A Downtown for All:
Imagine a downtown where, on any given day, business people dine alongside artists, students stroll next to theatergoers and sports fans on the way to the game amble through close-knit neighborhoods.
The fact is, you don't have to imagine that downtown. It exists in cities all across the country -- in San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and Washington D.C. Whether established successes or lately on the rebound, these cities have at least one thing in common. Their downtowns anchor the growth and prosperity of entire regions.
Orlando can be on that list. For the sake of Central Florida's quality of life, Orlando needs to be on that list.
Residents from Maitland to Leesburg and from St. Cloud to Deltona, ought to realize that all of Central Florida's future rises and falls with the fortunes of downtown Orlando. There will be 7.2 million people living in Central Florida by the year 2050, and decisions made in a matter of months will determine whether this region becomes a metropolitan community or an amorphous blob of Los Angeles-like sprawl.
To read the rest of this Orlando Sentinel article click here.
I for one think this would be fantastic and we'll need churches for all this growth.
Perhaps they'll call the comm rail the L:o) Downtown Orl is actually shaping up to look like a real downtown. I like that new glass skyscraper on Orange near the CNL buildings. Plus there's the VUE on the NW corner of Lk Eola and another on the SE corner. There are plans for several more in 2007 and sketches of the new Magic arena looks very impressive as well. At last, a downtown that we can be proud of.
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