FORECAST: What's next for Hamlin?

HORIZON WEST  Ask anyone at Boyd Development Corporation what their ultimate vision for Hamlin is, and they’ll likely say that it’s to offer Central Florida residents a charming master-planned community with a lakefront retail and entertainment hub.

Hamlin’s ultimate goal of channeling old-Florida charm revolves around 100 acres of Lake Hancock and the surrounding trails and parks, while also offering dining, retail and entertainment options for Central Florida families.

“We really want Hamlin to be a place where whenever people all over Central Florida want to go do something they say, ‘Let’s just go to Hamlin,’” said Kevin Merideth of Boyd Development Corporation, the development organization that is the mastermind behind Hamlin. “There’s going to be so many events going on, so many interesting restaurants and places to shop, we want it it to be a place where people say ‘Let’s just go to Hamlin, we’ll get there and figure out what we want to do.’” 

Merideth said that currently there isn’t much of this concept on display in the Central Florida area, so Boyd Development’s goal is to bring something to the market that doesn’t exist yet on a large scale.

In 2016, developers made quite a few exciting announcements regarding the first retailers and new developments coming to the Hamlin town center. In 2017, residents can expect to see more groundbreaking, further tenant announcements and even a couple of these retailers finally coming to fruition and opening their doors.

CINÈPOLIS

Scheduled to arrive in the fall is a luxury movie theater, operated by Cinépolis USA. Construction on the 40,000-square-foot, 10-screen theater is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2017, Merideth said. It will be able to seat between 750 and 800 people.

“They (Cinépolis) would like to open prior to all the blockbusters coming out in December,” Merideth said. “They’re looking at an opening of late 2017.”

This will be the seventh dine-in movie theater for Cinépolis, which aims to let guests “sit back, relax and escape.” Guests will be able to enjoy waiter service, reclining leather seats and a full bar, along with an elegant lobby space and cutting-edge sound and projection technology, according to the company website.

At Cinépolis theaters, guests must first purchase tickets online prior to visiting. Theaters will open about 20 minutes before the movie begins. Upon arrival, servers will greet guests and take their orders. The meals come out either before or at the start of the show.

Like the Lakewalk at Hamlin apartment complex, the new theater will look out onto Lake Hancock.

LAKEWALK AT HAMLIN

Those in the market for a new apartment to lease just might find their fit at Lakewalk at Hamlin, the latest housing option in the Hamlin area. The $50 million complex will feature 316 units upon completion and fronts Lake Hancock.

“The first units in that luxury apartment community should begin moving in the summer, and then we’ll be complete with that project by the first quarter of 2018,” Merideth said.

Thus far Boyd Development has not yet announced floor plans or size of apartments nor any management company to operate and lease the complex.

Lakewalk is the first apartment complex to come to the Hamlin area. Currently there are three other neighborhoods in Hamlin that have single-family homes for sale: Hamlin Reserve by Ashton Woods, The Cove at Hamlin by Taylor Morrison and Overlook at Hamlin by Ashton Woods. The three neighborhoods will eventually be composed of nearly 2,000 homes.

PROTON THERAPY CENTER

By early 2019, Hamlin will have something that is a bit of a rarity in the United States — a proton therapy center.

The first piece of a 25-acre medical complex, the center will provide advanced cancer treatment. Proton therapy uses protons instead of X-rays in radiation treatments and, like X-ray radiation, is another type of external-beam radiation therapy. As positively charged particles, protons at high energy can destroy cancer cells. 

This center — which will be one of only about 25 of its kind nationwide — will be using technology from ProNova Solutions, which includes “pencil beam” radiation technology that is effective in destroying malignant tumors while sparing healthy tissue.

The two-story, 30,000-square-foot building is set to include three treatment rooms and medical offices. It will see between 800 and 1,000 patients each year and anchors the outer medical campus. It is projected to generate about 100 clinical and administrative jobs on its own.

Merideth said that construction should start toward the end of 2017, with a projected opening of late 2018 to early 2019.

In addition to the proton therapy center, Horizon West is getting its own hospital right in Hamlin, on the south side of Porter Road. Operated by Orlando Health, the 70,000-square-foot hospital is to be situated on 80 acres. It will act as a freestanding emergency room and also include outpatient diagnostics and laboratory services, offices for primary-care physicians and specialists and a human performance and wellness center.

In late 2016, Orlando Health also filed a certificate for a second phase to the hospital — a five-story building with 103 inpatient beds. Since permits and plans have not yet been solidified, more announcements and a potential timeline are likely for 2017.

PUBLIX

Construction started toward the end of 2016 on the Publix Super Market on the southwest quadrant opposite of Walmart. The 54,000-square-foot grocery store will anchor its own 200,000-square-foot retail center, as well as a variety of smaller shops and restaurants.

Merideth said they are anticipating Publix opening this summer. And it won’t be a typical shopping strip plaza but instead will function as more of an urban design, with the buildings pulled up toward the main roads.

“On the Publix quadrant we’ll start the main street that will carry over to the lakefront area. It’ll feel a lot more inviting than typical grocery-anchored shopping centers, and really our focus has been on finding some good restaurant and retail partners,” Merideth said. “The aim is to bring some concepts that aren’t necessarily that prevalent yet in Central Florida, so we’re doing a lot of research and discussion with folks to bring them to the area.”

A main street leads Publix to an eventual lakefront shopping center, which is anchored by upcoming luxury movie theater Cinépolis.

WALMART SUPERCENTER

Located on the northwest corner of the intersection of New Independence Parkway and Hamlin Groves Trail, the 190,000-square-foot supercenter became the first retailer in the Hamlin community to open. Having welcomed its first customers on Nov. 16, 2016, it created more than 250 jobs and serves as the anchor store in its quadrant. It is part of what will eventually be a 400,000-square-foot retail development, and a handful of smaller stores and restaurants will follow. 

The supercenter features a pharmacy, auto center, vision center and garden center, as well as a Dunkin’ Donuts inside and a gas station outside.

“The theme of the building is catered to the Hamlin community, so we’ve really made it more a community type of store so customers in this area see the same type of look as what their homes look like,” store manager Aaron Brothers said in a previous interview.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].