It’s a project that may transform the west side of College Park, and it now has the green light.
- Project on the west side of College Park gets green light
- Dr. Phillips charitable arm to donate 100 acres to city
- "Packing District" to add shops, a park, space for future homes
“This may be the most important thing we’ve done in this calendar year," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer during Monday's meeting.
Council members voted to approve an agreement with the charitable arm of Dr. Phillips. The organization will donate 100 acres of their project along John Young Parkway by Princeton Street to the city, which will be turned into a park.
In exchange, the city will provide more than $20 million in infrastructure improvements, from roadways to storm drains.
Most of the area is already owned by Dr. Phillips, their hub for citrus packing in years' past.
While it’s still industrial now, the proposed project would change that: “The Packing District” adds shops and retail, as well as a large-scale park with trails, a relocated Orlando Tennis Center, and space for future homes.
All lie within Commissioner Robert Stuart’s district.
“This is their way of taking property they used to use as industrial years and years ago, and now they want to bring it back and re-purpose the property," said Robert Stuart, Orlando District 3 Commissioner.
Dr. Phillips will invest $480 million dollars into “The Packing District” project, hoping to eventually build businesses, homes and restaurants to the east of the park.
Spectrum News 13 will be digging into the proposal in coming days and bring you the community impact in a special assignment next week.