Belle Isle / Conway neighborhood life cycle (Orlando, Oak Ridge: apartment complexes, condos, houses)

[America097]

From my understanding, there is a theory that says neighborhoods go through life cycles. It is thought that neighborhoods are first built, and then it is a desirable neighborhood and holds steadily onto that as long as residents keep up the neighborhood. At some point later the neighborhood declines and is no longer desirable unless there is some type of revitalization.

I have met a few people who say Conway is not what it used to be, and the I think about how close it is to some less desirable areas. It makes me wonder if those neighborhoods will in the next maybe five years or so be one of those places on the forum where people say don't buy in Conway / Belle Isle.

Do you think the Belle Isle / Conway neighborhoods are on the downward spiral of the cycle?

[otown native]

Originally Posted by America097

From my understanding, there is a theory that says neighborhoods go through life cycles. It is thought that neighborhoods are first built, and then it is a desirable neighborhood and holds steadily onto that as long as residents keep up the neighborhood. At some point later the neighborhood declines and is no longer desirable unless there is some type of revitalization.

I have met a few people who say Conway is not what it used to be, and the I think about how close it is to some less desirable areas. It makes me wonder if those neighborhoods will in the next maybe five years or so be one of those places on the forum where people say don't buy in Conway / Belle Isle.

Do you think the Belle Isle / Conway neighborhoods are on the downward spiral of the cycle?

I wouldn't say it's on a downward spiral by any means. The "less desirable" areas that border Belle Isle & Conway are on the west side of Orange Ave..and in all honesty, they're not as bad as they were 5-10-15 years ago. I grew up near OBT/Holden & went to Oak Ridge High (which is zoned for Belle Isle & parts of Conway) and it was rough back then on those side of the tracks. But it's not as bad any more. And they have that newer charter school now too, Cornerstone I think it's called. There's pockets here & there that might be deemed shady by their looks..the fox hollow apts and that area between Daetwyler & Conway Rd, and then maybe Harvey St & Randolph Ave..but it's few & far between.

If anything, the influx of change happening specifically in the Belle Isle area right now (and remember that Belle Isle is just a small part of Conway..you have other areas like Edgewood, Pine Castle, Gatlin) is that all the old folks that have lived there for 40-50 years are starting to die off, and younger people are coming in and swooping up some of the homes..at least when they were super cheap the past few years. I see this because my parents moved there a few years ago. But I don't think it's a bad thing by any means..there's some newer homes that have been built replacing the much much older flat top roof style homes of the 50's & 60's, and from what my folks tell me, it's still being maintained as a little "homey" type area. And they built up a Belle Isle police dept building relatively recently, so they patrol those rough & rugged streets quite often. ;-)

I'd say more so for the Conway area itself as a whole, it's when you get to the areas that border Semoran (Lake Margaret Dr, Gatlin Ave, etc) and Michigan Ave near the Juvenile Detention Center by Raeford Rd that tend to be a bit more shady. But again, nothing that's crazy crime-ridden or anything. Sure, the area's changed from what it used to be, but what neighborhood doesn't change in a 10-20 year life cycle..especially anywhere in Orlando where people are so transient & move around all the time. But a downward spiral..nah.

[Crane's Rooster]

I don't think Belle Isle will change too much as it will always be desirable and expensive to live on the Conway chain of lakes. Conway I believe will always have some great areas and some not so great areas, particularly closer to Semoran and Lake Underhill. The area is more apartments and condos, and due to their aging and lack of renovation, tend to get cheaper and cheaper. If they re-did some of the older condos and apartment complexes that area would come back as well. However, the neighborhoods in Conway, because of the older larger homes, seem to be pretty stable as far as pricing in environment.

[America097]

Thanks for the great replies so far.

[orlandosteve]

I think every new neighborhood goes through a cycle in about 7-9 years only because people are used to it being perfect. As perfection diminishes, the neighborhood becomes an eyesore/not perfect (streets, sidewalks, paint, roofs, etc…) and everyone begins to - hopefully - repair their once cookie cutter homes. Once the general sense is no longer used to perfection the cycle is complete. Most of Conway/Belle Isle is far beyond that point. It now has charm!

[StreetSmarts]

It seems like these neighborhood cycles change rather quickly from what I've seen. Sometimes new nieghborhoods look bad in 3-5 yrs. Some hold up well. I've seen some trailer parks in NC hold up better than newer subdivisions in East Orlando, lol. FL market is either good or bad. Doesnt seem to be nearly as stable as other states.

[otown native]

Originally Posted by ComSense

It seems like these neighborhood cycles change rather quickly from what I've seen. Sometimes new nieghborhoods look bad in 3-5 yrs. Some hold up well. I've seen some trailer parks in NC hold up better than newer subdivisions in East Orlando, lol. FL market is either good or bad. Doesnt seem to be nearly as stable as other states.

The difference with the these neighborhoods the OP specificially asked about (Belle Isle/Conway) to the norm of FL's housing market, is that the area has had a pretty stable residental home ownership. Unlike much of the cookie cutter subdivisions or apartment complexes that pop up everywhere in Orlando, this area doesn't have that. Most of the homeowners..again, most, obviously not all..have been in their homes for many many years. Even some have been passed down a generation. And the houses that do come up on the market, prices have tended to stay higher than in other areas, so there's not a big influx of lower income individuals.

[StreetSmarts]

^^^ That's cool.

[America097]

Originally Posted by otown native

The difference with the these neighborhoods the OP specificially asked about (Belle Isle/Conway) to the norm of FL's housing market, is that the area has had a pretty stable residental home ownership. Unlike much of the cookie cutter subdivisions or apartment complexes that pop up everywhere in Orlando, this area doesn't have that. Most of the homeowners..again, most, obviously not all..have been in their homes for many many years. Even some have been passed down a generation. And the houses that do come up on the market, prices have tended to stay higher than in other areas, so there's not a big influx of lower income individuals.

What makes some neighborhoods worthy of fixing up and being stable and some of breaking down and falling apart?

[idr591]

Originally Posted by America097

What makes some neighborhoods worthy of fixing up and being stable and some of breaking down and falling apart?

The homes built since the 1980's are for the most part crap and not worthy of fixing up. Older homes were built well with charm and pride. My opinion only.......