Blog of the FML

Billy Manes covered the current state of the ViMi in the Orlando Weekly’s in the latest issue. He gets to the point of the competing vision for the area. At the center is Julio Lima, who is the owner of the Big Orange Building, and his ViMi design district, XOBO is the proposed newness of Little Saigon and Pelloni is inventing his Uptown Arts and Business district.

Manes covers it more like a brewing fight between preservationist and developers. The Design District folks trying to keep a character while the other two building what they see as potential. It is obvious none are near the same page and I think that the area residents are going to get the shaft on this one.
I have only lived here three years but I own and have a commitment to stay. I want the better business, less crime and and all of that. But I love the odd shape that is Mills now. I know you can’t have it both ways. The upscaling brings homogenization. The odd shape brings faulty business and the leftovers of the old junk. Pelloni mentions the gas station turned car lot as a blight, while Lima highlighted it as a quirk when I talked to him.

They are both wrong. The lots are blightful but the developers will use that angle to justify wiping the good with the bad. It happens all the time and it is necessary to get that kind of growth they bring. Quirky comes in great, unique businesses that fit into the neighborhood, not just merely still there. I receive many complaints through out the year about those joints, the tow trucks and the cars every where despite thee cheap repairs.

Neither is addressing the neighborhoods that actually surround them. Lake Formosa behind Mills Park, Lake Highland/ Park Lake and Colonialtown North straddling Mills. It will kill to have the massive increase in traffic without pedestrian readiness that Orlando is gravely missing if the developers get hold of the Mills and blast it with density. They also can’t deal with the stagnation that might come with a preservationist movement that keeps the buildings but doesn’t really build sustainable businesses. Pelloni had to do serious balancing to get the Formosa crowd to cool to his idea. More might meet better resistance.

We need the diversity and uniqueness that should remain in the area. What would there be any difference in living in Baldwin Park. Julio nails it,

Orlando has enough of the preppy parks: the Baldwin Park, the Thornton Park … How much can you get of these khaki shorts with their work shirts tucked in and penny loafers with no socks? Why not keep part of the city raw, and let the small businessman have a say-so and try to bring more art galleries and creative types to this area?

But we also need the amenities that might keep us here, encourage us to stay, such as a Fresh Market (maybe) in walking distance. The type of businesses mixed use brings also helps the surrounding and existing areas. That rbings price stability to the area and a higher quality of life.

I don’t mean to leave out the Asian initiative but it seems goofy. How is it inclusive of the Asian variety of businesses to choose a new moniker that is national (Vietnamese) and is so new that it will take enormous marketing capital to get it to stick. Besides, to way too many, it already has a name, Little Saigon. Take it, own it, develop that concept. One that already seems to work. Make it a destination, tourism is the game in O-Town. Building up is not really work out right now (see Downtown condo sales).

The real deal is between Lima and Pelloni. Both own real stakes, literally.

But right now, I got even money on the big dog. Money will play it out. But in this case it is just as goofy. In a way it is worse than the XOBO thing. His is a total invention. And it is only partial. The Uptown thing relies on a hard to navigate geographic connection between Antique Row, the Museum area and the shadow of a Design District with a stretch to Leu Gardens. But slapping a new moniker on groups that don’t really play together now and don’t seem to pay well with others anyway is a hard sell.

Look, they all have their own identities. They have existed separately and gain nothing much from the inclusion in this concept. Especially with the business thing added in. Ironically, I have already heard people making up their own names for the half block of Mills at the north end of Mills Park, Medical Row, Hospital such and such. It doesn’t help that Florida Hospital is the one that they are trying not to offend. That is obvious that the “Arts” in the title is just merely a nod to those are still around.

Lima has got an unfunded vision. That is the big issue. He can prop up a few but we need four or ten more like him. Owners that can stay the tide and provide a sanctuary for the crowd that would sustain it. He points to the Miami design District, but it was created by a developer that had that vision and bought up the bulk of the buildings. It was a Pelloni meets Lima perfect storm. Not gonna happen soon.

I feel pessimistic. The long term vision outlined in the Mills Avenue and Colonial Drive Urban Design & Strategic Plan can be a mix of all of this but I think in the end it will be none of the above. I find it amusing the comment about helping the neighborhoods surrounding.

And although city planners claim their primary aim is to protect the interests of nearby residents, the overriding sense is that commerce (when mixed effectively with residential) is the way to build the district up.

When I was talking long term neighborhood preservation and discussing the growing in-fill development (ugly dumb “condos” that over crowd lots) that has been the bane our neighborhood was told by planners that they really see all of the R2/3 portion of the neighborhoods under similar developments to Mills park in 20 years. That was their vision. It hit me hard when Julio rattled off the same line told to him by the same folks looking after the neighbors to the disputed ViMi.

I just hope Lima and Pelloni can pound this out. Find something that gives to both without wiping all of those around them. I have written highly of both recently (Big Orange and the Mills Park) and see them both a enormous benefits to where I love to live.

I disagree with one take of Mr. Manes: “Nobody seems to know or care what happens next”. He contacted me through the neighborhood email but he didn’t respond after I expressed interest in sharing the neighborhood’s view. I would have let him know that we don’t know what the hell’s happening, but we are having another martini (or 2 or 3 or 4 with a shot of Patron Xo Cafe to round it off) despite caring a lot about it.

If Billy does read this response, I invite you to knock on the little yellow house at the end of the Peacock’s drive way, I’ll buy you a few rounds of martini’s and give you our thoughts on the ViMi dealio.

related bits and pieces

John Rife and I discuss the possibilties of the Big Orange

Documents from the Mills Redevelopment plan

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