Orlando City Council voted to approve the lease of a vacant parcel at the corner of Orange Avenue and Pine Street at 30 S. Orange Avenue [GMap] during the October 9, 2023, Council Meeting, in order to carry out a series of improvements to transform the space into a new urban pocket park.
Despite being located on one of the busiest intersections in downtown Orlando, the lot has sat empty for over a decade. The building that had originally occupied that corner was built in 1886 but burned down years later and was never replaced.
Now, thanks to the City of Orlando, the site will soon be occupied by an urban pocket park/plaza that will feature chairs, tables, and an art installation. The CRA will be paying $500 per month in rent and is responsible for stormwater utility fees during the lease, which is currently set to renew every year.
The lot was home to a shortlived installation care of Insomniac Events and the Electric Daisy Carnival leading up to the most recent festival, before being removed to allow for construction on the site. Crews started laying down crushed stone/aggregate this past Monday to make it more accessible for public use and the installation will return once the work is complete in roughly three weeks.
The lot recently received a new mural care of Visit Orlando’s “Unbelievably Real” brand initiative earlier in the year.
Design plans for the park were not available at the time of this post, but Bungalower Media and Interstruct Inc imagined a design for the lot back in April 2017 as part of our ongoing I Wish This Was column, which you can read HERE.
