ORLANDO – A local investment group recently closed on the sale of 3.87 acres in the downtown area’s historic Milk District. Buyer Surrey Homes USA paid $3,600,892.00 for the land that has been approved for 31 townhomes and nine single-family homes.

The Seller, a philanthropic team that includes Marisol Santiago Soderstrom, John Kurtz and Roger Soderstrom, Jr. purchased 4.82 acres for $2.65 million when it was only on the market a short time in 2020. Their plan in purchasing the property was to gift approximately one acre that included the 10,000 Sq. Ft. former Methodist church and fellowship hall to their H20 Church with a growing congregation. With approvals underway, Surrey Homes then contracted for the remaining 3.87 acres.

The new residential infill project is bound on the south by East South Street and existing single-family homes to the east, west and north. “As far as we know this is one of the largest residential land sales and infill projects in close proximity to downtown Orlando in recent years,” Kurtz said.
Surrey will get underway with their site development this fall followed by construction of townhomes with rear-entry garages served by alleyways and Craftsman-styled single-family homes. Pricing is to be determined.

Christian M. Swan, president and founder of the homebuilding firm, said “Surrey Homes feels privileged for the opportunity to offer new townhomes and single-family homes for sale in the Milk District. We couldn’t ask for a better and more compatible neighbor than the H20 Church.”

Soderstrom said members of H20 church led by Pastor Jim Poorman undertook a $250,000, year-long, restoration and renovation of the Mediterranean-style church including a sanctuary and fellowship hall designed by Winter Park architect Rodger Gambles, built in 1956. Many of the materials from the project’s demolition work were recycled and incorporated into the new design.

The building improvements include a new roof, painting, stuccoing the exterior, new interior lighting, new acid-stained floors, a new sound system and a lobby with coffee bar that doubles as a meeting and workspace for the neighborhood. “We wanted the lobby to be a place to serve the residents of our community,” Rev. Poorman said, adding “We love downtown and are very excited to be able to stay here and serve the surrounding community.”

“Our strategy was to invest $250,000+ in the existing Spanish/Mediterranean-style church sanctuary and fellowship hall on the remaining acre and gifting them to our H20 church family,” said Kurtz.

The non-denominational H20 Church has been a member of the downtown Orlando community for more than two decades and previously held services for over four years in the Abby on the ground floor of the Sanctuary at 100 S. Eola Drive.

“The overall development plan with an internal roadway network, new landscaping that preserved stately trees and the classic church restoration merges nicely with the surrounding neighborhood,” said Soderstrom, Jr.

Contacts:
Roger Soderstrom, Jr., Stirling International Real Estate, 407-250-1000 or roger@stirlingire.com
John Kurtz, CCIM, Stirling International Real Estate, 407-250-1000 or Jkurtz@Stirlingire.com
Christian Swann, President / Founder, Surrey Homes USA, 407-695-2222 or cswann@surreyhomesusa.com
Rev. Jim Poorman, H2O Church, 407-489-3440, or jim@h2ochurch.org
Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-461-3781 or beth@larryvershel.com

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