Retail & Restaurants Developments

• CBRE Global and Fairbourne Properties buy Sanford shopping center for $55.7 M

  A partnership of CBRE Global Investors and Chicago-based Fairbourne Properties recently purchased the Marketplace at Seminole Towne Center for $55.7 million, according to a deed recorded Jan. 3 in Seminole County. The 14-building, 482,520-square-foot power center is located on 45.9 acres at 1771...

• FDOT allows tenants at Disney-built Crossroads center to stay until at least August 2021

  Stores and restaurants at the Disney-built Crossroads of Lake Buena Vista will have more than two and a half years to operate before the property is taken for an I-4 improvement project. Tenants initially were told they would have to vacate by the end of the year, but they won a reprieve and extra...

• Developer pays $3.5 million for 300 acres of lakefront land in Polk

  Orlando broker and land developer Mike Noonan paid $3.5 million this month to buy nearly 300 acres he had owned and entitled in Polk County before the 2008 housing crash. The property consists of 7 parcels on Lake Gum in the city of Lake Alfred, north of Winter Haven, on State Road 557. The neighborhood...

• Osceola County selling land at Vineland interchange, softball complex

  Osceola County is seeking bids for a 5.9-acre site on Vineland Road at the Osceola Parkway interchange. County Commissioners voted in 2017 to declare the land surplus, but the county has not actively marketed it for sale. The minimum bid is $2,823,555, according to the solicitation documents available...

• Developer plans to demo Universal Boulevard shopping center for apartments

  A California-based multifamily housing developer has filed plans to convert a largely dormant shopping plaza in southwest Orlando into the 399-unit Republic Square Apartments. Legacy Partners Residential has applied with the city’s planning division to construct five buildings of four stories each...

• Dr. Phillips unveils development plan for NE quarter of Packing District

  Dr. Phillips Charities is prepping for construction to start this year on multiple projects within the 202-acre mixed-use Packing District in west Orlando, with delivery of the first residential and commercial spaces in 2020. Dr. Phillips President Ken Robinson shared the latest conceptual renderings...

• UPDATED: FDOT pays $70M to settle eminent domain case for interchange at Daryl Carter Parkway

  The Florida Department of Transportation paid an estimated $70 million in December to settle an eminent domain action for the taking of 39 acres along Palm Parkway and Interstate 4. The land at the future Daryl Carter interchange was needed for stormwater ponds to accommodate the I-4 widening,...

• Continental Properties eyes Posner Park for 302-unit apartment complex

  Wisconsin-based Continental Properties is eyeing Posner Park at the U.S. 27-Interstate 4 interchange for its second Springs apartment complex in the Orlando area. While the site isn't under contract, the developer is scheduled for a pre-application meeting with Polk County's Development Review...

• Miami investment firm pays $6.5M for Toys R Us store at The Florida Mall

  Miami-based Corbin Holdings paid $6.5 million earlier this month to buy the Toys R Us store just outside of The Florida Mall as part of a multi-state acquisition from the bankrupt retailer. Positioned at the main entrance to the 1.8-million-square-foot mall, the big-box is in one Orlando's strongest...

• The year in review: GrowthSpotter’s top stories of 2018

  From lawsuits to long drives to Lay’s potato chips, GrowthSpotter readers gravitated toward all kinds of stories in 2018. Big in the mix, not surprisingly, was new construction – factories, shopping centers and entertainment venues among the most clicked. Did you miss any of our “biggest hits”...

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• City staff recommends approval for downtown apartments on Diocese land

  Orlando's planning staff is recommending conditional approval for a new 10-story downtown apartment tower after the developer agreed to add retail space on the ground floor. Tennessee-based Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) is under contract for a 2-acre corner lot at 336 N. Orange Ave.,...

• Boyd updates development plan for next phase of Hamlin Town Center

  Boyd Development has added a new hotel to the mix of uses planned for construction next year at Hamlin Town Center in West Orange County, according to plans filed Monday with the county. "We are in conversations with a couple of different hotel groups," Boyd partner Ken Kupp told GrowthSpotter...

• Fast-growing tutoring company to enter Orlando market in 2019

  Seattle-based Best in Class Education Center is planning to expand into the Orlando area and is looking for retail space to accommodate the tutoring centers. “Next year our goal is to open 20-25 centers and at least three will be in the Orlando market,” said Sharon Peterson, Vice President, of...

• Millenia-area Walgreens store just sold at auction for $400. Yes, $400.

  In what may be the strangest real estate transaction of the year, an Orlando Walgreens store near the Mall of Millenia has sold for $400. Brian Capo, founding partner of FL Retail Advisors, explained how he went from having a $2.4 million contract to walking away with a $26 commission. "The owner...

• Park Square Homes planning its second Neo mixed-use project in Four Corners

  Park Square Homes is prepping its second "Neo" branded mixed-use development on a 27-acre parcel in the heart of the Four Corners submarket. Senior Project Manager Robert Mick and his development team are scheduled to meet with Polk County's Development Review Committee this week to discuss preliminary...

• Miami investors buy 50% share of shopping center on Orlando's ‘Restaurant Row’

  CORE Investment Properties Fund, a Miami-based real estate investment group, has purchased a 50 percent share in the Fountains at Bay Hill, an upscale retail and restaurant center on West Sand Lake Road. CORE paid $22.75 million for its share of the property, according to a deed signed Nov. 16....

• Park Development files plan for office, retail at City Center West Orange

  With construction well underway at City Center West Orange in Ocoee, Park Development Corp. CEO David Townsend has filed plans for the project's fifth phase, to include a mixed-use building and future retail pad. The new building at 251 Maine St. replaces the planned Assisted Living Facility on...

• Orlando physician plans new mixed-use with hotel at NeoCity

  An Orlando gastroenterologist and real estate investor has filed plans with Osceola County for a mixed-use development on the E192 tech corridor in front of NeoCity. M. Asif Mohiuddin, who has a practice in St. Cloud, paid $1.2 million in 2016 the 3-acre lot with plans for a development to compliment...

• Charlotte firm enters Orlando market via $26M I-Drive purchase

  A Charlotte-based CRE firm with commercial properties throughout Florida entered the Orlando market with the purchase of the International Drive Value Center. Collett paid $26 million for the shopping center, which abuts the Fun Spot amusement park on one side and Artegon Mall on the other. The...

• New SunTrust Bank to anchor U.S. 17-92 project in near Casselberry’s Lake Concord

  A new SunTrust Bank is coming to Casselberry’s Lake Concord Park and two restaurants may be part of the package later, according to documents submitted to the city. The bank, with a drive-through teller, will be built on a vacant 2.8-acre parcel on the southeast corner of U.S. 17-92 and Triplet...

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• Elevation Development makes foray into Polk County with mixed-use on U.S. 27

  Orlando-based Elevation Development is submitting plans for a 42.42-acre, mixed-used development about a mile south of Posner Park mall on busy U.S. 27. Elevation principal Owais Khanani told GrowthSpotter the development, dubbed Shoppes at Citrus Ridge, will have 75,000 square feet of retail along...

• Unicorp's Whittall talks retail plans, apartment community at O-Town West

  Unicorp National Developments has filed the first of what will be several new conceptual plans for the massive O-Town West mixed-use development. Unicorp CEO Chuck Whittall told GrowthSpotter he's planning a variety of high-end apartment types that would be constructed over multiple phases. The...

• Tavistock eyes new hotel site at key Lake Nona interchange

  Tavistock Development Company is eyeing property at a key interchange of the S.R. 417 toll road in Lake Nona for a new hotel with up to 250 rooms. The Lake Nona master developer sent one of its top entitlements specialists to a meeting earlier this month with Orlando planning officials and owner/developer...

• Publix outparcel in Clermont sold at auction for over $2 million

  Winter Park-based Battaglia Group used the auction route to sell a vacant outparcel at a Publix-anchored shopping center in the Four Corners area of Lake County. The transaction hasn't closed yet, but Saunders Auctions President John Haney told GrowthSpotter the sale is pending for just over $2...

• BioFit Performance Center sets new location after split with former developer-partner

  BioFit Performance is still bringing its professional-level fitness center to the Oviedo area, but in a new location after a falling out with a previous development partner. The company, which offers the same-type fitness programs and therapy that professional athletes enjoy, plans to build a 12,000-square-foot...

• Train car, shipping containers to become downtown Sanford restaurant, shopping complex

  A developer plans to move a 95-year-old train car and 16 shipping containers into downtown Sanford for a new dining and shopping complex. DeLand builder Mitch Menaker said he has purchased the 1923 train car and has a deal for a lease on a 9,000-square-foot parking lot. Construction could start...

• Developer revises Vineland Pointe site plan for new Target store

  With construction on Phase 1 of Vineland Pointe nearly complete, O'Connor Capital Partners has filed revised plans with Orange County for the final two phases of the 70-acre shopping plaza at the future Daryl Carter Parkway interchange. "Pretty much all of the buildings in Phase 1 are built and...

• Encore files plans for potential hospital site, vacation homes at Reunion Village

  Encore Capital Management is seeking entitlements for a 240-bed hospital and 96,000 square feet of office space as part of its mixed-use Reunion Village development at the I-4/ChampionsGate interchange. "Orlando Health is continuing to plan for the expansion of healthcare services in Osceola County,...

• Unicorp's Whittall finds west coast inspiration for Fashion Square Mall redux

  Orlando developer Chuck Whittall said he's looking to Southern California for the inspiration and model to rebuild the struggling Orlando Fashion Square mall from the ground up. "There's really two that come to mind," he told GrowthSpotter. "The first is Fashion Island at Newport Beach. The other...

• Boyland Auto reconsiders Mercedes-Benz dealership move in Orlando

  Mercedes-Benz of South Orlando has reconsidered its plan to relocate the luxury auto dealership near Mall of Millenia to a new site a mile away. Boyland Auto Group paid nearly $13.15 million last year for 23-acres on Millenia Boulevard east of the intersection of Interstate 4 and the Florida Turnpike....

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• Tupperware expects flurry of sales around Kissimmee campus in coming months

  Tupperware's Deerfield Land Development has sold its fourth multifamily site to Fore Property Company and expects a flurry of other land closings before the end of the year, a lead executive said. Fore paid $2.6 million for the 7-acre site at the intersection of Ball Park Road and Batts Street,...

• RIDA announces new tenant line-up for downtown ChampionsGate

  RIDA Development Corp. has added four new tenants to its Downtown ChampionsGate Shopping Center, leaving just one end-cap space available. RIDA Senior Vice President Marc Reicher told GrowthSpotter he has executed leases with Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders, Great Clips, Little Greek Fresh Grill,...

• Second plasma center heading to Kissimmee shopping center next to SunRail

  A Boca Raton-based plasma collection company appears to be headed to Kissimmee's Gateway Station, making it the second such company to locate in the same shopping center next to the new Tupperware SunRail station and walking distance from the new Orlando Health Tupperware campus. CSL Plasma spokeswoman Mary...

• LIFT Orlando clearing commercial site near Camping World Stadium

  LIFT Orlando plans to start clearing land it bought last year just east of Camping World Stadium, but the agency hasn't confirmed future plans for the 7.2-acre site. A LIFT affiliate assembled four parcels at the corner of W. Church Street and S. Norton Avenue for a combined total of $2.9 million....

• Tampa investment firm pays $16.8M for Kissimmee Walmart-anchored center

  A Tampa investment firm that specializes in mid-market grocery-anchored retail centers paid $16.8 million this month to enter the greater Orlando market via Kissimmee. East Coast Acquisitions (ECA) purchased the Walmart Neighborhood Market-anchored Vine Street Square in a deed that posted Sept....

• Haines City approves townhomes in new 28-acre mixed-use community

  Haines City has approved plans for a 182-unit townhouse community  on the rapidly growing C.R. 544 corridor east of Little Lake Hamilton. "A lot of the development we're seeing in Haines City is single family," Deputy Director of Development Mark Bennett said. "This is a great project because it's...

• Magic to file revised master plan for downtown entertainment district

  With groundbreaking anticipated in 2019, the Orlando Magic and its new architect have revised the master plan for the long-anticipated Sports and Entertainment District across from the Amway Center and are actively seeking development partners for the hotel and multifamily components of the district....

• Magic Development planning huge new food hall to anchor retail at W192 resort

  Orlando's largest food hall is headed to Kissimmee's W192 tourism corridor. Magic Development CEO Rodrigo Cunha told GrowthSpotter the company will build a 30,000-square-foot food hall to anchor the first phase of the company's multi-billion dollar Magic Place by Pininfarina luxury resort.  "It's...

• Magic Development signs Wyndham Hotels as branding partner for resort properties

  Magic Development and Wyndham Hotel & Resorts will announce details of a new branding partnership Aug. 28. Orlando-based Magic Development currently has three luxury vacation home resort properties in operations or in development on Kissimmee's West 192 tourism corridor. The firm is now building...

• Equinox plans 48-acre mixed-use town center across from Margaritaville Resort

  Maitland-based Equinox Development Properties has assembled nearly 50 acres next to Disney's Animal Kingdom and across from Margaritaville Resort for a mixed-use town center combining experiential retail, dining, residential and hotel uses. Dubbed "WaterStar Orlando," the town center in southwest...

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• Family owners behind one of Park Avenue's oldest retail properties look to divest

  The long-time family owners of one of Winter Park's oldest Park Avenue retail properties are looking to divest, and have their master lease-holder on board to facilitate a deal.  Located at 290 N. Park Ave., the two-story building lies across from the northern end of the city's Central Park, dates...

• Boca Raton developer nears rezoning for mixed-use plans on SE Lake Nona corner

  South Florida-based Futura Development Company has earned the rezoning needed for its first project in Greater Orlando near Lake Nona, and will seek an equity partner and construction lender in the coming months. Futura previously paid $3.05 million in May 2017 to complete an assemblage of what...

• Equinox files lone proposal to redevelop Altamonte Springs City Hall complex

  Maitland-based Equinox Development Properties made the lone proposal this week to redevelop the City of Altamonte Springs's City Hall and municipal complex property, bringing a team experienced in luxury multifamily and placemaking to the project.  City staff opened the proposal submission on Wednesday,...

• Marijuana dispensary eyes former bank building on Cypress Gardens Boulevard

  A leading medical marijuana retailer is eyeing a former Wells Fargo branch on Winter Haven's Cypress Gardens Boulevard for the city's first dispensary. Surterra Wellness has signed a non-binding LOI to lease the vacant building for 10 years, and company officials met Thursday morning with Polk...

• Brothers behind local lender buy downtown Orlando train depot, seek known retailer

  The brothers and co-CEOs of FBC Mortgage paid $3.975 million on Monday for downtown Orlando's historic Church Street Train Depot property, with plans to draw in a national or regional retailer and crowdsource to learn what the public wants there.  Located at 78 and 90 W. Church St. a block east...

• Fast-casual seafood concept opens first Orlando location, franchisee seeks more

  A Southern California-based fast-casual seafood concept will open the first of 40 potential Florida locations in Orlando this October. Slapfish offers a rotating menu of made-to-order fish sandwiches, tacos and lobster rolls, as well as salads, chowders and entrees. The brand currently has 14 units...

• Tavistock names cinema for Lake Nona Town Center, updates construction progress

  Tavistock Development Company will have Dallas-based Cinépolis USA open a nine-screen luxury cinema as an anchor tenant in the second phase of its Lake Nona Town Center, the company announced on Tuesday.  The 40,000-square-foot theater is planned to open in 2020, and will feature a bar and lounge,...

• PMG updates rooftops, 'living wall' options for tri-tower project in downtown Orlando

  Manhattan-based developer Property Markets Group (PMG) has continued to evolve its design for a proposed three-tower residential project in downtown Orlando, and heads into a city architecture review hearing this week with staff support of its latest changes.  GrowthSpotter first reported on the...

• Developer pursues new permit for land targeted by FDOT in I-4 expansion

  South Florida-based developer The Ferber Company is pressing ahead with subdivision plans for 31 acres under contract along Palm Parkway that have been targeted for I-4 Beyond the Ultimated-related expansion, potentially boosting the land's value to complicate an eminent domain claim by the Florida...

• Battaglia Group seeks PUD rezoning for 105 acres next to St. Cloud's Tohoqua

  Winter Park-based Battaglia Group has applied to rezone 120 acres in St. Cloud for a Planned Unit Development with entitlements for nearly 1,600 homes and a town center to position the property for sale.  The orange grove is located at the southwest corner of Neptune Road and Old Canoe Creek Road,...

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• Dallas-based owner of Chili’s sells 10 Orlando-area restaurants for $39.3M+

  Investment vehicles managed by banks and REITs across the country paid a combined $39.371 million for 10 Chili’s restaurants in the Greater Orlando over the past two weeks, part of a larger sale-leaseback agreement with Chili’s owner Brinker International. Dallas-based Brinker filed an SEC form...

• Toronto-based cannabis distributor preps Orlando fulfillment center, seeks retail sites

  Toronto-based Liberty Health Sciences (LHS) is preparing to lease warehouse space in Orlando for its fifth delivery hub in Florida for medical-grade cannabis products, and is actively pursuing retail sites in the market to open its first storefront within the next year.  Located at 161 Drennen...

• Tampa investor duo grab land near Hamlin Town Center, eye more local outparcels

  Tampa-based retail development partners paid $3.5 million last week for 4 acres in the thick of west Orange County's master-planned Hamlin community, with plans for professional offices and retail they hope will feed off the neighboring residential and shopping center growth. Located at 5300 Hamlin...

• First Watch to open new Winter Haven eatery on Cypress Gardens Boulevard

  Florida-based First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, will continue a Central Florida expansion with its first location in Winter Haven.  "From Lakeland to Orlando, within the last year, First Watch has doubled our footprint," spokeswoman Eleni Kouvatsos told GrowthSpotter. ...

• Pinellas developers plan new dining, hotel at Haines City Main Street corner

  A family-run commercial development firm based in St. Petersburg is seeking permits for an infill redevelopment project that could bring a 120-room hotel, dining and retail to Haines City. East Madeira Corp. Principal Richard Travis told GrowthSpotter his grandfather started the business in the...

• Developer explores mixed-use project for dormant office bldgs along I-4 in Altamonte

  Tennessee-based developer 3H Group is exploring mixed-use redevelopment plans in Altamonte Springs for two long-vacant office buildings, including a potential hotel, retail and new office product.  Located at the southwest corner of Interstate 4 and S.R. 436, the 4.25-acre site was bought in May...

• AEW Capital-managed vehicle pays $72M+ for renovated Winter Park retail center

  An investment vehicle managed by Boston-based AEW Capital Management paid $72.75 million on Thursday for one of Winter Park's newest shopping centers, marking its re-entry to the Greater Orlando market since a major office deal in 2014.  Located at 501 N. Orlando Ave. just south of the Lee Road...

• Houston-based CRE investor pays $9M+ for Ocoee retail center, seeks more

  Houston-based Silvestri Investments paid $9.2 million in mid-July  for its second Orlando-area retail center in the past eight months, buying an Ocoee property with growth potential on the edge of the West Oaks Mall.  Located at 9571-9693 W. Colonial Drive on a signalized corner with Clarke Road,...

• Winter Park National Bank buys drive-thru property for future expansion

  Winter Park National Bank, which celebrates its one-year anniversary next week, paid $1.5 million on Wednesday for a former SunTrust drive-in teller property next to its office to set up future expansion. Located at 345 Carolina Ave., the 0.45-acre parcel lies a block west of Winter Park's Central...

• Palm Beach-based PE firm closes new $495M fund, seeks value-add retail assets

  A Palm Beach-based private equity real estate investment firm with one asset in Winter Park announced last week it had closed its fourth fund with $495 million in capital, and will pursue retail properties in major markets over the coming months, including Greater Orlando. Sterling Organization...

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• Central Parc developers plan $18M commercial plaza in south Seminole

  Central Parc Development's Miguel de Arcos and Dominic Nori are preparing a new 64,744-square-foot commercial plaza in south Seminole County, meant to capitalize on a 700-home gated community being built down the road.  Located on Howell Branch Road just west of Eastbrook Boulevard, the estimated...

• Master plans for parks & infrastructure to guide Creative Village investors

  Updated master plans for the phasing of infrastructure and green space at Creative Village were presented to city staff on Tuesday, and should give certainty to developers considering long-term investment in the downtown Orlando campus while also supporting property values.   VHB's Orlando office...

• New bigger Publix prototype to anchor center across from Providence community

  Halvorsen Holdings, a Boca Raton-based developer, has filed a preliminary site plan for a new Publix-anchored shopping center across from the Providence golf community in Polk County. "Loughman Crossing" could be the first Publix in the company's home county to feature its newest prototype store....

• Emerson preps mixed-use redevelopment plan for core of CenterPointe in Altamonte

  Local developer Emerson International is floating redevelopment plans with Altamonte Springs for the dated office buildings within its 55-acre CenterPointe on the Park mixed-use development. Emerson filed a new conceptual site plan with the city on July 13 that depicts a full redevelopment of the 15-acre...

• Leading private equity firm pays $23M+ for Orlando retail assets, part of portfolio sale

  Investment vehicles led by New York-based Apollo Global Management, one of the world's top private equity firms, paid more than $23.756 million in June for a Publix-anchored shopping center and two triple-net outparcels in Orlando, part of a 62-asset portfolio sale by a large Canadian REIT.  The...

• Growing salon chain preps renovation of former restaurant near Winter Springs

  The co-founders of iStudio Salons will start next month to redevelop the former Graffiti Junktion restaurant near Winter Springs into the chain's eighth Greater Orlando location, and will include additional non-salon retail space. iStudio Salons principals Mark Abbett and James Schregardus paid...

• Retail portion of Maitland Concourse North up for bid amid construction progress

  Winter Park-based Battaglia Group is negotiating with a new developer for the retail portion of its 96-acre Maitland Concourse North property, as construction on the site's infrastructure nears completion later this year.  Located at 601 Trelago Way, the property fronts three lakes with direct...

• Topgolf files plans for second Greater Orlando location in Lake Mary

  Topgolf has nearly 19 acres under contract in Lake Mary along Interstate 4, and filed plans Tuesday for its second entertainment venue in Greater Orlando on a site that was earmarked in recent years for new office buildings.  A preliminary site plan was filed with the City of Lake Mary as part...

• Summit Construction preps Ocoee site for self storage, retail & more

  Orlando-based Summit Construction Management Group has 11.7 acres under contract in Ocoee with a closing anticipated this month, and plans for new retail and a self storage facility they may self-brand and operate.  Located at 255 Fountains West Blvd., the site lies off the Ocoee Apopka Road and...

• Leading cannabis retailer scouts high-profile Orlando sites for market entry

  One of the nation's largest cannabis retailers is scouting high-profile retail sites in Orlando for its Florida market entry, part of an accelerated game plan to open 25 dispensaries across the state in the next 18 months.  Los Angeles-based MedMen announced on June 6 it had paid $53 million to...

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• Atlanta-based retail investor pays $15M for third Orlando-area shopping center

  A subsidiary of Atlanta-based Preferred Apartment Communities paid $15.05 million on Friday for its third large shopping center in Greater Orlando.  New Market Properties is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of PAC, and owns 43 grocery-anchored shopping centers in seven Sunbelt states. Located...

• Start to site work near on Phase 1 retail at Ocoee's former Colony Plaza property

  Boyd Development anticipates breaking ground in the next three weeks on its first phase of retail for 12-plus acres at one of Ocoee's busiest intersections.  The local developer's affiliate Ocoee Corners LLC, formed as a joint venture last year with land owner Cypress Colony, Inc., paid $1.978...

• BTI Partners secures $12 million loan, now looking for more Central FL land

  Fort Lauderdale-based BTI Partners is shopping for more land in the region to grow its Orlando-area portfolio. The investment and real estate development firm, which already has multiple assets in the Orlando market, obtained a $12 million loan on June 28 from Florida Community Bank.  "We are actively...

• Taurus nears permit & groundbreaking on Phase 1 of Apopka City Center

  Site work on the first-phase hotel at Apopka City Center should begin in the third quarter by developer Taurus Southern Investments, with key widening of public roads by the city to follow before year's end, a lead executive with the company told GrowthSpotter.  Apopka's City Council reviewed a...

• California CRE investors enter Florida market with Orlando shopping center

  Los Angeles-based LBX Investments paid $19.8 million on Thursday for its first commercial real estate asset in Florida, buying a shopping center south of UCF with an eye for similar assets across the state. Anchored at 11841 E. Colonial Dr. on the corner of Alafaya Trail, the company bought the...

• Clermont seeks CRE developers & restaurateurs for downtown waterfront

  The City of Clermont is seeking a developer to purchase and revamp two city-owned parcels on a hard corner in its downtown waterfront area, and restaurant operators to take vacant space in the area.  Clermont is requesting Letters of Interest from commercial developers with at least five years...

• Expansion & redevelopment prepped for Oviedo shopping center w/specialty grocer

  The former City Center shopping plaza in Oviedo is getting a major facelift that will include six new buildings, one of which will house the second regional location for specialty grocer Sprouts Farmers Market. Located at W. Mitchell Hammock Road and Alafaya Trail, work on the project should start...

• I-Drive restaurant sues landlord over lack of protection for contracted parking

  A leading restaurant tenant in the I-Shops shopping center along International Drive is suing landlord Unicorp National Developments, claiming the developer hasn't protected its contractually guaranteed parking spaces -- a key factor in its choice to lease some of the most expensive retail property...

• New Cali-Mex restaurant concept lined up for Winter Park's former Carmel Kitchen

  A local real estate investor paid $3.75 million last Thursday for a vacant restaurant property on a prominent corner in Winter Park, and has a new Cali-Mexican restaurant concept lined up to lease the space.  Located at 140 N. Orlando Ave. just north of the intersection with Morse Boulevard, the...

• Local TV news set design-build firm pays $2.5M for new Orlando flex warehouse

  A local turnkey producer of television studio sets paid $2.52 million on Friday for a new Orlando office-warehouse property, capitalizing on market demand to right-size out of its old property and turn a profit.  Located at 3101 Pennington Road, the 1.8-acre parcel features three single-story modular...

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• Mission BBQ files plans as third outparcel for Orlando Fashion Square redevelopment

  Maryland-based fast casual chain Mission BBQ filed plans last week for its second Greater Orlando location, with a third in negotiations in the airport submarket as Central Florida takes a prominent place in the company's growth plan. A Master Plan filed with the City of Orlando confirms Mission...

• Headquarter Hyundai to start construction soon on new Sanford dealership

  Headquarter Hyundai, now operating out of a 60-year-old leased building between Longwood and Sanford, hopes to open a brand new dealership in Sanford after the first of the year. The auto dealership, part of Headquarter Auto Group of Central Florida, is now doing business at 3775 U.S. Highway 17-92....

• Brazilian restaurant chain to enter U.S. market via North I-Drive

  A popular Brazilian restaurant chain will make its U.S. market entry here in Orlando on International Drive. Marcelo Barcia will open his 12th Boteco do Manolo restaurant in the former Tilted Kilt building just north of Sand Lake Road. He signed a 10-year lease with renewable options for the second-generation...

• Enzian Theater pursues new permit for expansion, cost rebid & fundraising ahead

  The Enzian Theater in Maitland took a new step in its permitting process this month toward a long-anticipated expansion, but will need to rebid its construction costs and raise nearly $2 million more in donations later this year.  Located at 1300 S. Orlando Ave., the 3-acre property currently has...

• ContraVest pursues lakefront apts site from Egyptian seller along South I-Drive

  Altamonte Springs-based multifamily developer ContraVest has part of a 51-acre lakefront parcel under contract along S. International Drive, with the Egyptian land owner retaining the balance for future commercial and hospitality development options. The builder and manager of market-rate apartment...

• The Villages developer sets closing month & price for 1,115-acre deal in Leesburg

  The developer of The Villages, a burgeoning age-restricted community spanning three counties, is narrowly circling a land buy to expand thousands of homes further into Lake County. The Villages Land Company LLC — which owns more than 34 square miles in Sumter, Marion and Lake counties upon which...

• Lucky's Market named as new anchor for Apopka retail center redevelopment

  New development, construction and marketing plans affirm Lucky's Market is pursuing its eighth Greater Orlando store in the Wekiva Riverwalk shopping center in Apopka later this year. The Apopka City Council will vote next Wednesday on the final Development Plan for the project, which involves...

• Downtown Orlando apt building owner challenges approval of tri-tower plans

  The owner of a downtown Orlando apartment building is pushing back against plans to develop a three-tower mixed-use project next door, filing a formal appeal with the city that claims the plans violate an array of rights it holds from a past master plan approval. The project in question is Manhattan-based...

• Demetree shakes up entitlements for apts and retail redevelopment near UCF

  Winter Park-based Demetree Global wants to shift entitlements for the phased redevelopment of an expansive corner it owns just west of the University of Central Florida's main entrance, introducing multifamily at a busy intersection.  The company's affiliates own more than 48 semi-contiguous acres...

• Winter Park coffee shop to open downtown store at Church Street Market

  Gourmet Winter Park coffee shop CFS will open three more stores this year, starting with a downtown Orlando location at Church Street Market. Short for "Coffee Frutos Selectos," CFS specailizes in Colombian-grown coffee, desserts and empanadas. The menu also includes a variety of healthy options,...

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• Miami-based CRE group pays $3.6M for I-Drive corner, continues local asset push

  Miami-based Orion Real Estate Group paid $3.6 million on Wednesday to expand its commercial footprint in Orlando, buying a triple-net restaurant property on N. International Drive.  Located at 6877 S. Kirkman Road, on the northeast corner of the intersection with I-Drive, the Sweet Tomatoes-leased...

• NY investor pays $3M for Brazilian restaurant site near outlet mall, seeks more

  A New York-based investor paid $3 million in late May for a prominent Brazilian restaurant property in Orlando's tourism corridor, turning part of the proceeds from a January asset sale to fulfill a 1031 exchange opportunity. Located at 8191 Vineland Ave., directly east of the Vineland Premium...

• Local restaurateur refines plans for Vegas-style dayclub pool along South I-Drive

  A local nightclub and restaurant owner filed long-anticipated plans Wednesday for a Las Vegas-style adult dayclub pool along S. International Drive near SeaWorld, following the development of dual-brand hotels directly north. Dubbed the "Senso Beach Club" after developer Nicholas Virthe's former...

• Local investor pays $3.55M for Oviedo on the Park restaurant duo

  PAC Land Development sold two recently completed regional chain restaurants on Friday in the Oviedo on the Park mixed-use project. "We took it to market in January," Colliers International's Scott Corbin told GrowthSpotter. "There was a lot of interest in this property; we had multiple offers."  ...

• Former NFL teammates reunite to buy Horizon West land entitled for retail

  Two former members of the Chicago Bears football team have reunited to purchase a vacant lot in Horizon West's Village F, entitled for 20,000 square feet of neighborhood retail amid a sea of future home lots.  Corey Graham and Devin Hester, who played together for the Bears from 2007 to 2011, paid...

• Developer Tim Majors buys Ivanhoe Village bldg to expand HQ, bar & lounge service

  An affiliate of local developer Majors Investments paid $1 million on Friday to expand its headquarters building in downtown Orlando's Ivanhoe Village, with plans to add food preparation space to serve its popular bar and lounge.  Located at 2010 N. Orange Ave., the 0.2-acre parcel has a one-story...

• University Club buys space in new downtown Orlando tower, preps buildout

  The University Club of Orlando paid more than $2.135 million on Friday for four floors of space in the new Modera Central tower in downtown Orlando, and could begin buildout in two weeks with a goal of opening by year's end, its president told GrowthSpotter.  Addressed at 125 E. Pine St., the 22-story...

• Orlando Ballet files plans for HQ & school at Loch Haven Park, seeks temp space

  The Orlando Ballet filed formal plans this week to redevelop the Loch Haven Park Neighborhood Center in downtown Orlando as an all-inclusive headquarters, and will be seeking temporary space to lease while demolition and construction occur over the next year.  The organization leases the property...

• Local government officials recap week at ICSC RECon

  Osceola County's W192 Development Authority and city officials from Ocoee and Orlando joined 1,200 exhibitors last week in Las Vegas for the world's largest real estate convention. Hosted by the International Conference of Shopping Centers (ICSC), RECon annually attracts 37,000 commercial real...

• NY investor pays $16.2M+ for triple-net restaurant site on I-Drive

  A New York-based private investor paid $16.245 million last week to enter the Orlando market, buying a triple-net retail asset from Darden Corporation on International Drive.  Located at 8849 I-Drive, the 2.5-acre parcel features a Bahama Breeze restaurant built in 1996 with 8,928 square feet of...