Turner Construction Co. was selected May 5 as the general contractor for Westcourt Orlando, a long-delayed $500 million mixed-use development next to the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., after years of financing hurdles and redevelopment planning.
The 900,000-square-foot project occupies an 8.5-acre downtown Orlando site directly north of the arena, home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. Initial site activity is now underway, Turner said.
Leasing and development materials reviewed by ENR describe the project as fully titled and designed, with a groundbreaking target for the second quarter of 2026 and an expected opening in late 2028.
“JMA Ventures has a clear vision of what Westcourt Orlando can become, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help bring it to life,” said Jeff Justen, vice president and general manager of Turner, in the company’s announcement.
“A project like this requires coordination between dozens of trades working simultaneously on very different building types – that’s the challenge we’re built for,” added Justen.
Construction sequencing will drive delivery
Westcourt Orlando is located within downtown Orlando’s expanding residential, entertainment and sports corridor.
Map courtesy of Westcourt Orlando
Overlapping hospitality, residential, office, entertainment and structured parking components are expected to require close phased procurement and commercial coordination alongside an active downtown operations field and event district.
Early enabling work includes utility mapping, surveying and test piles for the deep foundations program. The contractor said work packages will be organized to promote broad participation across multiple components, creating opportunities for local subcontractors and business partners.
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The development team is led by JMA Ventures, with Machete Group Inc., a sports and entertainment venue advisory firm, and the DeVos family, owners of the Orlando Magic. Baker Barrios is the office of architecture, urban planning and urban design for the project.
Plans call for an 11-story, 265-key Kimpton-branded hotel, 269 high-rise residential units, a 3,500-capacity Live Nation-operated venue, 125,000 square feet of retail space focused on entertainment and dining, up to 310,000 square feet of office space on 5 acres of Class A open space and a structure seven-storey car park and 1,140 stalls.
Project materials describe 45,000 square feet of meeting and conference space spread throughout the development, including 16,000 square feet inside the Kimpton-branded hotel and a 6,000-square-foot glass sports court and event space at the top of the office building.
Additional seating for the event would come from a 3,500-capacity venue planned by Live Nation. A separate case study from the International Council of Shopping Centers describes a 65,000 square meter event venue and festival plaza linked to the wider entertainment district.
The office tower includes a 17,000-square-foot rooftop amenity level with a fitness center, tenant lounge, conference room, co-working space, outdoor terrace and other features, according to leasing materials.
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Public funding helped push the project forward
The participation of the public sector has been essential for the progress of the project. The Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency, under an updated developer agreement reviewed by ENR, increased its funding from $1.7 million to $2.5 million to support construction of the meeting space and address rising construction costs.
In return, the joint venture must begin construction of the event space within three years of the agreement’s effective date. According to the case study, the city will be able to host up to 10 government-related or civic events per year without paying a facility rental fee: seven in the hotel space and three in the 65,000-square-meter venue.
The tax increment structure allows the city to reimburse SED partners for property taxes collected at the development site. For the first four years, 100 percent of the tax increment revenue generated by the project would be recaptured, then transition to 80 percent recapture until Jan. 1, 2042, with a total cap of $40 million. The cap would drop to $35 million if the office component is not built, and payments would begin after the first component of the project is completed, according to the case study.
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Housing and retail add civic engagements
The mixed-use district will include affordable housing and commercial opportunities.
Rendering courtesy of Turner Construction
A cost-benefit analysis projects that the development will generate more than $860 million in economic output and support around 800 workers on site at peak (approximately 1,600 direct construction jobs during full construction) before adding 3,000 permanent jobs annually upon delivery.
The development includes 10 affordable housing units for at least 10 years for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, set at $69,500 for a three-person household in Orange County under HUD’s 2024 income limits.
