Downtown Orlando Magic entertainment complex approved

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando city planning commission approved plans Tuesday for a downtown entertainment district.

The Orlando Magic already agreed to pay $12 million for the Orlando Police Department headquarters and a parking garage.

The project is expected to include office space, a hotel, bars and restaurants, but not all business owners downtown are excited about the idea.

The Orlando Union Rescue Mission wants the city to make sure its work with the homeless won't suffer after the Magic's entertainment complex is built.

The $200 million complex will go between the Amway Center and the federal courthouse, but the mission sits in the in the northwest corner of that block.

"I simply asked the city to make sure that anything detrimental doesn't happen to us while this project is being built or after it's been built," said the OURM CEO Allen Harden.

Each night, 60 men line up along the sidewalk to get into the rescue mission.

"In the future, they will line up next to the residential tower,"" said Harden.

A city representative told Channel 9 the entertainment complex will not affect the mission.

The Magic approached the rescue mission last spring to discuss moving the mission to another location.

The rescue mission was on board with the idea as long as the Magic would build them a new facility, but that's where talks seemed to break down.

The cost of the new facility was estimated at $6.3 million. In exchange, the Magic would get the valuable corner of land, but the deal apparently wasn't worth it for the Magic.

"Unfortunately, it just doesn't look like we're going to be able to come to terms," said Magic attorney Greg Lee.

Appeals against the project can be filed until next Monday. The City Council will take up the plan at its next meeting in late February.

Statement from SED Development spokesperson Joel Glass on the Orlando Union Rescue Mission:

“SED Development has made several offers that are significantly above market value to Orlando Union Rescue Mission that have all been rejected.  We have communicated to its leadership that we remain willing to continue to negotiate.  What we will not do is negotiate a purchase of the mission through the media.  Additionally, the Union Rescue Mission assertion that the Orlando Magic is not concerned about homelessness is a complete fabrication, as the Magic has contributed more than $2 million to homeless agencies in the last four years alone.”

WFTV