Holistic Community Transformation near Orlando's Citrus Bowl

Former eyesore will be pathway for opportunity

Rendering of the transformed Orange Center Boulevard neighborhood into a walkable, mixed income, multi-family community.

In April of 2015, LIFT Orlando purchased the dilapidated, abandoned and foreclosed multifamily property Washington Shores Village.

The demolition of the long-troubled Washington Shores Village and Orange Manor apartment complexes along the Orange Center Boulevard corridor in Orlando was celebrated in January by city leaders, industry partners and residents.

The dilapidated structures in the shadow of Orlando's Citrus Bowl, west of Downtown Orlando in the heart of the Communities of West Lakes, will soon become a walkable, mixed-income, multi-generational, energy efficient, multi-family apartment community, The Villages of West Lake.

The organization leading the effort is LIFT Orlando. Its mission is to break the cycle of poverty and ignite holistic neighborhood revitalization of the economically-challenged area surrounding Orlando's Citrus Bowl - an area with rich histories despite the age of segregation, and once composed of accomplished, middle class residents.

The development partner is Columbia Residential (www.columbiares.com/) - a national leader in mixed-income housing dedicated to see this parcel becomes a safe and economically sustainable community where residents can again thrive. The work of numerous local partners leveraged a $20+ million award in low income housing tax credits. Those funds, in conjunction with a state apartment incentive loan from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation in June of 2015, enabled this demolition and development to proceed.

The physical community transformation began with support from Florida Citrus Sports. The creation of pathways of opportunity for the area's residents is modeled after the national Purpose Built Communities effort. With business leaders effectively partnering with residents to break the cycle of poverty through neighborhood revitalization, LIFT Orlando became the first Purpose Built Communities Network member in the State of Florida during the summer of 2015.

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