The Orlando City Council gave the Orlando Magic the green light on Monday, to invest $200-plus million into a new downtown sports and entertainment complex, across from the Amway Center.
The 650,000-square-foot complex, will include nearly 70,000 square feet of retail space, hundreds of hotel rooms and office space.
Last year, the city sold the land to the Magic for nearly $13 million, clearing the way for the team to move forward on designing the complex.
The land is located north of Church Street, east of Division Street, south of Central and west of Hughey Avenue, and includes the current Orlando Police Department.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the project “extremely exciting” during Monday’s City Council meeting while District 6 Commissioner Samuel Ings lauded the Magic for their hard work in coming up with the plans for the mixed-used facility.
Construction is expected to take place in phases, the first step being the demolition of a city-owned parking garage as early as next summer. The complex will house a new office building that will serve as the corporate headquarters for the Magic.
