Apartment Choice

August 25, 2008 | By Jerry W. Jackson, Sentinel Staff Writer Despite the real-estate slowdown, apartment developer Lane Florida LLC is moving forward with its Orlando-area projects. The company, launched in Orlando by Atlanta-based Lane Co. in 2006, is wrapping up work on portions of its first complex in Florida, a 384- unit development in Osceola County called Verano Apartments . Work began on Verano, located just off Exit 244 of Florida's Turnpike near Walt Disney World , in November 2007. While leasing has begun and some of the one- to three-bedroom units are occupied, work is continuing and the complex should be completed by February, according to Mike Mulhall, the company's Florida regional development partner . Mulhall said work has also begun on the company's even more ambitious downtown Orlando apartment tower , called The Montage. The 19-story high-rise is being built on Lake Avenue a block from Lake Eola. "The apartment market remains strong , and we have t...

Illinois-based multifamily developer  Banner Real Estate Group  has the initial support of city staff for its proposed 13-story mixed-use apartment building planned in Downtown Orlando, but has also been put on notice that key design elements must change in the coming months.  Conceptual plans and new renderings for the 13- story building will go before Orlando's Appearance Review Board on Thursday for a courtesy review.  That's being done by the developer, civil engineer  Kimley-Horn  and architect  Baker Barrios  to get valuable early feedback from the ARB and staff on their design, before an eventual Master Plan filing . Banner will have to submit again for a formal ARB review and approval, prior to submitting for building permits.  Banner Real Estate project aerial map" class="trb_em_ic_img" title=" Banner Real Estate project aerial map" src="src" /> This would be Banner's entry to the Central Florida market , with a propo...

What is a planned community? It's a housing development where the homes, roads, stores and other features are carefully designed and orchestrated to make living there as convenient and enjoyable as can be. For instance: Shopping centers may be deliberately situated within walking distance of planned community homes , which are typically attached—condos, townhouses, apartments—to make travel by foot manageable. Trees and flowers are planted alongside most streets, along with hiking/biking trails. High-speed commuter rails whisk workers to nearby urban centers  for their 9-to-5 jobs. There may even be village-wide Wi-Fi, to boot. Contrast this with the ad hoc way communities are usually built: In many cases, a developer just plunks down row housing on a parcel of land nowhere near commercial districts, which means you'll have to always grab your car keys for a carton of milk. Sometimes, luck or some modicum of forethought helps these neighborhoods turn out OK, but planned communi...