New tower next to Orange County Courthouse would be city’s tallest
A proposed 450-foot mixed-use tower next to downtown Orlando’s Orange County Courthouse could be the city’s tallest.
Miami-based MEC Development Associates filed a Master Plan (MP) with the city for its second Zoi House tower project at the southeast corner of North Orange Avenue and East Livingston Street — directly across from the Bank of America Financial Center.
The 41-story tower would combine Class A residential with groundfloor retail and boutique office-commercial space.
SunTrust Center is currently the city’s tallest building, at 441 feet.
The 1-acre site is currently home to Fratelli’s Restaurant/Parallel nightclub and the former Acquittal Cafe.
Both are owned by affiliates of The Weintraub Companies, a real estate developer based in Aventura. Development Coordinator Tomas Possenti told GrowthSpotter the deal was brought to MEC by a mutual friend.
Zoi House Orlando would feature groundfloor retail on Orange and Livingston and up to 130,000 square feet, or six floors, of office/commercial uses and nearly 700 structured parking spaces. The developer seeks permission for 300 residential units. Grove, as a third tower at the condo-hotel resort is expected to be complete next summer.
Land development for the townhomes should begin in about a year, BTI’s Director of Development and Construction, Kevin Mays, told GrowthSpotter.
Marketing other changes that are taking shape at The Grove in real time through partnering third-party brokers has been key for BTI, he said – including additions such as a water park, restaurant and spa as well as updated designs within the units including furniture and cabinets that allow flexibility while being consistent with original details.
The Groves’ mix of 2and 3-bedroom condo-hotel units hasn’t undergone major structural renovations, however. Work on the third tower began this month.
“If the market was demanding something different, we would have the ability to change,” Mays said. “We just don’t see the reason.”
Park Square Homes seeks entitlements for 166 single-family homes planned in phase four of its Summerbrooke development in Mount Dora, according to filings with the city.
The development stretches from Wolf Branch Road at its northern end to State Road 46 at its south and has access to U.S. Highway 441. It’s also near a spur that connects to State Road 429.
“We anticipate we will break ground in the first quarter of next year, based on engineering permits and approvals being completed,” said Scott Johnston, vice president of land development and acquisition at Park Square.
Homes would be built on 50-foot lots on approximately 60 acres, with future land-use being revised from urban expansion to low-medium residential, according to filings with the city.
Orlando’s red-hot housing market has lured another low-cost, tech-focused real estate brokerage seeking to disrupt the traditional home sales model.
Purplebricks, which launched in the UK in 2014 and expanded a year ago to several U.S. markets, opened its Florida operations Tuesday.
The company offers sales marketing and brokerage services rate of $3,600.
The seller pays a traditional 3 percent commission to the buyers’ agent, making Purplebricks a hybrid between traditional commission-based services and discounters like Redfin.
Aaron Drucker, a real estate professional with more than eight years of experience in the Florida market, has been tapped to serve as Florida State Director.
Drucker said Purplebricks has hired five “territory owners” with exclusive areas in greater Orlando and four for Tampa. for a flat