A new major development is coming soon near the Mall of Millenia. The Orange County Government is on the search for a design firm to undertake a planned 70,000 – 80,000 square foot Animal Services building at 2769 Conroy Road near the Mall at Millenia.
Why is this necessary you ask? Since 2017, an effort to replace the original building was approved by the Orange County Commission, and although a design contract was approved in February 2020, COVID-19 halted those plans, which resulted in the final contract not being executed.
Presently, the site is home to the existing county animals service building, which is approximately 25,000 sq. ft., built in 1987. The new $34 million dollar endeavor, seeks to upgrade the dated building, boasting much more space and a plethora of modern features to reflect our current times.
Diane Summers, manager of Orange County Animal Services, had these words to share in reference to the state of the current facility, “It was designed to meet the needs at the time, and did so for quite a while, but we’ve advanced our mission, services and programs greatly over the years, over the past decade especially,” Summers said. Summers continued by adding, “We need a facility that best matches the Animal Services we are today and will become over the next few decades.”
What’s the new timeframe on this project? We’ve got you covered there too! Phase one (1) is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2024, and end in 2025.
Wait, so what happens to the old building? Well, once all Animal Services operations are moved to the new building, unfortunately, the old one will be demolished, however, all hope is not lost for the space as it will launch a second phase starting in Fall of 2025 and beginning in 2026. The Orange County Animal Services is evaluating how it will construct the facility and has not listed a bid process for the official construction yet.
In even better news, this new project comes on the heels as construction starts rose 10% to $889.7 billion dollars in September, according to Hamilton, New Jersey-based Dodge Data & Analytics. Non-residential starts-including government facilities – gained 15% to hit $281.8 billion!
This is amazing news for the construction industry, Richard Branch, chief economist for Dodge Construction Network, had this to say, “Construction starts have struggled over the last three (3) months as concerns over rising prices, shortages of materials, and scarce labor led to declines in productivity.” He further continued by adding, “The increase in September, however, partially allays the fear that construction is headed for a free-fall and shows that owners and developers are still ready to move ahead with projects. Starts are likely to continue to trend in a positive but sawtooth fashion in the coming months until a more balanced recovery takes hold next year.”
Plus, the project also comes as another animal service organization is preparing for a new home!
This organization is The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, they have plans for a 25,000 square foot facility to be placed on John Young Parkway, this will help replace the current building at 2727 Conroy Road in Orlando, which met its demise from a fire on September 15th. Currently, the non-profit is working to raise $14 million for the facility.
What are your thoughts on these latest developments? Are you excited?
Sound off in the comment section, below!