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Developer: Orlando's Creative Village set to open in fall as scheduled

ORLANDO, Fla. — The lead developer of downtown Orlando's Creative Village told city officials Monday morning that the project is on schedule to open in August.

Fifteen of the project's 68 acres has been designated for a University of Central Florida and Valencia College campus, which will include office space and housing for some of the campus' projected 7,700 students.

"Creative Village has a mix of housing," developer Craig Ustler said. "It's not just mixed income. It's not just student housing. It's across the spectrum."

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He said 965 apartments will be built in the area by 2021, drawing an estimated 2,100 new residents to the Callahan and Lake Dot neighborhoods.

About 100 of the apartments will be considered affordable housing, meaning it will cost $300 to $900 per month to rent them, Ustler said.

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He said land has been selling for an average of $83 per square foot for market rate projects.

"Some people thought on the west side, we'd never be able to drive private land sales that would come anywhere close to what we're doing on the east side," Ustler said.

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Sandra Cruz, who has lived near the project for almost three years, said she will be glad when construction is finished.

"(There have) been a lot of dump trucks," she said. "If I never see another dump truck again, I'll be happy."

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Cruz said she hopes the project will transform the underprivileged neighborhood.

"They're almost done. It's going to be really nice when it's done. I'm looking forward to that," she said. "It's cleaning up the area, for sure."

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