Development boom brings thousands of residents, customers to downtown Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. - Two new apartment complexes and an office building are in the works in downtown Lakeland and will bring with them a tidal wave of new residents.

Mirrorton, an upscale complex with more than 300 units, Midtown Lofts, an affordable complex with 88 units, and a new office building expected to house 500 employees, should bring in well over 1,000 new people to the area.

Each will have its own parking. The city of Lakeland is also building a new parking garage downtown.

Downtown businesses like Cake Makers Studio, which whips up extravagant cakes and sells ice cream, cookies, and other sweets, is looking forward to it. The relatively new business says more activity downtown could only help.

“That means that we struggle a little bit less at the end of the month,” said Luis Arias, the owner.

More established businesses like the ones that line Kentucky and Tennessee Avenues should benefit, as well.

“The more people that we have walking up and down the streets, it energizes the stores, it energizes the people,” Julie Townsend, executive director of Lakeland Downtown Development Authority, told FOX 13.

“They feel like it’s a kind of cool, happening place, and once you experience that, you want to come back,” she said.

In recent years, there has been a development boom downtown, primarily made up of older buildings being rehabilitated as business space.

Lakeland spokesman Kevin Cook is especially enthused about hundreds of people soon having the opportunity to live there.

“This is only going to add to the flavor of downtown,” Cook said.