-to-head and shoulder-to-shoulder with any region in the world.

Today, we celebrate this most recent success, but first let’s talk about the path that we forged together and that brought us to this pinnacle.

It began with a simple statement from our Downtown Strategic Transition Team three years ago … we will create “A dynamic downtown model for the 21st century. A safe, sustainable, livable and vibrant city center. A welcome and desirable place for all people, especially the citizens of Orlando.” And, that is exactly what we are doing.


Ongoing Development:

As you leave today and look down Church Street, you will see two mixed-use projects that ignited our renaissance and began the live, work and play movement in our downtown.

Now, I will concede there was some speculation whether 55 West would ever get underway, but today, it’s going up … it’s going up in a big way. Once completed, this 34-story complex will be one of several projects that rival our City’s tallest building, the SunTrust tower.

And as we speak, the finishing touches are being put on the Premiere Trade Plaza. In fact … if you reach into the bag that was on your seat you’ll find a pair of movie vouchers, courtesy of Kuhn Management, for our City’s first downtown movie theater in decades opening early next year.

We’ve promised to make Downtown a place for everyone, and these two catalytic projects sparked a surge of activity that is making it happen … with retail, entertainment and restaurant choices, along with residential units, all within walking distance.

In April, we announced the new Capital Plaza III complex, a true “mixed-use” project that includes a 150-room hotel and 9,000 square feet of retail space.

The new City Arts Factory became the anchor for the City’s Downtown arts district … with five art galleries, a classroom, an artist’s studio and 8,000 square feet of event and performance space.

Last month the longest concrete pour in the history of our City took place in Downtown. Crews spent 27 hours pouring the foundation of The Paramount … which will house the first urban grocery store in our Downtown core in decades. And in mid-September we celebrated the completion of the top floor of the 18-story, Star Tower on East Jackson Street.

Yesterday, I attended the grand opening of The Lexington, Downtown’s newest luxury hotel. And, tonight I will attend an event to celebrate the construction of a new 23-story condominium project called The Monarch. In the next year or so, two more important downtown projects will be complete, the VUE and the Dynetech building. And, next week, ground will break on a new downtown apartment complex … Camden Orange Court.

New restaurants have also begun to pop up all over downtown... Pearl Steakhouse and the Exchange Lounge, which recently opened on Church Street, as well as The Beacon, Fifi's and Graze, which are all opening on the ground floor of The Sanctuary.

Unimaginable three years ago … residents and visitors alike will now be able to stroll down to Church Street for dinner, head back to Orange Avenue to catch a movie then across the street to the Arts Factory for the opening of a new exhibit. That’s a lifestyle our residents deserve.

And just imagine what that experience will be like in three more years with the vibrancy of community venues… broadways shows, conference championships and cultural opportunities.



Parramore:

Our commitment to revitalizing Downtown remains focused on both the eastside and the west side of I-4. We are delivering on that commitment with a host of projects aimed at revitalizing Parramore while preserving the neighborhood’s heritage.

We are crossing man-made barriers with sustainable bridges such as the five Pathways for Parramore – housing, public safety, quality of life, children & education and business development. Since Commissioner Lynum and I launched the Pathways for Parramore initiative last year, a host of organizations such as the Orlando Housing Authority, Black Business Investment Fund, Bank of America, and the Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation have joined us.

Through our recently appointed Attainable Housing Task Force, and projects like Otey Place, Parramore Village and Carver Park, which are going to provide housing for people of all income levels, we will strengthen and protect our neighborhoods.

Soon, as residents and visitors head west down Church Street, they will not stop at I-4. They will continue on down the newly renovated $17 million grand entertainment boulevard, West Church street, and head over to Parramore Heritage Park … offering new open space for gatherings and celebrations.

Residents of Parramore, as they visit their new Heritage Park will feel safe. We are taking the deliberate steps today to focus on the immediate needs and create public safety solutions for the future.

OPD officers are connecting with residents, walking the streets and meeting the specific needs of the neighborhood, and we’ve opened a brand new police sub-station in the City View development on West Church Street to make those officers more accessible to the neighborhood.

This commitment has been made to the entire city. In fact, this week marks the official start of our new fiscal year, and the beginning of a $110 million public safety initiative. I can tell you that this administration and our City Council remain committed to Public Safety.

In August, we also formed the Safe Orlando Task Force. This group of community representatives will work in tandem with the OPD to tackle crime-related issues and develop a strategic action plan that taps into every available resource.

I will make a promise to all of you. We will take every step necessary to ensure that residents and visitors feel safe and secure while visiting, working or living in our Downtown and anywhere in our city.

As we’ve focused on improving public safety and residential options, there has been a surge of new business activity in Parramore, including the relocation and expansion of Johnson’s Diner, the establishment of the City View Pharmacy and Flavor Fashion clothing store, as well as the opening of new restaurants like Quiznos Subs and Piattini’s Pizzeria. We have even seen the revival of a Parramore Merchants Association.


I mentioned earlier the term “sustainable bridges.” None of the successes we’ve just mentioned are sustainable without our next generation … our children. This year, the City of Orlando applied for and received a $500,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that will help launch the Parramore Kidz Zone.

This grant is being matched with another $1.5 million from local philanthropic organizations like the Dr. Phillips, Edyth Bush, Universal and Winter Park Foundations as well as the Kiwanis Club.

The Kidz Zone program will ensure that all of our children, starting with every single child in Parramore, will have access to the critical programs they need to grow and prosper … health care, after school programs, mentoring, and many more opportunities that will help them succeed and sustain productive lives. I can’t think of anything more important.

Creative Village

Diversifying our economy, and creating high-value jobs is key to ensuring our children are successful in building their lives right here in Orlando. Last year, at this very luncheon, I announced we would work on a plan to redevelop the Centroplex into an urban, creative village. This is an opportunity to build on our partnership with the UCF School of Film and Digital Media, and to make Downtown the heart of our creative industry.

Much like neighborhoods such as SoHo in New York, we envision a place where artists, computer programmers, video game designers and musicians gather to live, share ideas, create and learn, together.

In August, I asked Ben Noel, executive director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, and Suzy Allen, Director of Film and Digital Media Development for the EDC, two of the most creative people I know, to head up the Creative Village Concept Team. This extremely talented group of volunteers are developing recommendations on the key success factors needed to bring this vision to reality.

Imagine the Centroplex being transformed from a sea of asphalt parking spaces into an urban village that is home to multiple digital media and technology companies, one-of-a-kind retailers, students and a creative mix of residents.

Transportation:

As we imagine this future, think of having choices of how to get from point A to point B. We can leave the car at home, we can jump on the Commuter rail, we can transfer to Lymmo routes that crisscross downtown, connecting Lake Eola with Parramore, hospital with hospital and venue to venue.

I announced, last year, that the City developed the most comprehensive downtown transportation plan in our history and today, the results of that study are in.

Successful downtowns place an equal importance on people, as they do on cars. As a result of our planning, we will have a stronger focus on pedestrian places and amenities and, strengthen our city grid network for vehicles – connecting streets for easier traffic flow – reducing the time we spend in traffic.

Our residents also deserve transportation options, and the plan identifies, in partnership with Lynx, how to accomplish mass-transit for our community. The plan also calls for a network of electronic signage that will direct people to the closest available parking or away from traffic jams, or to special events – like the ones that will be held in our new community venues.

The bottom line is, in the future, whether you’re walking, driving or using transit, it will be easier to get around downtown.

Community Venues

Now, let’s stop for a minute and think about all of this…a skyline that has doubled in size; the revitalization of Parramore; enhanced transportation infrastructure; additional resources for public safety; a new “creative village” … you start to wonder how many more great announcements are possible.

But, I will tell you, we’re just getting started.

Many of you were with Mayor Crotty and me on Friday when we announced that the City and County are moving forward on the single biggest community investment ever made in this region.

To get these projects done required us to put aside the short-sighted goals of the politics of the day and move toward compromise and coalition building with our county government. Perhaps at another time this goal would not be achieved. That is not the case today and our region is the better for it.

So, I want to thank Mayor Crotty once again for making this a true partnership. I also want to thank our City Council Members and the Orange County Commissioners for their leadership throughout this process. There is much more to do … together … and I want to take a minute to recognize all of you. City and County Commissioners, could you all please stand so that we can recognize your leadership?

These kinds of projects can’t just be done by government leaders. They require the support and leadership of citizens, the business community and staff. We’ve had that support.

• From leaders of the tourism industry that supported this vision, especially Al Weiss, Bob Gault and Rich Maledecki,

• From community initiatives such as the EDC and Chamber’s Project Hometown led by Carmen Dominguez, Dean Kurtz and Jim Lewis,

• From leaders of each of the venue partners, Jim Pugh of OPAC, Alex Martins of the Magic and Bill Diamond of Florida Citrus sports

• From members of the City and County committee of four, Jay Berlinsky and Dykes Everett, Tom Drage and Ajit Lalchandani

• From dedicated County and City staff, especially Cheryl Henry, Rebecca Sutton, Byron Brooks, Frank Billingsley, and Allen Johnson,

• And, from all the residents, business owners, community leaders … you all should be congratulated for your many contributions.

• I also want to recognize and thank the woman who is my inspiration … my wife, Karen.
   

It’s an exciting time for our region. It’s truly a Triple Crown for Downtown.
Later today we will be putting-up “Future Home” signs on each of the sites of the new venues. However, there is still a lot of work ahead for us to get these projects up and out of the ground, so we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and keep moving ahead.

There has never been a project to more significantly enhance our resident’s quality of life while providing new education opportunities, unprecedented economic impact and the transformation of our region’s urban core.

So on this beautiful day in October, in beautiful downtown Orlando, I think we should all agree that we are poised for greatness and that Orlando will be a better place to live … because of our BIG Dreams.

So, let’s get excited people … we’re doing them all, we’re doing them now and we’re doing them right! LET’S CELEBRATE!