“Orange County Utilities has long been planning to enhance odor control,” he said.
Weiss said the county-owned wastewater plant, located on West Sand Lake Road and adjacent to the Epic Universe site, was built in 1957 but has been substantially rebuilt and expanded five times. Other projects in the petition include a $40-million improvement to the South Water Reclamation Facility, which treats wastewater from 70,000 residential and commercial properties in a 118-square-mile area. Universal puts ‘pedal to the metal’ on Epic Universe projectĭuring a discussion of Universal’s proposal, Jon Weiss, deputy county administrator, said the cost of the transit station, which includes improvements to Destination Parkway and construction of a pedestrian bridge, was estimated at $93 million, a figure likely to grow as materials and labor costs continue to rise. State law allows for the creation of a community development district, or CDD, a special purpose government intended to ensure growth pays for itself, according to a staff presentation to commissioners.Ībout 935 CDDs exist in Florida, including 24 in Orange County and 14 in Orlando.īaldwin Park was developed through the Urban Orlando CDD.
“We are focused on making Central Florida and, in particular, the area around Epic Universe a great place to live work and play.” “Our commitment includes pledging 13 acres of land to the district - at no cost to taxpayers -to be used for a SunRail station at the Convention Center, supporting the operation and maintenance of the station also at no cost to Orange County taxpayers, and providing an estimated $125 million in capital investment through private activity bonds backed by Universal Orlando,” he said. Name change: Universal Parks & Resorts becoming Universal Destinations & Experiences Hilton is the other.Ĭommissioners learned details of the plan, initially unveiled in January, during an August board meeting when John Sprouls, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Universal Destinations & Experiences, vowed the company would “be part of the solution for mass transit connectivity within the region.”
Universal is the biggest of just two property owners in the proposed district.
The money would be raised by special property assessments and the sale of tax-exempt bonds. The 719 acres in the proposed district primarily involve land associated with Epic Universe, a Universal park with attractions built around characters from Super Nintendo video games and “How to Train Your Dragon” movies. Universal City Development Partners, a business associated with the theme parks, wants the commission to approve the Shingle Creek Transit and Utility Community Development District, according to a petition that outlines a plan to fund $174 million in public infrastructure, including a transit station and tracks. Orange County commissioners will be asked next month to approve a special district that could help pay for a passenger rail line linking Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center and Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort’s new theme park now under construction.
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