On May 19, Orlando Mayor Dyer and I announced the city’s first Market Street District — the Semoran Business Partnership. “Market Street” is a unique designation specifically designed for the city of Orlando for districts that do not necessary meet the historic preservation requirement for a Main Street designation.
The Semoran Business Partnership joins the city’s five existing districts in the Orlando Main Street program — Audubon Park Garden District, College Park Partnership, Downtown South, Ivanhoe Village and Mills 50. Since the program’s inception in 2007, Orlando Main Street program successes include the investment of more than $138 million and the addition of more than 1,000 full- and part-time jobs and 177 new businesses throughout its five districts.
The Semoran Business Partnership was created as a result of the city’s Semoran Boulevard visioning process. The Semoran Boulevard Vision Plan, developed under my leadership, is a long-term guide for future development and improvements in the area.
The Semoran Business Partnership is a non-profit organization made up of businesses, property owners, residents and leaders within the Semoran Boulevard corridor. The main goal of the partnership is to revitalize parts of Semoran Boulevard while focusing on things such as crime reduction, traffic flow and increasing business.
The Market Street designation area includes Semoran Boulevard from Grant Street to Banco Popular on the north side of the 408 Expressway.
Background
The city of Orlando was the first urban district in the Southeast to be selected for the Main Street program.
The Main Street Program utilizes training, technical assistance and staff support to achieve successful urban commercial districts in our neighborhoods. The districts in Orlando seek to develop long-term strategies to increase the economic power and resources of neighborhood commercial districts while pursuing initiatives that build knowledge and capacity for Main Streets programs and the businesses they serve.