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Residents near Camping World Stadium hopeful revitalized neighborhood to bring life back to area

What was one of Orlando’s most blighted neighborhoods is now nearly unrecognizable and ready for residents, thanks to the biggest revitalization investment the area has seen in decades.
Living just blocks from Orange Center Boulevard for more than 50 years, Shirley Richardson Bradley has made neighborhood improvement her mission.
“I saw the entire area hit rock bottom,” she said.
She said what she sees now is a dream come true.
Pendana, a $40 million, 200-unit community of townhomes and apartments, is the first major project by the nonprofit Lift Orlando, which bought the land to focus on revitalizing the area around Camping World Stadium.
The community offers mixed income and affordable housing.
Residents can start moving in next month.
“The phone (doesn’t) stop ringing. The voicemails are always full,” said Latoya Dove-Brown.
She said the first building that opened is already filled.
“A lot of times you see affordable communities (and) they don’t ever put balconies, patios. You want some place where you can go out and still be in your home, but still enjoy your environment,” said Dove-Brown.
Still to come with the project are 120 units of senior housing at the back of the property and, across the street, early education and health and wellness centers.
Richardson Bradley hopes those who moved away from the area will see Pendana as a draw to come back.
She’s also pleased Lift Orlando collected input from six surrounding neighborhoods while developing the community--including its Swahili name, which means Love One Another.
“We decided love means everything, and if people love where they live, they will take care of where they live, and I like that,” she said.