Orlando will soon get its first combination of retail store, drive-thru, and storage units

If you thought the combination of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell under one roof represented capitalism finally biting its own, extra-salty tail, we bring you the combination storage unit and mini-mall. And it has a drive-thru window.

With five retail outlets, a restaurant and a drive-thru, Liberty Corner will be the first of its kind in the Central Florida area. In addition to the 15,000-plus square feet of retail, the facility will also house a brand-new My Neighborhood Storage Center offering self-storage with 24/7 access.

The colossus of consumerism will be introduced by Liberty Investment Properties and will reside at the corner of of East Colonial Drive and Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando, across the intersection from the 7-Eleven gas station and the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Liberty Investment Properties is a privately held real estate investment, development and management firm with 90 properties in the United States, 53 of which are storage facilities.

According to Liberty’s Instagram account, their purpose “is to create & develop real estate investment opportunities,” not exactly a community-building mission, as anyone living next to a storage unit can affirm.

According to Orlando Sentinel, the $38 billion storage industry has flourished in Central Florida with over 300 storage facilities and 36 facilities in the pipeline. That’s a lot of old furniture.

The East Colonial corridor has been a beacon of business for Orlando in recent years but the influx of citizens has created problems for pedestrians and businesses alike.

Orlando is projected to add more than 1,500 people on a weekly basis for the next 11 years, according to the Orlando Economic Partnership’s 2030 report.

With new businesses bringing expansion to the area, older buildings are being left in the dust, literally. According to the East Colonial Drive Vision Plan, “as a result of economic stress related to the recent economic recession, and an aging building stock, some businesses have either moved to new locations in the corridor or are considering doing so, leaving behind vacant, difficult-to-lease structures and parcels.”

East Colonial Drive is already a heavily trafficked road downtown, and residents may see that intensify when the development opens.

Liberty has not given an exact date on the opening, but it offers a live feed of the construction process for those hoping to catch an early glimpse of the capitalistic cornucopia.

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This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2019.