Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

Thank you Brink... sometimes the little but important stuff slips through the cracks.

 

Thanks. We didn't hear about that. But still. What happens when they expand and hire more people?

 

In the Spirit's defense, he was hardly the only "insider" to doubt Transformers, and he's explained why he said what he did. If this was a truly last minute decision, then the ride wasn't coming to Orlando as of 6 weeks ago.

This brings up the larger point that we now have almost irrefutable evidence that Universal is leaking bad info deliberately. People on other boards are already calling the audition sheets handed out a swerve. It's funny but for all the money Disney has spent wining and dining it's golden children in social media circles, Universal seems to be steps ahead of them in manipulating the online conversation.
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I think the people calling the HHN audition sheets a swerve are people DESPERATE to find something wrong with the new management.

 

A matter of when, not if a garage for TMs comes IMO.

 

That too.

 

To put it bluntly, they can't remotely fudge those.

 

CityWalk will probably add a large shopping area, making it a destination shopping center. Remember that 45,000sq ft are approved (page 6) for it by the City over the next 20years. But I agree that this land across the street would be useful to Uni. The expansion of Grand National Drive would give them, more or less, direct access to I-Drive in two spots. The CityMark PD (3000 hotel units, 60,000sq ft of retail, & 80,000sq ft of office space) is already approved by the city, though the plans have been forgotten about. They could easily revive these plans, adding time shares and hotel space along with much needed office space.

Double Tree used to be the official hotel of Universal, back when it was marketed as 'The Twin Towers.' If Universal is wanting this Major Blvd Tract they need to move quickly because once Grand National is finished this property will likely be sold fast.

What about the apartments north of Vineland, couldn't that be an option? It would even allow Universal Blvd to get it's own off ramp from the Turnpike!

Those seem to be the only two tracts nearby that seem likely, the shopping plaza to the south just seems too small to matter. Maybe they'll buy the HolyLand The only other option I see is property not attached, such as some of the large tracts south of SeaWorld, but that would be shocking. Would make sense though to way they kind of seem to be warming up to mass transit.

 

YAY we get a HOP land! *squeels!*............................ totally j/k

 

Regarding land purchases...a few weeks ago I put together a graphic with the help of Google Maps and the OCPA. The land I outlined was listed as Universal City Property Management (except for one or two parcels listed as Universal Studios, which from all that I can tell, they still own). However, it seems that UCPM was sold to an investment group of Fourth Quarter Properties in either '03 or '05, and FQP owns most of the adjacent smaller lots. But to take things in an even more interesting direction, it seems that almost immediately following the sale of UCPM and its assets to FQP...Universal went and created a new UCPM division (one is an LLC, the other an LTD, can't remember which was first and which is current). Anyway, here's the graphic with all UCPM/Studios plots outlined. Tomorrow I may come back and expand a little bit on some other plots as well.

 

Universal 3rd Gate Idea

I don't know if this is the correct place to put this thread but I have an idea for a new park at Universal.



This new park would be called "The Universal Classic Domain" (working title) and it's a park for the classics! For Universal Studios Florida it's "Ride the Movies", for Islands of Adventure it's "Live the Adventure of a Lifetime" for The Universal Classic Domain it's "Re-Visit the Classics". Amity, Skull Island, Classic Movie Monsters, Old Cartoons (Toon Lagoon gets a re-theme), Back To The Future, and more! The park icon would be The Pantage's Theater with a special attraction inside.


The Golden Years
This entryway to the park would reflect old time hollywood, and at the end of the road would be the Pantage's theater with a special treat inside. Inside the theater is a show that plays every thirty minutes. Think of it like a mix of the Great Movie Ride finale mixed with the Carousel of Progress and the American Adventure. It starts with the pioneering of film.

Amity
Here would be some midway games, a nice restaurant, and a new and improved e-ticket Jaws attraction.

Suburbia
This land isn't tied to a specific film, but rather holds different attractions based on different films inside. The look would be like a regular suburb. The first attraction is E.T. Adventure updated to today's standards. The next attraction (despite not being a Universal Film) is Welcome to Greenbow Alabama which is essentially a museum of the classic film, inside Forrest's house, and there would be a photo op bench in front of the house. The final attraction here will probably be the best in the park, Back To The Future is back and ready to roll. Be ready to travel to 2045, this a brand new ride (think of the type of ride like Spiderman/Forbidden Journey) but with the almost the same story of the original.

(more will be posted) Comment your thoughts!

 

It sounds like a great park and it's the right place to put it, but there are a bunch of 3rd gate threads on OU. BriMan will show you where.

 

This is an awesome graphic, thanks for making it -- but i'm confused. Does a subsidiary of Universal currently own these plots, or not?

 

No, they are not owned by a Universal subsidiary or shell company. They are owned by Fourth Quarter Properties, which is having serious financial issues (haven't checked on their bankruptcy status in a while). Part of their plan was dumping properties they held but weren't using, though these plots were never specified or mentioned in the plan.

 

Much of that land is watershed, meaning it is purchased as an order to justify the taking of other land. Disney plays this game too... to build AK, they bought what is now the Disney/Audubon land south of Kissimmee. Universal City Development owns soooo much land in south Orlando it ain't funny. But it is all watershed land. The buildable land they had is being used now for the hotel, and a large portion of it was sold to Lockheed/Martin years ago and is used for weapons development for the US Government. Ironic huh?

 

Teebs, none of the outlined land is owned by UCPM or any Universal entity any more (hasn't been for about a decade). If you check the zoning and use codes on the County appraiser website, you'll see that this is all very useable land, and none have been marked for watershed/conservation, or anything else, and never have been. This is contrasted with already existing small plots across Kirkman in the Major Blvd. area that are city/County-owned. In fact, at least two of the large plots have buildings/structures listed, and appear to have been abandoned equipment sheds from images I've dug up.

I'll have to check into their water mitigation plans, though, since I know there are a few other companies that have "gone in" on the Disney Wilderness Preserve in Poinciana (a beautiful place, by the way, but you will be walking next to gator nesting sites!) for their own mitigation efforts.

 

Got it, thanks. So I guess the ultimate question is: Is there ANY land left that Universal currently owns that could be used for additional park(s)? Or is the land just east and south of Cabana Bay all she's got left?

Someone in the know, please chime in!

 

According to everything I know, the only viable land Universal still owns are the empty areas within the current boundaries of the resort. Any further expansion outwards would involve purchasing land (likely land they used to own).

 

There are still lands in the area that UCDP owns... I only checked this within the last two years on local government websites; some of it down near the convention center. But it is true that nothing is adjacent to UOR any longer. (BTW, that is how much land Universal owned back in the late 80's... nearly all the way to Orlando Convention center.)