Saturday, April 14, 2018

Strangled by a Loop Ramp


     We were first informed here at the blog about a highway construction project that could potentially spell doom to the last operating Gooding's store last year, shortly after I did my full post about this store. Apparently, news recently broke that the construction project mentioned at that first link is all but official, as the Florida Department of Transportation has begun the process to purchase the Crossroads Shopping Center, the plaza where the last Gooding's is located, for $146 million. The DOT is giving all tenants in the shopping center 18 months to leave the premises, after which point the plaza will be demolished in order to make room for a new loop ramp and a large retention pond. So if you really want to experience the last Gooding's store in operation, be sure to plan around this deadline. Looking at the diagram of what going to go here, it seems like a bit of a waste to turn what is probably one of the most prime pieces of real estate in all of Orlando into a giant pond. When this project was first proposed, the DOT had some other plans that would have spared most of the shopping center, but the plan you see at the link is the one they seem to insist on. I guess like they say, you just can't step in the way of progress. I know that Gooding's current form isn't the most glamorous operation anymore, but it's sad to see this iconic brand now has an expiration date hanging above it. While there is a slim chance Gooding's may relocate, I highly doubt that will happen. I'm sure the other (mostly restaurant) tenants in this plaza are going to be unhappy about having to close or relocate, as I was told many of the restaurants in this plaza are some of each chain's top tier locations in terms of sales due to the shopping center's proximity to Disney property and a high concentration of tourists. Anyway, I'll be sure to keep everyone informed on this topic as I get more information in, including an exact date for the closing of this store (which will probably fall sometime in late 2019). This is a good article explaining the current situation in regard to the future of the Crossroads Shopping Center (in which the author of that article even quoted a piece from my original blog post on this store). I guess now we'll just have to wait and see what happens here over the next year and a half as the DOT's plans begin to solidify more.

Anyway, that's all I have to share for now. Until the next post,

The Albertsons Florida Blogger

9 comments:

  1. I agree with FDOT that something needed to be done with the traffic but I don’t agree tearing down this entire plaza. Thousands of people are going to be put out of work and many of these restaurants are going to have a hard time relocating due to lack of land and available locations in this immediate area.

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    1. I agree, the traffic in this area is really bad. It took a good ten minutes just to get out of this plaza during my visit to the Gooding's. It is a bit unnecessary for the DOT to need the entire shopping center property to make any necessary road improvements though, as it seems like there could have been other ways to add in the new ramps from I-4 southbound without having to remove the entire shopping center. It seems like many people are unhappy about the removal of the plaza for this project, from what I've been reading in other comments online. Removing the plaza will have a very negative impact on the area. There still is a chance the landlord who owns this shopping center could try to take the DOT to court if they won't accept the $146 million dollar offer, but eminent domain cases are extremely difficult for a property owner to win. This is certainly something to watch over the next year or two as everything unfolds.

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  2. The article said goodings was built in 1998 which is wrong because when I was here in 1993 on my internship with Disney it was open.
    This should be of no surprise since Disney sold off the property many years ago.
    I think it would be safe to say if Disney still owned the property this would not be such a big deal.
    This is very sad in many ways. I did two internships at Disney in the 90s. this was the main plaza next to Disney besides Disney market place.
    I took dad to his first TGI Fridays at lake Buena vista.
    Spent many years golfing at pirates golf course.
    I will have to go and take pictures as nothing stays the same in central florida

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    1. The 1998 build date in that article was definitely a mistake, as this plaza was built in 1988 (the author must have hit the wrong key when typing the build date). I know there were rumors circling around that Disney influenced the DOT to remove the entire plaza for this project to boost traffic at Disney Springs. There's no "official" proof of that anywhere, but I can see where these claims are coming from and why people are thinking this, as the restaurants in this center are extremely popular with the tourists in the many hotels in the area (with Disney reaping no benefit from those restaurants being there anymore). I'm sure there are many others who fondly remember the Crossroads from their visits to Disney, much like yourself. It's amazing just how much has changed in this part of Orlando, even just within the last 10-15 years.

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  3. I was there over the summer, and despite having a nasty experience at the Buffalo Wild Wings in that shopping center, it was really cool getting to explore Gooding's. I feel like FDOT should've gone with the plan where nobody had to get kicked out at all to build the ramp. Plus I'm sure Gooding's stayed open due to the close proximity to Disney World. It's a shame to see it go.

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    1. Gooding's certainly isn't anything like it once was, but it is still an experience! With Gooding's being located amongst all of the resorts, as well as being the closest supermarket to Disney property, the tourist traffic certainly helped keep that store alive all these years. From what I remember from looking as some of the alternative plans for the new ramp (which I haven't looked at in a while), I recall that those plans had the new I-4 southbound ramps not swing out as far, and did not include the loop ramp from 535 north to Hotel Center Boulevard. It would have been nice to see FDOT choose one of those plans instead, but the current one you see is the one they seem to insist on. It just seems like a waste to me for this entire major shopping center be torn down for a ramp and a giant pond. There is still a chance that the owner of the Crossroads property could fight the DOT's plan, as these plans seem to be quite unpopular from what I've read (many people don't want to see the Crossroads be torn down), but who knows if that will actually happen. We'll just have to see what happens over the next year and a half.

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  4. Shame to see it go. Sure it wasn't what it once was, but still a neat little store.

    On a distantly-related note, could this be one of the first eyebrow-style McDonald's to meet with the rusty bucket of death?

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    1. I should say, it LOOKS like a neat little store

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    2. It was an interesting place, and it's sad it has to meet its demise this way. As far as I'm aware, this will probably be one of the first eyebrow McDonald's to meet its doom. I can't think of any others that have met such a fate yet.

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