Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[Teebin]

I don't understand this Sentinel map. Why are some of the detention ponds not part of the property and others are? Does the county own the land on the far right south. I know the creek is county so what issues ensue building a bridge over a creek? And all of the land to the far left south. Who owns that? Will Comcast purchase it separately to join the land?

And, btw, the building that UC has taken a large space in recently is overlooking this property, unimpeded by other buildings, and is on this map. This is why I believe there is still much to do in planning for this land.

 

[fryoj]

I think the ponds and right of way cutouts are still owned by the company that had Stanley Thomas in charge that bought it all originally from Uni and is apparently on the way towards foreclosure/bankruptcy. Not sure how they got divided out the way they did, but I saw another map that had them listed as the owners of those spots.

 

[Mad Dog]

I wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the future they decide to consolidate some hotels. They could also perhaps convert some moderates to value to help capture a bigger portion of the off property market.

I'm not sure if that number is accurate but I wouldn't be surprised with all the land they've sold off.

Not sure of the actual figure after the sales, could be more or less. I was just estimating.

 

[WAJAS]

I don't understand this Sentinel map. Why are some of the detention ponds not part of the property and others are? Does the county own the land on the far right south. I know the creek is county so what issues ensue building a bridge over a creek? And all of the land to the far left south. Who owns that? Will Comcast purchase it separately to join the land?

And, btw, the building that UC has taken a large space in recently is overlooking this property, unimpeded by other buildings, and is on this map. This is why I believe there is still much to do in planning for this land.

Pretty sure that bit of land to the right is a nature preserve. A bit of it impedes on the Universal land.

 

[GAcoaster]

Many of the waterways here are controlled by the Valencia Water Control District (part of Orange County and probably part of the negotiations) http://orangecountyfl.net/Portals/0...s/Valencia Water Control District 2011-12.pdf

 

[Teebin]

Pretty sure that bit of land to the right is a nature preserve. A bit of it impedes on the Universal land.

Yeah, I was only suggesting the tiny little mowed or field part at the bottom. The green strip on the right is another creek that the other creek flows into.

 

[GAcoaster]

The canal and retention pond at SeaWorld are part of the Valencia Water Control District as well, but they were allowed to drain them, do construction then refill them for building Mako.

 

[WAJAS]

The canal and retention pond at SeaWorld are part of the Valencia Water Control District as well, but they were allowed to drain them, do construction then refill them for building Mako.

There's a big difference between a canal and retention pond and a nature preserve. They can't touch the preserve.

 

[Teebin]

Many of the waterways here are controlled by the Valencia Water Control District (part of Orange County and probably part of the negotiations) http://orangecountyfl.net/Portals/0/Library/Water-Garbage-Recycle/docs/Valencia Water Control District 2011-12.pdf

Yeeesh. I am well versed on water authorities. The Toho water authority claims complete control of water in Osceola County. Even the water deep underground. The massive housing projects south of Kissimmee drained the water table 10-20 feet and ran dry neighbors 1980's wells within two years of each other. So much for water "management".

 

[maxairmike]

Yeah, I was only suggesting the tiny little mowed or field part at the bottom. The green strip on the right is another creek that the other creek flows into.

You mean the part between the apartments and Destination Blvd? That's owned by Orlando Equity Partners and their slated development called the Destination Shoppes. The rest of the large area south of Lockheed is still owned by UCPM III/FQP (aka Stanley Thomas). I would expect those lots to fall (as well as anything else owned by UCPM III) by the end of the year. No inside knowledge or anything, just a hunch based on needing to have that large lot finalized to work with the City/County on the Mandarin Way and Kirkman extensions alongside Universal's development plans.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

People truly don't understand the amount of land in Florida that is set aside by the government. There is tons of land that cannot be touched .

 

[Jon84]

People truly don't understand the amount of land in Florida that is set aside by the government. There is tons of land that cannot be touched .

This and that when you own land you can't just pave over it all, you have to replace ponds if you tarmac over them

 

[Teebin]

This and that when you own land you can't just pave over it all, you have to replace ponds if you tarmac over them

This is why there are so many small swamp areas next to highways south of Uni that are "owned" by Universal. I was told by a contractor that it was the price for developing such a large area. Disney did the same thing although they have operated a bit more autonomously and answer more to environmental groups like the Audubon society these days.

 

[IzzyB]

This and that when you own land you can't just pave over it all, you have to replace ponds if you tarmac over them

Yep. I think people from other parts of the country don't get this because it is not like this everywhere. But Florida has pretty strict laws when it comes to % of land that can be used for development. There must be so many ponds and so much conservation land within someone's property. I think the issue that Teebin is pointing out that is if Universal does not OWN the ponds, they cannot MOVE the ponds. So what people can do is say I want to move this pond over here and make this land usable land. Disney does this a lot so that they can develop the land in a way that makes sense. But if Universal does not own the ponds then they cannot do this. Most places "own" there ponds. Like HOAs own the ponds within a neighborhood. They have to maintain them, but they can't develop on them. If they don't maintain them to the standard of St. Johns then they get heavy fines.

I did a lot of research on this when I moved 2 years ago. We bought a lot that faces another HOAs pond. So I wanted to make sure I knew what they could and could not do with this land also, what happens if they stop maintaining the pond.

 

[s8film40]

This is why there are so many small swamp areas next to highways south of Uni that are "owned" by Universal. I was told by a contractor that it was the price for developing such a large area. Disney did the same thing although they have operated a bit more autonomously and answer more to environmental groups like the Audubon society these days.

Disney certainly offset quite a bit of land.
The Disney Wilderness Preserve Story | The Nature Conservancy

 

[Teebin]

Disney certainly offset quite a bit of land.
The Disney Wilderness Preserve Story | The Nature Conservancy

Ah, the NC and not Audubon. That preserve was the answer to their planned development of Animal Kingdom which the NC screamed about way back when. Money crossing palms to hush issues up. Exactly.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Sooo...more stuff for this is coming at a fast rate..

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Sooo...more stuff for this is coming at a fast rate..

I just saw that. beat me to it lol. Interesting plan though

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

"Transportation Connection"...Interesting. Interesting. Hmmmmmmm Peep that people.

 

[WAJAS]

Sooo...more stuff for this is coming at a fast rate..

It's basically what SeaWorld has going on with their district. They get to control most of the streetscape, new construction, and building design approval with themselves having little restrictions on development. Of course everything still goes through the county but it ends up giving the parks more control over their surrounding area.

This is one of the reasons why the buildings around SeaWorld have their special wavelike signs and architecture and a prominence of blue paint.