Doing the project, however, hinges on Xentury City being able to outbid national developers on a county-planned $100 million, 500,000-sf convention center. The convention center would be the centerpiece of the $300 million undertaking.

Bids haven't been solicited yet. The county is waiting to see what response it will receive on letters of intent it fanned out March 1.

Xentury City, however, isn't waiting around. The company has assembled 13 firms with a total work force of 1,500 employees who have collectively completed $3 billion in commercial work in the past 10 years. Xentury Century city executives are confident they can do the job.

On any project of this size and scope, "the county must rely on the experience and credibility of the team that will be building Osceola's signature facility," Xentury City marketing vice president Susan Lawrence says in a prepared statement. "Xentury City has the team, the site and the firepower to give the county exactly what it wants, and more."

Lawrence is confident the $300 million venture will create "an exciting, new convention and hospitality market for Central Florida, right in the tourism heart of Osceola County."

Xentury City's first-phase team comprises St. Joe Hospitality (project development); Centex Rooney (construction management); Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed (project counsel); Farmer Baker Barrios Architects (project design); Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart (project planning); EDSA (site planning); McIntosh Associates (project infrastructure); and Hanson Walter & Associates (site infrastructure).

Backing up the development team are Real Estate Research Consultants (market economics); Diamond Marketing Group (convention center development); Massey Persons Brinati Communications (public/media relations and Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown (hospitality marketing).

Lawrence expects to announce the team's financial and hotel partners over the next several weeks. Osceola County purchasing manager Rey A. Palma envisions a 600-room to 700-room hotel adjacent to the convention center.

Xentury City's two current projects in metro Orlando are the $2 billion, 400-acre Xentury City mixed-use community with a projected buildout of 10 million sf of hotel, retail, entertainment and office space. About 2.2 million sf of the total project has been completed, according to Lawrence. Xentury Park Place, a 10-story office building, will be flanked by two 20,000-sf retail structures.

The $405 million, 1,406-room Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center (400,000 sf) sits on Xentury City's 400-acre tract.

Xentury City owns another 120-acre parcel in the tourist hub of State Road 545, near Walt Disney World and near the planned Western Beltway interchange. Timeshare units and retail will comprise that development.

Instant Insights /

GlobeSt.com UPDATE: Xentury City Awaits Nod From Osceola on $300M Project

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