ORLANDO, Fla. — Downtown Orlando’s proposed new entertainment district, located next to the newly named Kia Center, is one step closer to becoming a reality.

What You Need To Know

  • Members of Orlando’s municipal planning board signed off Tuesday on the downtown entertainment district

  • The project still needs to go before city council for final approval

  • The developer, JMA Ventures, expects to break ground on the facility before the end of this year

  • If approved, the downtown entertainment district is expected to be completed by early 2027

Members of the city’s Municipal Planning Board (MPB) unanimously signed off on the project Tuesday.

The $500 million district would be built on an 8 1/2-acre empty lot that sits across from the Kia Center.

Now that it has been approved by the MPB, the project will go in front of the Orlando City Council on Feb. 19.

If approved by the city, the developer, JMA Ventures, plans to break ground before the end of 2024.

“The city has been unbelievable to work with, yes," said JMA Ventures principal Michael McManus. "It’s a great sign. They have been helpful all along the way."

The project includes a 260-room hotel, 16,000 square feet of meeting space, 270 residential units, 200,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of retail, a live event venue with a 3,500-person capacity, and more than 1,100 parking spaces.

McManus expects the development to benefit the nearby Paramore community and other areas by providing job opportunities.

“There is 900,000 square feet — there is thousands of jobs short and long term to be created here,” he said.

Exact financing details for the entertainment project are still being worked on and developers say they will release that information when it becomes available.