New York Developer Seeks to Add Multi-family Residences in Dr. Phillips' Marketplace

KIMCO, the owner of Dr. Phillips' first shopping center, the Marketplace, recently revealed plans to convert part of that property into multifamily housing.

An application was filed with Orange County in late April to explore the possibility of redeveloping part of the Marketplace at Dr. Phillips shopping center at 7524 Dr. Phillips Blvd. to apartments. The property includes frontage on Sand Lake Road, in the area of Dr. Phillips' popular "Restaurant Row" corridor.

The applicant is Orlando attorney Alan C. Sheppard Jr., of Greenberg Traurig, on behalf of landowner New York-based Kimco Realty Corp.

Conceptual site plans produced by Baltimore-based BCT Design Group reflect seven different options for what the redevelopment might look like, of varying sizes between 418 to 879 apartments.

The variations all feature north and south sites and concentrate on multifamily development on the west portion of the property, running north and south, fronting Della Drive. Buildings in all seven scenarios would be either five or eight stories tall.

In some of the concepts with larger apartment volumes, the southwest corner of the property — currently home to an Office Depot and HomeGoods — would be included in the redevelopment. The northwest corner of the property, where a former Stein Mart was located, is redeveloped in all scenarios. A Publix supermarket on the property would not be affected in any scenario.

Although proponents of the project call the expansion a win-win for zoning enhancements, many residents have expressed concerns about the project's impacts on traffic. Concerned citizens will be meeting at the Rosen Event Center on June 1 at 6:00 PM.

The Marketplace first opened in 1983. Local News founder Roger Swanson served as Public Relations Director for the original development.