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City, County leaders and the developers of the Allen Apartments held a ceremonial groundbreaking May 4. PHOTO/DAVID CHIVERS -
A rendering of Allen Apartments, which broke ground last week. PHOTO/DAVID CHIVERS
Kissimmee officials broke ground last week on a 312-unit multifamily apartment building that will expand the downtown Kissimmee Historic District and connect it with the adjacent medical arts district.
The Allen Apartments are the first phase of a planned three-phase project located on the 20-acre parcel that was the former Beaumont Middle School. The building will feature 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments mostly at market rates, with 16 units set aside for affordable housing. As part of the project, the downtown street grid will be expanded by extending Aultman street all the way to North Clyde Avenue, and extending Beaumont Avenue to Martin Luther King Boulevard across from the entrance to HCA Florida Osceola Hospital.
“This is really truly an example of a successful public/private partnership,” said Michael Dana, CEO of Skyview. “This City of Kissimmee is truly a uniquely walkable Florida city. Most Florida cities do not offer the tremendous amenities that we have here, including a wonderful lakefront recreational area in Lake Toho, a historic downtown retail area, multiple diverse employment centers including the hospital . . and multimodal public transportation – all the elements that you need to have for a successful urban project are here. Our goal is to tie it all together.”
Phases 2 and 3 will include a mix of residential, commercial, retail and medical office space. This should create a mixed-use urban core connecting the historic downtown area with the medical arts district, making all areas comfortably walkable with each other. Amenities will include a dog park, pickle ball courts, a gym, a pool, and workspace for residents.
The $200 million dollar project is being built by the local Skyview Companies and Greenbarn Investment Group. The City of Kissimmee approved the plan after acquiring the site for redevelopment from Osceola County in 2018. The City is contributing $8 million towards the project mainly in infrastructure and public facilities.
“This project is the culmination of many, many, many years of focus from the City of Kissimmee to make a project on this property happen,” City Manager Mike Steigerwald said. He held up a plan the City had put forward in 1996 to try to develop the former school building, but the County of Osceola bought the property in 1997.
Plans to redevelop it over the next 20 years stalled until 2017 when Osceola County agreed to sell the property to the City, which then put out a call for development proposals.
“The goal behind this project is to bring vitality to this community, to bring much needed housing for our folks that need affordable housing as well as folks that need to be in close proximity to our hospital,” Steigerwald said. “The plan is to have places to work, live, play and shop all within a walkable footprint.”
Mayor Olga Gonzalez called the development, “A significant milestone for the City of Kissimmee.”
“We strive to create a more attractive lifestyle out here,” she said. “This is a public-private partnership that is bound to contribute to the strength of Kissimmee’s overall economy.”
