The Packing District Seeks Third-Party Operator for Food Hall

JLL will serve as retail broker in the search

ORLANDO, Fla. – [June 10, 2019] – Following last month’s announcement surrounding initial plans and details for the Southern Box Food Hall, Dr. Phillips Charities today announced it is working with commercial real estate services firm JLL to identify a master third-party operator for the food hall. The operator would be charged with overseeing all operations for the food hall, including the identification of the individual tenants and leasing agreements to fill the open food stalls in the Southern Box.

“JLL is considered one of the top retail brokers in the world, and they will utilize their expertise to find the best food hall operator in the country to help with the planning and operation of this important facility,” said Ken Robinson, president/CEO of Dr. Phillips Charities.

For more information, third-party operators can contact Colette Santana at colette.santana@am.jll.com or Billy Rodriguez at billy.rodriguez@am.jll.com. Individual food hall tenants are not being solicited at this time. 

Southern Box Food Hall Overview

Dating back to the 1930s, the Southern Box building, located on the southeast corner of Princeton Street and Orange Blossom Trail, was originally used by Dr. Phillips as its orange crate manufacturing facility. The 22,400-square-foot food hall will be one component of a larger site plan to redevelop the southeast corner of Princeton and Orange Blossom Trail, a site spanning 205,000 square feet. Dap design has been selected as the architect for the food hall, charged with preserving and converting the historic building.

Overall site plans for the southeast corner of Princeton and Orange Blossom Trail include:

• The Southern Box food hall
• A micro-brewery
• A 4,000-square-foot event space
• Signature restaurant and bar
• Large parking area
• Monument sign for The Packing District
• 14,000 square feet of retail space
• 10,000 square feet of office space

Once converted, the Southern Box building will feature an elevated plaza dedicated to shaded, outdoor greenspace and additional seating for the food hall. The design approach focuses not only on the existing building and adjacent brewery, but strategically utilizes the site as an elevated park space and social infrastructure. The design also expands the internal footprint beyond the shell of the building encouraging foot traffic throughout the indoor and outdoor space. Plans call for construction to begin early next year with completion by the end of 2020.

About The Packing District

The Packing District is a 202-acre transformational project centered at the intersection of Princeton Street and Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, preserving and recapturing a defining part of our community’s history while providing a vibrant base of living and commerce. Historic buildings will be repurposed, integrated with new uses, and connected to dedicated public spaces by a new and bold plan for urban trails and a new 100-acre public park (gifted to the City of Orlando) dedicated to health and wellness, education, arts and community, and sustainability. Preparations began to ready the site for construction in 2018. The project will continue to mature over the next 10-15 years as laid out in the four-phase master plan.

To learn more, follow The Packing District on Facebook and Instagram.

About Dr. Phillips Charities

Dr. Phillips Charities has made over $190 million in grants, pledges and program-related investments to Central Florida charities responding to the needs of the community and directly touching the lives of thousands of children and families. The Dr. Phillips name has been a major economic and philanthropic presence in the Central Florida community since the turn of the 20th century. Dr. Phillips Charities honors the legacy of the Phillips family and its support of organizations that live up to the motto “to help others help themselves.”