January 13, 2021 – ORLANDO, FL – Today, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and District 5 Commissioner Regina I. Hill were joined by other members of the Orlando City Council and its development partner, Creative Village Development, LLC, to break ground on a new city-owned and city-managed park, Luminary Green at Creative Village. The new 2.3-acre park will be a unique and special gathering space for residents, workers and students of Creative Village, Parramore and downtown Orlando.
“When we envisioned Creative Village more than 15 years ago, we envisioned a neighborhood that would provide residents with new paths to education, careers, business, housing and community,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “As you look around and see the new UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown campus, the new residential buildings that are completed or in progress, the EA Orlando Studio and now Luminary Green under construction, there is no denying – we have made great strides together in fulfilling that vision.”
Luminary Green will showcase a large, welcoming lawn for residents, students, workers and visitors to gather, play and enjoy the outdoors. The lawn will host events for unorganized recreation and feature landscaped areas shaded with canopy trees and seating.
Luminary Green will also include a dedicated area to feature the names of community luminaries – those who preceded us and whose legacies provided a light for our community to advance to where we are today and who still inspire us to look ahead and envision our community’s bright future.
Initial luminaries will be named at the ribbon cutting for the park with the option to add more names in the future. The city is currently exploring ideas for the physical feature on which these names may be engraved, stamped or illuminated.
“Since my first day in office, I have been committed to the revitalization of Parramore and all of District 5,” said District 5 City Commissioner Regina I. Hill. “I am incredibly proud to break ground on this new park at Creative Village in Parramore, a park that will inspire residents to look ahead to the future but will also provide an opportunity to honor and recognize community luminaries who have come before us and whose legacies made a difference in our community.”
The park will be activated with decorative and interactive light installations illuminating the park from day to night and will also include a large artistic circular trellis that will serve as the aesthetic cornerstone of the park and provide additional shaded area for park patrons.
Luminary Green is located at Creative Village, a $1.5 billion public private partnership between the City of Orlando and its Master Developer, Creative Village Development, LLC to transform 68 acres of underutilized city-owned land into a mixed-use, Innovation District.
“When we partnered with the city to help fulfill the vision for Creative Village, a key component of the master plan was for the park to be a flexible, diverse and inclusive public space for the community,” said Craig Ustler of Ustler Development and Creative Village Development, LLC. “These types of special urban places are vital as we continue to build out Creative Village as a mixed-use urban Innovation District.”
The construction manager for Luminary Green is The Collage Companies and VHB provided design/engineering services. Construction on the park is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021. For more information about Creative Village, please visit www.orlando.gov/Initiatives/Creative-Village.
