Business owner excited about Orlando’s transformation plan

ORLANDO, Fla. — Every time Jennifer Yon, the managing owner of Jenny’s Eat Drink Socialize, gets a new order, she gets a burst of energy. 

The Orlando native has always dreamed of having her own business, but she’s faced some challenges at her Church Street restaurant, especially getting people to stop by for lunch.

“You have to really be innovative, and you have to think outside the box thinking of what you are going to do to draw traffic,” said Yon.

But this week, she’s feeling more hope for the future after hearing more details about the Downtown Orlando Action Plan, an initiative launched in 2022 that “builds on downtown Orlando’s earlier visioning work.”

The plan, according to city leaders, is a strategic framework aimed at advancing the competitiveness, vibrancy and growth of downtown.

They shared renderings of what the transformation would look like, with highlights involving:

• Turning Orange Avenue into a two-way street with curbside parking, outdoor dining and a pocket park
• Lake Lucerne would become a signature park with jogging paths, boardwalks and playgrounds
• City leaders want Church Street to become a festival gathering place, hoping to make it just as busy during the day as at night

“It sounds like amazing things that will just bring more things into the area,” said Yon. “Hopefully that will also bring just some regular residents here that will notice the small businesses that are on the outskirts and come patronize us.”

According to the city, Church Street renovations will begin in early 2025 — along with the installation of an urban pocket park called Art Squared at the corner of Orange Avenue and Robinson Street — set to open early next 2025.

Yon says all these changes make her feel like more business is around the corner — and that she made the right decision investing in the area.

The Canopy, a project that will repurpose the infrastructure under I-4, similar to that of the highline in New York City, will also begin construction in early 2025.

It is projected that it will take two years to complete.

The full DTO Action Plan Summary with details and renderings can be found in the PDF below: