ORLANDO, Fla. — Semoran Boulevard is the first impression for thousands of people coming into Orlando, from both the airport and the highways, but officials seem to believe it's not very inviting.
"It's old... It's 1960's and 70's architecture and a lot of the buildings are in need of painting or repair," expressed Juan Triana, a business manager on Semoran Boulevard.
Juan Triana runs A-Triple-A Key Storage and is leading a group working to clean up the image of Semoran Boulevard.
"We have a number of businesses that are struggling to remain open. We also have a growing number of vacancies and we want to reverse that," said Triana.
A long stretch of wood and various chain link fencing is part of the image problem. Officials are getting ready to tear it all down to build a more appealing 8-foot brick wall from Andora Street to Casa Blanca Lane next month.
"It is the gateway to the city. And it's just a matter of getting attention, getting their attention," said Triana.
Other possible projects in the works for Semoran Boulevard include wider sidewalks, cleaner landscaping, and uniform signs to replace the sometimes makeshift ones there now.
Officials are also looking into banning a list of businesses from opening on Semoran Boulevard in the future, including check cashing stores and pawn shops.
The city hopes to eventually transform the 1960's era buildings into more modern architecture, in a 'main street' style layout.
"We want to be the enviable destination for the city. We want to be the best district, out of all 6 districts," explained Triana.