A 37-story mixed-use tower proposed for the vacant lot across from Lake Eola at 170 E. Washington Street has slipped past its first big test, with Orlando’s Municipal Planning Board signing off on the project's overall vision this week. The plan pairs a luxury hotel with more than 200 residences, ground-floor retail and a multi-level parking podium. Backers say it will pump fresh energy and foot traffic into downtown, while nearby residents and leaders of a century-old church warn that the tower’s height and heavy construction could do more harm than good.
What the project would include
The application, filed by HB Capital Group and designed by Miami firm Kobi Karp, lays out a 425-foot, 37-story tower at East Washington and Rosalind that would feature roughly 252 condominium units, a 221-room hotel, about 35,000 square feet of commercial space and six levels of structured parking, according to Florida YIMBY. Renderings and local reporting show a stepped podium and a screened parking façade, and the developers have asked for flexibility to swap hotel space for offices depending on market demand, as noted by FOX 35 Orlando.
Neighbors and church leaders push back
Leaders at the neighboring St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church say the deep foundation work needed for a tower of this size could damage their century-old sanctuary. "To build a building that high, you have to drive pylons very deep into the ground," Father John Hamatie told WKMG ClickOrlando, adding that mitigation techniques proposed by the developers would not be sufficient. Other nearby residents told reporters they fear the project will speed up rising housing costs and make downtown traffic and congestion worse.
Approval process and next steps
The Municipal Planning Board's vote is advisory, so rezoning and final approvals still rest with the City Council and other city review bodies, as outlined by the City of Orlando planning division. The application was presented at a public hearing earlier this spring, and city planners say additional public meetings and technical reviews are expected as the proposal moves through the entitlement process, per The Orlando Real.
Why this matters to downtown
The proposal lands in the middle of a broader push by city leaders to ease some historic-district review rules and speed up redevelopment, a shift supporters say will attract investment while preservationists warn it could weaken protections for older buildings. City officials and commissioners have argued that large projects like this can signal confidence and boost activity on the street, while critics point to displacement and the loss of neighborhood character, as reported by WFTV.
Developers say they will keep working with city planners on mitigation measures and design details as the project advances. Neighbors and church leaders, for their part, say they will push for stronger monitoring and protections if construction moves forward. Documents and upcoming meeting dates are posted on the city's Municipal Planning Board page and have been covered in local reporting by WKMG ClickOrlando.
