SunRail may get development rolling, too

[thelakelander]

By Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel

December 10, 2009

SunRail is expected to do more than transport commuters along the first phase's 31 miles of track that thread 12 stations. Backers of the project, slated to start running as soon as 2012, expect the stations to spur economic development.

Prospects for real-estate investment at each of the rail stops vary as much as the locations.

DeBARY



This commuter-rail stop is slated for a largely undeveloped area near U.S. Highway 17-92 and Fort Florida Road. The station plans call for a park-and-ride lot and bus drop-off. It is near Gemini Springs and other local parks.

SANFORD



The station site at State Road 46 and Airport Boulevard is not an easy walk to the city's historic downtown, its regional mall or Orlando-Sanford International Airport. It is surrounded by about 60 developable acres, some owned by the Wayne Densch beer distributor. Condos were recently built near the station site. Nearby property is zoned for a mix of uses, including residential; Sperry Van Ness commercial brokers say it is well-suited for apartments. Plans for call park-and-ride spaces and bus area.

LAKE MARY



This station, at Lake Mary Boulevard and Country Club Road, is near the city's municipal-services complex, a restaurant-and-retail center and several parks. Seminole State College is roughly a mile away. City officials envision a "city within a city." The station's design includes a parking lot and bus drop-off area.

LONGWOOD



This stop, near Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Church Avenue, is about three blocks from South Seminole Hospital and within walking distance of municipal services, a mixed-use historic area and parks. The state at one point agreed to purchase the city's public-works building for the station, and city plans call for a mixed-use development next door. Vacant property nearby could be developed as offices, apartments and retail. SunRail plans include a parking lot and bus drop-off.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS



Another station on Ronald Reagan Boulevard, this one at S.R. 436, will drop passengers about a mile east of Altamonte Mall and Florida Hospital Altamonte. The site is near the city-government complex and an area of low-income houses held by a multitude of owners, which would make it difficult to assemble property for development. The city's long-held plans call for circulator buses to pick up transit riders.

MAITLAND



This site, at U.S. 17-92 just south of Maitland Boulevard, has already spawned a three-story office building. built by North Bridge. Parker Lumber will provide a gravel parking lot, though eventually structured parking and a residential-commercial complex would be developed, say city officials, who don't expect SunRail to revive a stalled condo project across the highway.

WINTER PARK



Plans call for razing the old Amtrak station on Morse Boulevard, in the heart of downtown's Park Avenue shopping-and-dining district, and building a new one. The site is in the middle of historic Central Park, but the surrounding property is already developed, mostly as upscale shops and restaurants. The city would likely resist any attempts to increase building densities, and no projects have been sparked by SunRail, officials said. Rollins College is several blocks away.

ORLANDO â€" FLORIDA HOSPITAL



Florida Hospital has integrated this station, near Rollins Street and Orange Avenue, into the $230 million redevelopment of its main campus. The hospital has included the station in plans for additional parking garages, so SunRail riders can access the medical complex without stepping outside. The site is also just a short walk from shops and from cultural venues such as the Orlando Science Center and Orlando Museum of Art.

ORLANDO â€" LYNX



The station at Amelia Street and Garland Avenue will be right at Lynx Central, hub for the region's bus system. It is also within walking distance of the still-under-construction Amway Center, FAMU College of Law and most downtown offices, restaurants and residences. Potential developments nearby include up to 900,000 square feet of office space, 80,000 square feet of retail and 80 residential units.

ORLANDO â€" CHURCH STREET



This stop is right by Church Street Station, the 55 West residential high-rise, SunTrust Center and the still-under-construction Amway Center. It's also close to local, state and federal government offices and the Parramore neighborhood. Boston-based Tremont Realty Capital, which owns Church Street Station, owns property next to the station and is considering how to develop it, city officials said.

ORLANDO â€" ORLANDO HEALTH



This station, at Orlando Health's main campus, near Sligh Boulevard and Columbia Street, will provide easy access to Orlando Regional Medical Center, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital for Children, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies and Lucerne Hospital, as well as nearby businesses and neighborhoods. Hospital officials have discussed workforce housing for the area.

ORLANDO â€" SAND LAKE



This station, at Orange Avenue and Sand Lake Road south of Orlando, has spurred plans for the South Orlando Urban Center, another mixed-use development. Long-range plans call for SunRail to someday connect here with a still-unapproved rail system serving Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center and International Drive.

NOTE: Park-and-ride lots are planned for all but four of the stations; Winter Park's and the three in Orlando won't have them.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-sunrail-development-20091210,0,4215171.story

[CS Foltz]

lake .....the majority of the proposed site's need developement (Housing and Retail is being thought about I am sure) and that is the goal for mass transit deveopement! Along with moving numbers of people more efficiently than any BRT is capable of. I hope they get it going and soon!