Construction has broken ground on The Gateway, a 270-unit market-rate apartment complex rising at 7250 Shadowridge Drive in Orlando, directly north of Orlando International Airport. The five-story, 417,000-square-foot project will include studio through three-bedroom layouts designed for young professionals and small families. Builders expect to wrap the roughly 16-month construction timeline by late 2027.
According to Florida YIMBY, which first reported the groundbreaking, the project is led by developer JBL Development and general contractor Capstone Building Corp. JBL Development is based in Hollywood, Florida, and operates under Managing Partner Michael Rem and Founder Jacob Khotoveli, with a portfolio exceeding 5 million square feet of retail, industrial and residential real estate, according to LoopNet. Capstone, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, ranked No. 315 on Engineering News-Record's 2025 Top 400 Contractors list and has since expanded into Florida with a Tampa office.
Amenities Built for Airport-Corridor Renters
Per the outlet's reporting, the gated complex will include studio, junior suite, one-, two- and three-bedroom units finished with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and spa-inspired bathrooms, plus smart home technology built into the studio layouts. Outdoor features include a heated saltwater pool, a dog park, a pickleball court and fire pits, while residents will also have access to an on-site bar and restaurant and indoor-outdoor coworking space.
Additional architectural specifics reported by REBusinessOnline describe in-unit LED backlit vanity mirrors and tile showers with glass doors, alongside community perks such as private pool cabanas, an outdoor fitness equipment zone, a pet spa and a resident market. The specifications, published in July, detail both interior finishes and shared amenities spread across the five-story building.
Baker Barrios Architects And The Airport Lakes Park Backdrop
The Gateway was designed by Baker Barrios Architects, an Orlando-headquartered firm with six offices spanning Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Nashville, Chicago and Boston. The firm has previously designed downtown Orlando's Creative Village master plan and the EA Sports Orlando Studio, according to its own project history.
The development sits beside Airport Lakes Park, a 56-acre City of Orlando municipal park built with a $500,000 Florida Communities Trust grant, according to the City of Orlando. Located at 7098 Shadowridge Drive, the park features a 0.8-mile nature trail loop, a boardwalk, a disc golf course, a fishing pier, soccer fields and a playground.
Capstone's Recent Southeast Deliveries
Shortly before breaking ground in Orlando, Capstone Building Corp completed the 475-unit Colina Hillside community in Birmingham in July and the 201-unit Herndon Square Phase II in Atlanta in August, according to REBusinessOnline. Both deliveries add to the contractor's active Southeastern pipeline as it now takes on The Gateway.
A Cooling Luxury Market Meets Rising Supply
The Gateway arrives as Greater Orlando works through a historic construction boom: the region had 11,367 multifamily units under construction at the close of 2025, ranking 21st nationwide among 394 U.S. markets, according to Cushman & Wakefield, a pipeline set to expand the metro's apartment inventory by 5.0%. Net apartment absorption across the region fell 30.4% in 2025 to 8,402 units, the firm found, as construction starts moderated to let recently delivered units lease up.
Rents have also softened even as vacancies climb: Orlando's citywide average monthly rent stood at $1,943 in early 2026, down 2.9% year-over-year, with an overall vacancy rate of 8.8%, according to True North Managed. Vacancy in Class A luxury properties like The Gateway has topped 10% following a wave of new supply, the report notes.
Central Florida's Affordable Housing Gap
The 270 market-rate units add to a broader imbalance in Central Florida's rental market: the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro has just 13 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income households, according to Hoodline's prior reporting. Even as amenity-heavy communities like The Gateway target young professionals and airport-corridor workers, the gap between new luxury supply and the region's low-income housing needs remains largely unchanged.
