Orlando Events Center

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Orlando Events Center
nickname =


caption =
location = Hughey Ave. and Church St., Orlando, Florida
broke_ground = July 25, 2008
opened = October 2010 "(projected)"
owner = City of Orlando
operator = Orlando Centroplex
construction_cost = $480 million (USD)
architect = HOK Sport
Smith Seckman Reed
Walter P. Moore
former_names =
tenants = Orlando Magic (NBA) (2010-present)
Orlando Predators (AFL) (2011-present)
seating_capacity = 18,500 (NBA)
19,000 (center stage concert)
16,000 (end stage concert)
20,000 (NCAA basketball)
17,200 (hockey/arena football)The Orlando Events Center is a sports venue that is under construction in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Downtown Master Plan 3, a plan that also involves improvements to the Citrus Bowl and a new performing arts centre. [ [http://www.ci.orlando.fl.us/elected/venues/index.htm City of Orlando Community Venues ] ] When it is completed, Amway, which holds naming rights to its predecessor venue, the Amway Arena, will get initial exclusive negotiation rights to name the venue. The arena, whose completion is expected in time for the 2010-11 NBA season, will be home to the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association and the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at noon, July 25, 2008.

The Road to Approval

Prior to Downtown Master Plan 3, the Orlando Magic's ownership, led by billionaire Amway founder Richard DeVos and son-in-law Bob Vander Weide, had been pressing the City of Orlando for a new arena for nearly ten years. Amway Arena was built in 1988, and at present is the third-oldest arena in the National Basketball Association (behind Madison Square Garden and Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey). During various times in the late 1990s, the team even threatened to move elsewhere, though threats of imminent departure died down after 9/11 and remained merely speculation. Still, some analysts suggested that the team might leave for newer arenas in Kansas City, Oklahoma City or even Las Vegas. (Ultimately, Oklahoma City got a team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, when the Seattle SuperSonics moved after the 2007-08 season.)

The Orlando Predators, in the meantime, are the oldest Arena Football League team still in their original venue. They have called Amway Arena their home since their first season in 1991. With the final approvals in place for the new arena to proceed, 2010 will be their 20th and final season in Amway Arena before they move with the Magic to the new arena.

On September 29, 2006, after years of on-and-off negotiations, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty, and the Orlando Magic announced an agreement on a new arena in downtown Orlando. The new 20,000-seat arena will be located at the northeast corner of Church Street and Hughey Avenue, with construction starting in early 2008. The site is referred to as the "Carolina Florida" site, and is further bounded by Division Avenue to the west and South Street to the south [http://www.ci.orlando.fl.us/elected/venues/pdf/OECPressKit.pdf] . The site will be developed with future planned changes to adjacent Interstate 4 in mind, with planning documents taking into account the plans for the fully-completed interchange with SR 408. [ [http://www.ci.orlando.fl.us/elected/venues/pdf/Phase3MasterPlan.pdf Microsoft PowerPoint - Revised November 13 Council Presentation ] ] The arena itself is estimated to cost around $380 million, with an additional $100 million for land and infrastructure, for a total cost of $480 million.

The Orlando Magic will contribute at least $50 million in cash up-front, and rent of $1 million per year for 25-30 years. The Magic will pick up any cost overruns. The City of Orlando will pay for the land and infrastructure. The remaining money will come from bonds which will be paid off by part of the Orange County, Florida, Tourist Development Tax, collected as a surcharge on hotel stays, which was raised to 6% in 2006. The Magic will guarantee $100 million of these bonds.

The new arena is part of a $1.05-billion plan to redo the Orlando Centroplex with a new arena, a new $375-million performing arts center, and a $175-million expansion of the Citrus Bowl. When it was announced in the media on September 29, it was referred to as the "Triple Crown for Downtown". The Magic are anticipating that the arena will be completed prior to the 2010-2011 regular season opener. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-magic09292006,0,1078507.story] Dead link|date=March 2008] It is worth noting that this new venue is often incorrectly referred to an "Orlando Magic Arena". This is misleading as the Orlando Magic will only use the facility 40-50 nights a year, leaving over 300 nights for other events.

The details of the agreement were finalized on December 22, 2006. In the agreement, the City of Orlando will take ownership of the new arena, while the Magic will control the planning and construction of the facility so long as contracting procedures are done in the same public manner as governments advertise contracts. In addition, the City will be paid a part of naming rights and corporate suite sales, a share estimated to be worth $1.75 million the first year of the arena's opening. The Magic will receive all proceeds from ticket sales for Magic games, while the City will receive all proceeds from ticket sales to all other events (it is unknown if this includes ticket sales to Orlando Predators games). [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-arena2306dec23,0,2811417.story?coll=orl-magic Orlando, Magic reach 'fair' deal on arena details - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ]

The Orlando City Council approved several operating agreements connected with the arena plans on May 22, 2007. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/conway/orl-venues22x07may22,0,1422627.story Orlando council OKs $1.1B spending plan - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ] The City Council approved the plan officially, 6-1, on July 23. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/downtown/orl-venues2407jul24,0,2226250.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout Orlando OKs venues; big hurdle awaits - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ] The Venue plan receive final approval by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, 5-2, in late evening of July 26 after a long day of public hearings. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/downtown/orl-mvenues2707jul27,0,7725553.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ] Amendments were made by the County Commission which were approved on August 6 by the City Council, 6-1, sealing the deal once and for all.

City officials said once the new arena is complete, the Amway Arena probably will be sold and torn down. As part of Amway's naming rights to the venue formerly known as the TD Waterhouse Centre, the company will have exclusive rights to negotiate first for naming rights to the Orlando Events Center. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-bk-amway1106dec11,0,715126.story Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ] .

Design

HOK Sport + Venue + Event was named the primary contractor on August 3, with Smith Seckman Reed and Walter P Moore Engineers and Consultants as planning partners. [ [http://www.hoksport.com/news/070803_orlandoselection.html HOK Sport - Selected To Design New Orlando Events Center ] ] As part of the contract, HOK agreed to contract at least 18% of the construction work to firms owned by minorities and 6% of the work to firms owned by women. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-venues1507oct15,0,3815092.story Big venue bidders court firms owned by minorities - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ]

New Magic owner Bob Vander Weide, who took over for his father-in-law Richard DeVos in November 2007, hinted that the new arena would have mid-level luxury seats, meaning they would be below the upper deck seating. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-mnotes1507nov15,0,15219.story Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ] Amway Arena's luxury boxes are above all seats and mounted to the roof of the stadium.

On December 1, 2007, the City and the Magic came to an agreement on nearly $8.5 million in compensation to three owners of the land where the arena is planned to be built. An eminent domain hearing the next week is planned to confirm the agreement and finalize the sale. [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/downtown/orl-venues0107dec01,0,7085075.story Land for downtown venues in reach - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ]

The design for the Orlando Events Center was unveiled at Amway Arena, during the Magic home game against the Atlanta Hawks, on December 10, 2007, with an official press release the next day. [ [http://www.nba.com/magic/orlandoeventscenter/design_unveiled.html MAGIC: Orlando Events Center Design Unveiled ] ]

The Events Center will have an NBA basketball capacity of 18,500, and an Arena Football League capacity of 17,200. This is an increase of over 1,200 seats in each respect over Amway Arena. 1,428 of those seats will be club seats, a feature Amway Arena does not have. It will also feature four concourses, as opposed to the single concourse at Amway Arena. The Events Center will have 56 suites, as opposed to 26 for Amway Arena. The Events Center will also feature 66 loge boxes, with total seating for 316. Instead of being located at the top of the seating as with Amway Arena, the suites at the Events Center will be located between the seating levels.

In addition to the 56 game-view suites, there will be four "Chairman Suites" within a Courtside Club area, which will come with access to floor-level seats.

Controversy

A few weeks after the passage of the financing plan for the arena, performing arts center and Citrus Bowl improvements, International Drive area hotelier Harris Rosen launched a petition drive for an initiative that would change the Charter of Orange County to require a public vote to approve any venue that costs more than $25 million and would use TDT funding for its construction. [ [http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2007/08/hotelier-pushes.html Orlando Sentinel - Hotelier pushes for referendum to derail downtown venues by Mark Schlueb ] ] Rosen opposes use of TDT money for initiatives that do not directly benefit the tourism industry in Orange County. Rosen said he would drop the petition drive if Magic owner Rich DeVos donates $50 million to charitable causes and "adopts" the impoverished Parramore district of Orlando, in the same way that Rosen adopted the Tangelo Park district. DeVos supporters responded with a list of $22 million in recent charitable contributions within the community, in addition to $12.5 million he pledged to build five community centers throughout Orange County just prior to the Orange County passage of the funding initiative. [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/downtown/orl-venues2207aug22,0,5114417.story?track=rss Rosen: I'll end venues fight if DeVos gives more to community - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ]

Government officials contended at the time that, even if Rosen's petition advances and a resulting charter amendment passes, such an amendment would not affect the already-approved arena, performing arts center and Citrus Bowl improvements. However, in late November, 2007, Rosen backed down on his petition due to an insufficient number of signatures.

References

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/magic/orlandoeventscenter/main.html Orlando Events Center] Official Website

succession box
title = Home of the
Orlando Magic
years = ca. 2010 - future
before = Amway Arena
after = -succession box
title = Home of the
Orlando Predators
years = ca. 2010 - future
before = Amway Arena
after = -