Work Begins on New Baldwin Park Apartments
Work has started on the 178-unit Azul Baldwin Park in Orlando. The property will be a four- and five-story apartment community that includes amenities more commonly found in a high-end boutique hotel, according to the developer, Jefferson Apartment Group.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Orlando, Fla.—Work has started on the 178-unit Azul Baldwin Park in Orlando. The property will be a four- and five-story apartment community that includes amenities more commonly found in a high-end boutique hotel, according to the developer, Jefferson Apartment Group, which is working in conjunction with investment partner Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc., a private, family-owned investment company.
The development is the latest part of the 1,100-acre Baldwin Park neighborhood, which was built on the site of a former Naval Training Center, and is currently home to about 8,000 residents and 125 businesses. Baldwin Park offers two large lakes, more than 20 parks and more than 50 miles of trails and paths.
Bladwin Park is considered a Traditional Neighborhood Development, which follows the principles of New Urbanism. It mixes residential, commercial and civic uses in close proximity, creating pedestrian friendly neighborhoods that make it possible to limit vehicle trips. Baldwin Park has no gates or walls, and a connected roadway network with more than 25 entries and exits to the neighborhood disperses traffic. The neighborhood won the Urban Land Institute’s Award for Excellence in 2004.
The new apartment’s hotel-like amenities will include a pool with private cabana areas and niches for social gatherings and a clubhouse with a fitness center with planned yoga classes and a great room.  The property will also include an on-site spa, with private massage rooms and staffed manicure and pedicure stations.  Individual apartments will feature nine-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and in-unit washers and dryers.
Leasing is slated to begin in October, and the project will be completed by early 2014. It will seek LEED certification.