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Lowndes Advises BluRock Commercial Real Estate on Mixed-use Development in Downtown Orlando’s SoDo District

February 04, 2021

Lowndes is providing zoning and land use counsel to BluRock Commercial Real Estate for the development of an 82,000-square foot mixed-use project in the SoDo submarket of Orlando, Fla. The proposed master plan includes medical offices on Orange Avenue, with multifamily residential located between Magnolia and Rosalind Avenues.

Located on seven acres of contiguous property that were assembled in 11 separate transactions, the project, known as “Southern Oaks,” calls for construction to be completed in four phases, beginning with 143 multifamily units spread across a mix of three-story and two-story buildings. The 36,240-square foot medical office building will be built during Phase B, with Phases C and D marked for future development.

Lowndes attorney Rebecca Wilson, who chairs the firm’s Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Group, is representing BluRock during the approval process.

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Rebecca

Becky  Wilson is chair of the firm's Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Group. She represents property owners, developers, lenders and other development participants with issues related to zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, administrative law, Developments of Regional Impact (DRI’s), procurement issues, due diligence and property rights.


As early as sixth grade, Becky advocated for the causes she believed in. Her concern about nuclear waste and water contamination in her hometown of Dothan, Alabama – and her thorough research – promoted her to press a state legislator with questions in the school auditorium. Having grown up in the South, Becky got in trouble for questioning authority – yet that life experience served her well.

After clerking for a federal judge in Washington, D.C., Becky landed in Orlando, quickly building a reputation at Lowndes for being thorough, outspoken, and a tireless advocate for clients. She ultimately found her niche in land use, collaborating with architects, transportation engineers and local governments to move her clients’ projects – and Central Florida – forward. Becky became one of the youngest female shareholders at the firm. Today, she is Chair of the Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Group.

Her clients include property owners, developers, lenders and other participants in the development of high-rise, hotels, planned communities, large “power-centers,” mixed-use projects, office buildings and big box commercial projects, projects within historic districts, multi-family developments, senior living, and affordable housing. Becky works closely with the local government entities to address the needs of her clients related to zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, administrative lawDevelopments of Regional Impact (DRI’s), procurement issues, due diligence, and property rights.

Undoubtedly, Becky’s diligence, activism and Southern charm were responsible in part for her appointment as chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Central Florida District Council, a global multidisciplinary real estate organization with more than 40,000 members dedicated to the responsible use of land, and creating and sustaining thriving communities.

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