How Epic Universe construction will impact housing, roads, Sun Rail: Universal lays out vision for community impact
Epic Universe construction will extend beyond the park itself, as Universal Orlando recently shared during a Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Universal shares Epic Universe construction details with Chamber of Commerce
On Aug. 8, 2024, Attractions Magazine was among a select group of media invited to attend the monthly International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Loews Sapphire Falls Hotel, featuring a presentation from Universal Orlando on the upcoming Epic Universe theme park construction. Although no new details about the anticipated attractions were unveiled that hadn’t already been disclosed in previous announcements, we did learn some intriguing insights about the resort’s expansion from Universal executives to share with you.
Following an introduction by I-Drive Chamber President and CEO Maria Triscar, Universal’s Senior Vice President of External Affairs John McReynolds took the stage to share Universal’s optimistic vision for I-Drive’s future, and explain some of the steps his company is taking to address infrastructure and transportation issues within the region.
“We are in a moment of time,” said McReynolds. “It really is a moment in time on International Drive. Just like our forefathers did on I-Drive — the Harris Rosens of the world and Jim Harrises, all the folks that literally lead the way — we’re about to go through another revolution in time on I-Drive. I’m going to call it an evolution.”
Universal’s affordable housing
McReynolds highlighted the partnership between Wendover Housing Partners and Universal Housing for Tomorrow to build the Catchlight Crossings affordable housing project, which begins vertical construction later in 2024.
Image courtesy of Wendover Housing Partners
“Universal took 20 acres of land and donated and put it into perpetuity into a nonprofit corporation. Why is that important?” McReynolds asked. “Because it says we have a stake in what the future of our community looks like. We’re going to make this a place that we’re all proud to work and play.” McReynolds said the parcel values between $1 million and $1.5 million an acre, and that Universal was intentional to not build another hotel on the property or sell the land. “That’s 20 acres of land that we took off the books and said we’re going to take the step and help with the solutions.”
Image courtesy of Wendover Housing Partners
Units at the development will be priced using Orange County’s housing task force model, which McReynolds described as “a bell curve,” with housing priced below-rate to the affordable-housing grade to a few options at market-rate. In doing so, McReynolds said Universal will “create a community” and “no longer create the poverty pockets of yesterday when you talked about affordable houses. … This is something that will be a part of the fabric of our community for many years to come.”
Kirkman Road extension construction near Epic Universe
As part of Epic Universe construction, Universal is extending Kirkman Road between Universal’s original campus and Epic Universe. McReynolds said that the expansion to six regular lanes and two dedicated transit lanes “will help the Convention Center, will help us, [and] will help all of I-Drive.”
But he also revealed that it wasn’t Universal’s only option: “What people didn’t know at the time, and I never really said publicly, is Universal — who built the Universal Boulevard expansion 20 years ago when we did the original Convention Center expansion deal (which, I’m showing my age, I was a part of it) — we could have run every single one of our [Epic Universe] buses right down Universal Boulevard. We had the right to do it, but it was not the right thing for our community.”
Photos by by bioreconstruct
Instead, according to McReynolds, “Universal said, ‘We’re stepping up to solve our community’s issues,’ and Orange County came to the table to partner with us as an equal partner. Because of that, we’re going to have a world-class thoroughfare operating: now a critical junction, a critical spine to augment not only I-Drive and Universal Boulevard, but now Kirkman.” Finally, he emphasized that the Kirkman Road extension will open in 2025. “Make no mistake.”
SunRail expansion
McReynolds also spoke enthusiastically for the expansion of SunRail, calling it “how we are truly going to become a full-time mobile community, like other major communities in this country and around the world.”
Universal is supporting efforts to extend the train to its property and beyond through The Sunshine Corridor Program, a partnership between Universal and the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission (CFCRC), as well as the Orlando Right Rail Coalition, and has pledged $125 million in capital for the cause.
McReynolds cited estimates of 125,000 employees between I-Drive and airport who could potentially take advantage of the service, and said Universal would backstop a “a ridership guarantee because we know our workers are going to ride that. We know our tourists are going to ride that. We will back that effort. … We have a moment in time to fix SunRail to the point where it becomes something that we can all be proud of, and also do something very special for our workers.”
Rail station on Universal property near Epic Universe
Perhaps most interestingly, McReynolds shed a little more light on reports that the Community Development District (CDD) surrounding Epic Universal had expanded, which had prompted rumors of a theme park expansion. It seems that the expansion of the Shingle Creek CCD was at least in part to accommodate a hoped-for rail station.
Image courtesy of Orange County Convention Center Station
“We did a great deal with our friends at Hilton … so we could put more acreage into that district so we can build the station on our site, rather than what was originally planned for a multimodal [station] directly on Convention Center land,” McReynolds explained. “By pulling [the station] back a little bit onto the land that we controlled, you then ultimately can make the turn into I-4 and ultimately get down to our friends at Disney and beyond. Without pulling it back, you were never getting around that turn.”
Next steps and economic impact of Epic Universe construction
The next step in the project, McReynolds said, is for all parties involved to visit the Federal Transit Administration in Atlanta, Ga. to “explain why we have what we believe to be the number one rail project in the entire country”
Finally, McReynolds harkened back to the huge impact on Orlando’s market Universal made with the investment in the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and predicted even bigger things for Epic Universe.
“At the depth of COVID, [Comcast CEO] Brian Roberts said, ‘Let’s restart. Let’s get it going,’” McReynolds said of the new park’s paused development. “It was a huge bet in the middle of a downturn and worldwide pandemic, but Brian Roberts said, ‘I believe in the market and I believe in all of you in Florida.’”
In terms of tax dollars and cents, McReynolds said that Epic Universe “will bring tens of millions of dollars annually to the Orange County coffers to do other good in the community. The three hotels alone we estimate will be north of $7 million annually in additional TDT [Tourist Development Tax] for this community. … When you’re talking about bonding a figure like that, you’re nearly $100 million in additional revenue and additional investments that the tourism folks are going to be bringing to this community to do other things.”
Universal says Epic Universe represents ‘everything we’ve learned to do well’
After a recap of recent Universal Orlando additions, Epic Universe General Manager Jeff Polk took the podium to narrate previously published fly-through videos and concept art of the park’s anticipated attractions. Although we’ve already covered all of the details he discussed, it was interesting to see Polk’s evident enthusiasm for this passion project, which has been working on for seven years.
“We are, I would say, putting everything we’ve learned to do well in one place, at one time,” said Polk. “We have tried and tried to make sure that what everybody’s going to experience next year just completely blows you away. I can promise you, just from my time being out on the site — which I go out there very frequently and I look at things as they’re coming out of the ground — and after having looked at drawings and looked at pictures all of it myself, I still can’t believe what we’re building. Every day I walk out through something more amazing.”
Photo by Matt Roseboom
Although you can use augmented reality to explore the Epic Universe scale model at CityWalk for yourself right now, Polk promises that the real thing is “better than the renderings. It’s better than the model.” While Jeff boasted that he’s already survived a flight on the dizzying Dragon Racer’s Rally ride in How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, he also says the park will deliver for the thrill-adverse.
“We have been listening to our fans, and our fans tell us time and time again that they want more immersion. They want more of the story to go around them while they’re visiting with us. That’s what Epic Universe is really all about.”
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You don’t give prime properties to irresponsible citizens who are financially irresponsible. What a joke.