Amusement Park for International Drive...

**Isafari** · 14-10-2010, 05:01 PM

Developers want to build a new amusement park with towering thrill rides on an undeveloped piece of land on the north end of International Drive.

The park could feature as many as 15 rides, according to a rendering provided to the city of Orlando as part of an application for zoning and land-use changes. The documents also include photos of extreme-design roller coasters, with interlocking loops and vertical, "top-hat" drops.

The tallest ride, according to the sketch, would be 425 feet tall — just shy of the 441-foot-tall SunTrust Center office tower in downtown Orlando. Developers of what's being called "Orlando Thrill Park" would need the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration for a structure of that height, the application states.

The park would be built on 77.7 acres owned by I-Drive Investors LLC. OTP Group LLC — a company that has ties to longtime Central Florida hospitality company Baker Leisure Group — is a partner in the development.

The property, at 5001 Vanguard St., is bordered on the north by Festival Bay Mall and on the south by the residential neighborhood of Tangelo Park. The proposed amusement park does not fall under approved uses for the property, which means land-use changes would have to be approved by the city.

The developers acknowledged Tuesday that the park could lead to an increase in traffic, noise and light pollution in the area but also noted that it could generate additional jobs as well.

"Although we are in the early stages of development, we will eventually generate several thousand jobs during construction and operations," Jorge Ortega, manager of I-Drive Investors, said in a written statement. "We are reaching out to the community to assure that we have taken all of their concerns into consideration."