Dr. Phillips Center hoping for $145 million expansion

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts is hoping to get much bigger. 

It’s had a plan to eventually expand to a 9-acre campus since 2007. The nonprofit is hoping to shift into Phase 3 of that plan.

There would be an outdoor auditorium that would hold between 5,000-7,000 guests.

That’s on top of a 10,000-square-foot event space, a 750-seat theater, and a 12,000-square-foot "immersive performance venue." The Dr. Phillips Center didn’t provide much more information on what that immersion would entail.

They also want to add a garden and a couple of restaurants.

As you can imagine, stuff like that does not come cheap. 

It would cost about $175 million to build.

The nonprofit would pay for $15 million of that. It’s asking the City of Orlando for another $15 million.

The other $145 million would come from the tourist development tax.

The Dr. Phillips Center argues its worth the investment because the new additions would create over 1,500 new jobs, and generate $11 million in annual tax revenue.

To be clear, this project is not something you’ll see any time soon.

The Dr. Phillips Center is hoping to get things up and running by early 2027.