Orlando Arena Can't Be Converted to Downtown Convention Center Site, Study Says

ORLANDO-It was a long shot and it didn’t go through the hoop, but Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos may still keep his NBA team Downtown if the 10-year-old, 17,500-sf, $110 million TD Waterhouse Center can be rebuilt and reshaped to produce the $10 million additional revenue the team needs to break even each year.

An $80,000, six-month study finds converting the Amelia Street arena to a 200,000-sf Downtown convention center site isn’t feasible because demand for such a property is lacking. City officials had considered assisting with but not paying for the construction of a new sports center if the old facility could be converted and used as a revenue-generating location.