“Orlando commissioners gave the go-ahead Monday for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to break ground on its long-awaited second phase, which will add a third theater to the arts center at a cost of at least $227.5 million,” writes Jeff Weiner in Tuesday’s (2/28) Orlando Sentinel (Florida). “A groundbreaking ceremony is currently planned for March 6, which would put 1,700-seat Steinmetz Hall—the future home of the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera Orlando—on track for a debut in summer 2020…. The City Council also agreed to provide $10 million in contingency funding for the project, which could be used to cover unexpected expenses. At the time the arts center’s $329 million first phase opened in 2014, the second phase was expected to cost about $186 million. While officials hunted for funding, the estimate climbed. A breakthrough came in November, when Orange County approved a spending plan that freed up $45 million in hotel taxes for the project. However, the arts center must still raise $14.7 million to cover the construction budget for Phase 2.”
Posted March 1, 2017
