On October 11, 2010, the announcement of a new theme park was made. “Orlando Thrill Park” will be the name of this new 78-acre Baker Leisure Goup park featuring many rollercoasters and thrill rides, similar to Busch Gardens. The projected location is the wooded area just south of Festival Bay Mall and the Prime Outlets on International Drive right next to the Universal Orlando Resort. This is also near the Tangelo Park neighborhood. It is said to feature over 20 rides, 14 of them coasters. According to the sketches, the tallest ride would be 425 feet tall requiring approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Tangelo Park residents who are interested in peace and tranquility were not convinced due to the concerns about loud noise and traffic issues caused by the park’s attendees. In February, skepticism broke out due to the high concern about the noise-level factor. A noise study prepared by experts for the developers concluded that “the Orlando Thrill Park would exceed the noise level on adjacent commercial property including part of Festival Bay Mall’s parking lot next door.”
In April, it was announced that plans for the OTP were rejected. It was decided that the noise and traffic the park will produce is considered unsuitable for the surrounding area. There was also less attraction towards the park, because of a statement made by one of the co-owners of the OTP Group, LLC. Doug Rutledge said that they were not confined by themes, because they’re going for thrills making it an un-themed park. There was even more doubt after this statement, due to the failure of other freestyle parks in the past that closed some months after opening.
A month ago, Orlando Thrill Park decided to fight back and appeal the rejection. The project came before Orlando City Council members on May 23rd, where city planning and zoning were at the forefront of the conversation. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “The board of the area’s civic association has expressed unanimous support for the project, saying it will provide jobs and that the developers have enthusiastically sought residents’ input. Other residents, however, have told the city they don’t want the noise and traffic that might accompany the park.”
There is no word on the appeal process as of now…
MORE INFORMATION:
The park predicts Summer 2013 as the opening.
Projected rides include: the Intamin Mega-Splash, a Chance Revolution flat ride, a Vekoma Stingray coaster, a Vekoma SLC Inverted Coaster, the Blue Fire coaster, the Mondial Splash Over, and more to be announced.
