Wideman Company Pitches 1980s-Themed Redevelopment of Orlando’s Colonial Promenade for Aviation Authority Vote

Wideman Company Pitches 1980s-Themed Redevelopment of Orlando’s Colonial Promenade for Aviation Authority Vote

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Orlando’s long-vacant Colonial Promenade shopping plaza could soon trade its decades of empty storefronts for neon-bright nostalgia, if a developer’s latest vision wins approval from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. The 180,000-square-foot property on East Colonial Drive, which has sat largely deserted for years near Orlando Executive Airport, may be reborn as “The Landings”—a retro-styled retail and activity center leaning hard into the year it was built, 1985.

A Neon Rebrand for a 1985 Landmark

The Wideman Company presented its design renderings to an aviation authority committee on Wednesday, ClickOrlando reported, pitching a redevelopment that keeps the plaza’s signature arches but recolors them in a palette drawn from vintage Kodak and Atari advertising. The plan calls for preserving much of the west building’s structure while leveling the east building to make way for a larger-format store, alongside new landscaping, street art, and practical shade structures.

Elevating MCO & ORL: The Vision Forward

The 1980s aesthetic isn’t just cosmetic window dressing; it’s a strategic nod to the plaza’s origins. Built in 1985, Colonial Promenade once anchored a busy stretch of East Colonial Drive, but changing retail habits and the rise of e-commerce hollowed it out over the last ten years. The Wideman Company’s renderings suggest a design that embraces that heritage while modernizing the space with weather protection and outdoor art, hoping to draw visitors back to a corridor that has watched businesses come and go.

A Decade of Empty Storefronts

The last two remaining tenants are expected to vacate before the end of the year, leaving the plaza completely empty after a slow decline that saw a Sam Ash music store, a cinema, a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, a Michaels craft store, and an Orange County Public Library branch all close their doors over the past decade. The Sweet Tomatoes and the library shuttered in 2020, and Sam Ash closed in 2024 when the company went out of business.

Wideman Secures Long-Term Airport Lease Deal

For the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which owns the land, the Wideman proposal represents a potential end to a redevelopment search that has stretched since 2018. The agency initially solicited proposals years ago but withdrew the request due to lack of interest, then tried again in 2024. That second attempt yielded only two letters of intent, one of which came from the Wideman Company. If the full board approves the plan, the developer would sign a 30-year lease with two 10-year renewal options and commit to a minimum $20 million investment in property improvements—meaning the aviation authority would retain ownership without fronting capital for the revitalization.

What Tenants Will Fill the Arches?

What the plaza will actually become remains an open question. The Wideman Company has not disclosed what types of businesses it would recruit for the space, leaving residents and nearby business owners to wonder whether the 80s theme will attract national chains, local restaurants, or aviation-related services suggested in earlier agency planning materials. In an April board meeting, staff showed a “visioning video” that described the promenade as a vibrant hub with illuminated buildings housing businesses, restaurants, offices, and aviation services.

“The Colonial Promenade becomes a vibrant activity center, with new buildings illuminated from within signalling businesses, restaurants, offices and aviation services in operation.”

That vision, first teased by the aviation authority earlier this year, now has a concrete design attached to it. The full Greater Orlando Aviation Authority board is scheduled to discuss the Wideman Company’s proposal on November 18, a decision that will determine whether the plaza’s next chapter features a retro revival or continued vacancy.

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