A Miami-based development team plans to revitalize a vacant property east of Parramore that was previously home to Parliament House, a popular gay-friendly resort that closed its doors nearly five years ago.
Lion Gardens, LLC, an entity associated with Ron and Michael Simkins, acquired the 19.3-acre property at 300 N. Orange Blossom Trail. in 2020. The developers originally filed plans in 2021 for a 306-unit market-rate apartment complex on the site, but the project stalled due to a lack of financing. However, the development team is still actively pursuing the project, having recently filed amended plans on the property for a 294-unit complex called Lion Gardens Apartments.
The latest plans call for three 4-story, elevator-serviced buildings, one of which would be situated next to Rock Lake and two of which would be directly on OBT. Surface-level parking would border the apartment buildings, and there would be an amenity area with a clubhouse and a pool at the center of the complex, along with 2,000 square feet of retail space for a coffee or donut shop on the ground floor of the southernmost building.
Engineering firm Exo Limited, traffic consultant Traffic & Mobility Consultants, surveyor L&S Diversified, environmental consultant Terracon, and architecture firm ARC3 Architecture complete the development team.
Ron Simkins declined to comment, citing the difficulty with acquiring financing for large multifamily projects in the current market. However, he previously told GrowthSpotter that he hopes the complex would be a catalyst for further investment along the Orange Blossom Trail corridor.
“The whole energy behind this project is to try to build something nice, you know, and people will come in. We think it’s a great neighborhood, it’s just been down for a couple of years at Orange Blossom Trail. But it’s a great area, and it’s close to everything,” he said.
Georgia-based NuRock Properties also plans to invest in the neighborhood. The developer wants to build 140 affordable apartments with ground-floor retail on 1.5 acres of city-owned land at 246 W. Jefferson St., down the road from the planned Lion Gardens apartments. Most of the units in the 5- to 7-story building would be priced for residents earning between 30% and 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), with a unit breakdown of 24 one-bedroom, 74 two-bedroom, and 42 three-bedroom apartments.
The Orlando City Council voted in January to enter into negotiations on a transfer agreement for the land and a development agreement with NuRock. Any agreements will need to go back before the city council for approval.
Bob Moser, President of the Orange Blossom Trail Development Board, said that the Lion Gardens Apartments and the NuRock Properties projects could qualify for a CRA grant of up to $100,000 or more through the OBT CRA Business Development Grant Program, if the developers wish to apply for the funding. The program aims to give developers and property owners grant money for new construction projects, adaptive-reuse projects, and smaller-scale improvements to properties such as facade improvements within the OBT CRA.
There are three other affordable or attainable housing projects in the works further south on Orange Blossom Trail near the Holden Avenue intersection. The largest of these projects would be a 256-unit apartment complex on 9.6 acres at 4893 S Orange Blossom Trail called The Alton at Lake Bumby. Developer Saul Perez of REZ SE Land, LLC is behind the project.
Archway Partners is currently building The Enclave at Canopy Park, which will deliver 104 affordable apartments on 3.3 acres at 4475 S. Rio Grande Ave. upon completion. Additionally, Birdsong Housing Partners filed plans earlier this year for 92 affordable apartments on 12.9 acres at 4800 S. Orange Blossom Trail. The units would be reserved for residents earning between 40% and 60% AMI.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at (407)607-8160 or TyWilliams@GrowthSpotter.com. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
