Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 11-10-15 Edition

Local
Thousands Expected To Attend Florida Classic
Mixed Use Development Planned For Seminole Heights
Florida A&M Bethune-Cookman University University
ORLANDO, FL — In less than 20 days, tens of thou- sands of fans both near and far will descend upon the City of Orlando for the big game with a big impact sup- porting educational oppor- tunities and having an annual economic impact of about $30 million for the Central Florida region.
Billed as the nation’s largest HBCU sports event, the Florida Blue Florida Classic annual matchup played between in-state ri- vals, the Florida A&M Uni- versity Rattlers and the Bethune-Cookman Univer- sity Wildcats returns on Sat- urday, November 21, 2015 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl. FAMU and B-CU will meet for the 70th time and the 36th in the Florida Classic.
In addition to the foot- ball game, the weekend lineup of events also empha- sizes community partner- ship. The Career Expo and
Job Fair presented on Fri- day, November 20 at the Amway Center is a collabo- ration with Orlando Jobs to connect job seekers with employers hiring for over 4,000 jobs across various sectors.
Also on the same day is the Florida Consortium Kickoff Luncheon presented by Florida Blue and brings together community part- ners, supporters, and local organizations.
Last year’s game was the first played in the new Or- lando Citrus Bowl Stadium and featured a better fan ex- perience with larger, more comfortable seats with chair backs, an additional six inches of legroom in the lower bowl, multiple club suites and lounges, better concessions, new team facil- ities, and video displays on each upper deck.
Tickets are still on sale and available for purchase.
Burdette’s proposed mixed use project.
View showing the inside layout of the Seminole Heights Lofts.
Wesley Burdette’s Warehouse Lofts on Florida Avenue.
The developer planning to build warehouse lofts in Seminole Heights now has his atten- tion on a nearby site for another project: a mixed-use building on the corner of Florida Avenue and Wilder.
Developer Wesley Burdette said he is under contract to acquire the .87-acre site at 5023 North Florida Avenue. He plans to de- molish the old warehouse on the site and re- place it with a five-story apartment building with ground level retail and a rooftop lounge.
It will also include an on-site dog park like the warehouse lofts proposed a few blocks south.
Burdette said the building will include 50 loft style apartments and 2,800 square feet of retail space. If everything goes as planned and the city approves the plans, Burdette expects to close on the land in December, and break
ground in early 2016 with residents scheduled to move in by the summer of 2016.
Burdette spent $5.5 million on the ware- house lofts and said he doesn’t expect to ex- ceed $7 million on this project. Rental of apartments is expected to be slightly higher than the warehouse lofts, which is asking for rents of $1.70 per-square-foot.
The warehouse lofts are 25% pre-leased, and scheduled to open December 15th.
This new development by Burdette has not been named, and will be more elegant than the gritty feel of the warehouse lofts.
Burdette has had discussions with retail- ers and restaurants that might be good fits for the retail space. He also envisions something that could be supported by the neighborhood, such as a small urban grocer, a florist, and an independent ice cream sundry.
PAGE 12 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015