Development to bring jobs, Fresh Market to downtown area

Development to bring jobs, Fresh Market to downtown area

Developers are gearing up to transform a vacant 14 1/2-acre lot near downtown Orlando into a buzzing development by 2013.

Multifamily housing, businesses, offices and jobs are all expected out of the mixed-use lot at the intersection of Mills Avenue and Virginia Drive.

"I think it's exciting. I think it's a step forward for the neighborhood and the city," said former lumberyard owner Tom Pulsifer.

The big plans slated for the city-approved lot has many excited with expectation including Pulsifer, who used to own the lumberyard that was housed on the lot in 1933.

"This was an industrial corridor. We had the lumber yard, there was a concrete block plant next to us, there was a ready-mix concrete plant, one of the first in Orlando, and then following that was a structural steel yard," said Pulsifer.

"They tried to start this project just as the recession hit, so I think what this tells us is we are out of recession, we're in recovery and we're going to have some recovery and great success here in Orlando," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Included in the plan for the Fresh Market at Mills Park are unique features and architecture.

"We're going to have three restaurants, outdoor waterfalls, water features, outdoor seating areas, fire pits and gazebos," said DeBartolo Development spokesman Jay Adams.

The main anchor for the development is the Fresh Market specialty grocery retailer spanning about 24,000 square feet.

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Development to bring jobs, Fresh Market to downtown area