ORLANDO, Fla. – A crew began the process of demolishing a building Monday in Orlando to create more green space around the city’s signature park at Lake Eola.
A former 7-Eleven convenience store at Rosalind Avenue and Central Boulevard, the site where a developer wanted to construct a high-rise, will be torn down by a crane.
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“It’s hard to create green space. Usually, it’s going the other way around,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at an event Monday to kick off the demolition. “We’re going to create a small little pocket park there that people can recreate in.”
The Orlando Land Trust raised $3.25 million, including $1.625 million in funding from the city’s downtown Community Redevelopment Agency, to purchase the parcel, preventing future development.
The land was donated to the city, which will enhance the area with improved streetscape treatments, new landscaping and upgraded lighting. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2022, according to the city.
“This is Orlando’s central park; it is our signature park,” said District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan. “It’s so important that we take care of it and that we add to it where we can.”
Plans for more improvements in the coming years include expanded covered seating at the amphitheater, more observation decks around the water and new bathrooms.
“This is a true community effort, and I could not be more proud to work with these folks to add to iconic Lake Eola Park,” Sheehan said.