Local developer Timothy Green is updating plans and expanding his vision to revitalize two retail properties along W. Church Street in downtown Orlando’s arena district.
Green first filed plans last August to renovate the 68-year-old building at 642 W. Church St., directly across from Orlando City Soccer Stadium. It dates to 1949, includes 3,200 square feet and has been partially leased as of late by a record shop and barber shop.
The plan was initially to retain those tenants and lease the balance for a new venue named “The Lion’s Den,” meant as a soccer-themed bar and site to host networking events.
But since then, Green and investment partners, along with Maitland-based accountant Richard Faulkner whose family owns the property, have broadened their vision for new tenants with the addition of rooftop access.
Construction is now underway to renovate the building, Green told GrowthSpotter. J Henry’s Barber Shop is the lone current tenant expected to remain.
The three new venues to be owned and operated by Green’s team include the previously mentioned Lion’s Den, along with new addition Mary’s Daiquiri Bar and a covered 4,000-square-foot rooftop bar named The Perch.
Those venues will be open to the public on soccer game days, Green said. But on other days, the new venues may be open only to members of a private club, he added.
Two blocks to the east at 532 W. Church St., Green and another investment partner own a half-vacant retail building where they began planning a historic renovation last year for a new bar and restaurant, first reported here in July 2017.
Those plans have changed significantly as well.
The original concept, dubbed “The District Gastro Bar/Social Eating House,” was meant to celebrate Parramore’s history with a painted mural on the side of the building. Green said he now wants to save that for a future project in the area.
The restaurant’s new name will be “Tim’s Place,” and play up its arena district location with a sports bar theme that includes large-screen TVs for live games, and a videogaming area for NBA 2K-style tournaments, Green said.
Tim’s Place will tentatively occupy 2,100 square feet of the 6,000-square-foot building. Another 5,000 square feet is planned for the rear with apre-fabricated metal building, giving the sports bar an estimated 7,100 square feet.
Outdoors and directly east of the building, Green has an agreement with the city of Orlando to lease most of an 8,400-square-foot strip of land running along Church Street to build an open-air entertainment patio in phases.
The first phase would be a small outdoor bar and seating area. Once that is completed to the city’s specifications, an addendum would allow Green to lease the balance of land out to the corner at Division Avenue.
Construction plans for the building’s renovation and additions are under city staff review, with permit approval anticipated by June or earlier. C2 General Contracting would then start on the interior, with equipment anticipated on the site in August to place the 5,000-square-foot building addition, Green said.
Looking forward, Green said he and partners are actively pursuing multiple other properties in the immediate area for purchase and redevelopment.
Green has developed affordable housing, single-family developments in Windermere and Mount Dora, and is developing 30,000 square feet of commercial space in Ocoee through affiliate his firm Green Tree Development Group.
Randy Bumbalough of Arc Design Lab in Lake Mary is the architect on both Church Street renovation projects.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at bmoser@growthspotter.com, (407) 420-5685 or 
@bobmoser333. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
