Hotel razed to make way for lux condos
The long-vacant M Hotel in Orlando’s International Drive tourism corridor is being razed to clear the way for an eight-story luxury apartment community by Atlanta-based Del American Real Estate Group.
Property owner Micah Bass recently posted a video of the demolition crew taking down the 176-room motel he has owned since 2010. Bass purchased the former Howard Johnson just north of Carrier Drive for $2.85 million and reopened it under his own independent brand.
He struck a deal with Del American President Anthony DelGuidice for the redevelopment plan in 2020, but it was put on hold during the pandemic.
DelGuidice told GrowthSpotter the company founded by his father over 30 years ago is a boutique development firm that focuses on delivering quality homes that feel like living in a luxury hotel. “We don’t do as much in the way of volume, per se, as most of the other groups out there. But we build an extremely high-end product,” he said.
DelGuidice said the zoning would have allowed a density of up to 600 units, but they submitted for just 329 under their SLX brand, which stands for “Surpassing Living eXpectations.”
Some of the features will include 24-hour concierge service and valet parking, poolside food and beverage service, and optional services like housekeeping and dog walking. The design is modern and elegant, he said “It’s kind of like a Miami meets Beverly Hills meets Las Vegas,” he said.
The development matrix calls for 90 studios, 120 one-bedroom units, 89 two-bedroom units and 30 three-bedroom units. The plan doesn’t specify how many of the units would have premium finishes.
The ground floor allocates more than 7,000 square feet for a restaurant that will front on I-Drive and have its own designated parking area in the garage. The 4,075-square-foot lobby is also located on the first floor. DelGuidice said the master plan could be tweaked, if approved by the city, to incorporate up to three restaurants.
Apopka adds warehouse space
A number of industrial parks are taking off near the Orlando-Apopka Airport and more warehouse space could be landing here soon.
Apopka is currently reviewing a development plan that calls for the construction of three more distribution centers totaling 575,000 square feet.
The developer pegged for this project is no stranger to the area.
Lakeland-based Blue Steel Development stands ready to build out its Apopka 429 industrial park just west of State Road 441. It covers 248 acres and can accommodate roughly 2.5 million square feet of warehouse space across three buildings, according to its website.
Blue Steel is now eyeing an adjacent assemblage of parcels to the south of that park for another trio of distribution hubs. This one is titled Alterna Logistics Park, according to site plans.
Blue Steel Development representatives did not return phone calls or emails for this story. Jim Hitt, Apopka’s community development director, told GrowthSpotter that he understands the project to be separate from Blue Steel’s other industrial park effort, but roads would connect both sites.
This industrial park, if approved, would join a collection in the vicinity, including the Mid-Florida Logistics Park to the south. Developed by Missouri-based Blue Scope Properties Group, the park spans 180 acres with 2.3 million square feet of warehouse space and features global brands such as Amazon, Coke and Goya Foods.
In 2020, Philadelphia-based real estate investment management firm Exeter Property Group bought roughly 100 acres of land north of the Apopka 429 site. That $4.5 million acquisition also came with plans for an industrial park, though the land still sits vacant today.
“You’ve got big boys putting big money into that market,” said Trevor Hall, the Orlando-based executive managing director of land services with the national brokerage firm Collier’s International.