Dr. Phillips Center's second phase construction will begin next month

After dealing with budget cuts, scheduling conflicts and legal battles, the Dr. Phillips Center will finally begin its second phase of construction next month.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the performing arts center is set to break ground March 6 on the long-awaited acoustic hall.

This second phase has been in the works for years, but after a lawsuit with the construction company that built the center, money was funneled away from the completion of the third performance hall.

Now, it looks like construction will finally begin on the third theater, which is on track to open in May 2020. That theater, Steinmetz Hall, will be the new home of the Orlando Ballet and the Orlando Philharmonic, arts groups who ended up having to find other accommodations during the delays of the center's early construction phase.

Also going up in this round of construction is the Green Room, a large rehearsal room and performance space, plus full kitchen facilities and more lobby space.

Before construction can begin, Orlando City Council will have to sign off next Monday on the project's expected cost of $227.5 million.

That figure has grown as the center has struggled to find funding for Steinmetz Hall, the new 1,700-seat venue. The center must still raise $14.7 million to fund all construction costs in full.

Dr. Phillips Center was originally approved by the city and county as a $425 million project back in 2007. If current estimates hold, its final price tag will be closer to $550 million.