Over the last 30 years, members of GAI’s Community Solutions Group have played integral roles in the development of new City Common facilities in Orlando, Florida.

In the late 1980s, the City of Orlando initiated its vision to redevelop the City Hall site and plan for a mixed-use commercial, civic, and cultural complex. The program included the development of a new City Hall; acquisition of nearby property to accommodate a new performing arts and educational complex; creation of open spaces and plazas; and construction of parking facilities that could support multi-functional demand.

The former City Hall became the site of a multi-use plaza and entrance to the new 230,000-sf City Hall, dedicated in 1992. Two office towers totaling total more than 450,000 sf were constructed, the first completed in 1999 and the second in 2005. The towers have consolidated parking facilities to serve daytime demand—the parking was designed to also accommodate the evening and weekend demands of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, which opened in fall 2016.

At completion, the development value of City Commons will be in excess of $700 million, with a significant amount of the investment provided by the private sector. The development has created more than 1,500 jobs and produces $1.9 million in annual tax revenues.