Downtown Developments Clear First Hurdle

ORLANDO-Downtown Church Street, once a bustling 750,000-sf nighttime entertainment venue but largely dark for the past five years, is getting an adrenalin shot with the planned November opening of the 200-seat Kres Chophouse in the former Pebbles Restaurant.

At the same time, the University of Central Florida wants to open a 100-seat theater at its planned Media Arts Center in a two-story building owned by Budweiser distributor Ford Keine.

The city has tentatively approved both projects and will vote Sept. 15 on $320,000 in cash incentives the developers and UCF are requesting before moving ahead. The estimated redevelopment value of both projects is $5 million, area retail brokers familiar with the Church Street submarket tell GlobeSt.com.