The city of Orlando gave final approval Monday for Westcourt Orlando, a downtown sports and entertainment mixed-use development estimated to cost about $500 million.
The development will connect to nearby sports complexes and a new entertainment venue.
Located next to the Kia Center, home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the project will break ground in late 2024 with an expected completion date of March 2027, the developers, SED Development, JMA Ventures and Machete Group, said in a release shared with Construction Dive. The project team has yet to select a contractor.
The 900,000-square-foot project will include a 260-room hotel, 270 high-rise apartments, a 3,500-seat live entertainment venue, Class-A office space and dining and retail options. In addition, the development will feature a 1,140-stall parking garage and a 1.5-acre outdoor green space.
Orlando is investing in its downtown in order to attract more residents. As of March, the Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency reported 20 proposed projects worth $1.45 billion in the pipeline, according to the Orlando Business Journal.
That includes:
- 4,258 residential units.
- 556 hotel rooms.
- 136,162 square feet of retail space.
- 312,045 square feet of office space.
The Business Journal found that the city ended 2023 with more than double the amount of development underway than the year before.