Tomorrow, Tues. Dec 17th, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to take two important votes relating to the development of Universal's Epic Universe. The Kirkman Road Extension Agreement and Universal's Land Use Plan Amendment are two of the largest remaining obstacles in EU planning before the avalanche of building permits can begin.
The proposed Kirkman Road Agreement details what responsibility Universal and the County each have in the extension of the road. The Kirkman extension will have 8 lanes, including 2 dedicated bus lanes, and is expected to be the main artery for transportation between the two Universal resort complexes. The proposal is for Universal to manage construction of the road, subject to certain county limitations and oversight, and for the county to maintain it thereafter. Orange County is planning to contribute $125 million of the projected $315 million cost, with Universal covering most of the remainder and being responsible for any cost overruns.
The Land Use Plan Amendment is a key document in determining what Universal can build, as it proposes rules on topics like building density and maximum height. Additionally, Universal is requesting many waivers from the normal Orange County code, which would allow things such as launching fireworks or using atypical perimeter landscaping.
The Kirkman Road Agreement, in particular, has generated significant controversy. Many local residents oppose spending so much local money for the benefit of one large corporation, and are unexcited about the additional traffic that the development will bring to the area. If you have time to do some reading, the Orlando Sentinel has done good reporting on the organized opposition to the agreement, as well as Universal's campaign to push it through. They have also uncovered some more questionable actions taken by Universal, arguing county commissioners were misled about the Major Economic Development Projects initiative after not being informed that Universal designed the program themselves and that Universal threatened county staff with having the EU property annexed into Orlando (and therefore out of Orange County's tax jurisdiction) in order to get exactly the proposal they wanted.
In light of this controversy, there were a lot of questions at today's housing announcement about whether the land donation was really just a way to win votes for these crucial EU development milestones. Both Universal and Mayor Demings said that the timing wasn't related to the Universal votes tomorrow, with Mayor Demings instead saying the timing probably has more to do with affordable housing discussions that will be happening at the board meeting tomorrow. It still looks suspicious, however, especially in light of Universal's extensive public campaign and lobbying efforts (also detailed by the Sentinel) and the expectation that the Kirkman vote could be close, although I believe that both Universal measures are expected to pass.