Creative Village

What Creative Village does

Creative Village Development, LLC is a master developer of a 68-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented urban innovation district in Downtown Orlando, Florida, operating as a joint venture between Ustler Development, Inc. (a local Orlando developer led by Craig Ustler) and Banc of America Community Development Company (BACDC), with the City of Orlando serving as the landowner under a public/private partnership framework. The company's customers include third-party real estate developers (Mill Creek Residential, Atlantic Housing Partners, The Allen Morris Company, DEVEN Development Ventures Group), corporate tenants such as Electronic Arts, higher education institutions (UCF and Valencia College), and end users including residents, students, and creative-industry professionals.

The district is structured around a live/work/learn/play urban model integrating higher education campuses, mixed-income and market-rate residential, student housing, corporate creative studios, retail, a hotel, and public open space, with SunRail commuter rail and LYMMO Bus Rapid Transit access as the core infrastructure backbone. Phase 1, completed in August 2022, delivered over $700 million in development activity, including the UCF/Valencia Downtown Campus serving more than 8,000 students/faculty/staff, the 176,000-square-foot Electronic Arts Orlando Studio (1,000+ team members producing Madden NFL, NBA Live, and PGA Tour), 701 market-rate apartments across The Julian and Modera Creative Village, 256 mixed-income units at Amelia Court, 640 purpose-built student housing beds at UnionWest, 28,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and the 2.3-acre Luminary Green Park. Phase 2, under construction as of February 2026, includes Parcel H ($60 million, 112 apartments and 22,000 SF commercial) and The Beacon ($40 million, 115 mixed-income units), with an additional 122-unit mixed-use project planned by Ustler.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: land parcel sales to third-party developers for vertical construction, long-term ground leases with corporate tenants (e.g., EA's build-to-suit office), and development fees derived from the master development agreement with the City of Orlando. Aggregate project-level transaction values are publicly disclosed ($108M Julian, $105M UnionWest, $75M Modera, $62M EA office, $56M Amelia Court) while individual unit, commercial, and lease pricing is not. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct negotiation with corporate tenants and government coordination, supplemented by JLL as the exclusive land broker for remaining parcels.

Name

Creative Village

Legal name

Creative Village Development, LLC

Website

https://creativevillageorlando.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Creative Village Development, LLC is a master developer of a 68-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented innovation district in Downtown Orlando, operating through a public/private partnership. It serves third-party developers, corporate tenants (including Electronic Arts), higher education institutions (UCF, Valencia College), and urban residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Development

NAICS

Land Subdivision (2372)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction (IMAFACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

Keywords

• Mixed-use development
• Urban innovation district
• Transit-oriented development
• Master-planned community
• Real estate development

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development and Leasing: Creative Village generates revenue through land sales to third-party developers, long-term ground leases with corporate tenants (e.g., EA Orlando's 175,940 SF build-to-suit office), and development fees from the master development partnership with the City of Orlando. Revenue is realized through property sales (UnionWest sold in 2024 as Orlando's most expensive multifamily transaction), commercial leasing, and residential development partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Creative Village is a 68-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented urban innovation district in Downtown Orlando, developed as a master-planned live-work-learn-play neighborhood through a public-private partnership between the City of Orlando and Creative Village Development, LLC. The company sells developable land parcels to third-party developers for residential, office, and commercial projects, executes long-term build-to-suit ground leases with corporate tenants (e.g., Electronic Arts), and coordinates higher education facilities (UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown campuses), student housing, market-rate and mixed-income apartments, and public amenities such as Luminary Green Park.

Product overview

Creative Village is a 68-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented urban innovation district in Downtown Orlando, Florida, developed as a public/private partnership between the City of Orlando and Creative Village Development, LLC. The development features a diverse portfolio of real estate products including mixed-income residential (Amelia Court), market-rate apartments (The Julian, Modera Creative Village), student housing (UnionWest), higher education facilities (UCF Downtown Campus with Dr. Phillips Academic Commons and FIEA program), corporate creative studios (Electronic Arts Orlando Studio), and public spaces (Luminary Green Park). Phase 2 development includes Parcel H mixed-use building and The Beacon mixed-income housing. The district supports a 'live, work, learn, play' lifestyle with up to 900,000 SF of office/creative space, 800,000 SF of higher education space, 2,000+ residential units, and 100,000 SF of retail/commercial space when complete.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Amelia Court 256-unit mixed-income apartment community developed by Atlantic Housing and Banc of America Community Development Corporation; the first building to open at Creative Village in July 2019, with total investment of $56 million.
• The Julian Apartments 14-story, 409-unit market-rate apartment building co-developed by The Allen Morris Company and Ustler Development, Inc., with approximately 6,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space and a total project value of approximately $108 million; the first market-rate apartment project at Creative Village.
• Modera Creative Village 292-unit market-rate apartment community developed by Mill Creek Residential Trust, featuring structured parking and approximately 10,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, with total investment of $75 million.
• UnionWest at Creative Village 15-story mixed-use student housing building developed by Ustler Development, Inc. and DEVEN Development Ventures Group, featuring approximately 640 student housing beds, 105,000 SF of education space, and ground floor retail/commercial space; sold in December 2024 as Orlando market's most expensive multifamily transaction of the year.
• UCF Downtown Campus (Dr. Phillips Academic Commons) 148,000-square foot academic building at UCF Downtown, part of the joint campus with Valencia College, housing educational programs including the top-ranked Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) video game design program and serving over 8,000 students/faculty/staff.
• Electronic Arts Orlando Studio 175,940 SF office building leased to EA Tiberon, Inc. (a subsidiary of NASDAQ: EA), serving as the corporate anchor of Creative Village; home to creative teams producing Madden NFL, NBA Live, PGA Tour, and other popular video games with 1,000+ team members.
• Parcel H 7-story mixed-use development under construction as part of Phase 2, featuring 112 apartments and 22,000 square feet of restaurant/retail/office space, with total investment of $60 million and scheduled for completion in 2027; financed in part by a $36 million Synovus Bank construction loan.
• The Beacon 5-story residential building under construction as part of Phase 2 with 115 mixed-income apartments, developed by Atlantic Housing Partners and Banc of America Community Development Company, with an investment of $40 million and expected opening in late 2026.
• Luminary Green Park 2.3-acre public park located at the center of Creative Village, serving as a signature gathering space for residents, workers, students, and visitors; funded in part by a $5.3 million Orlando City Council agreement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase 1 represents over $700 million in development activity completed August 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chef Norman Van AkenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Legendary chef partnered with Valencia College Downtown campus for 'Get Cooking' program teaching under-resourced families to prepare healthy meals for under $20, leveraging culinary facilities at Creative Village.
• Electronic Arts (EA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019EA Tiberon Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) relocated Florida headquarters and 700+ jobs to Creative Village in October 2021, with plans to expand to 1,000+ by 2025. Creates Madden NFL, NBA Live, PGA Tour at the 176,000 SF studio. Partnership with UCF's FIEA creates talent pipeline.
• City of OrlandocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Orlando conceived the original Creative Village concept and is the landowner. Led by Mayor Buddy Dyer, the city provides public sector partnership, zoning approvals, infrastructure investment, and is party to the master development agreement with Creative Village Development LLC.
• Ustler Development, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal development team led by Craig Ustler with 25+ years of experience in transformative urban infill projects in Downtown Orlando. Has developed over $450 million in Downtown Orlando projects including Thornton Park Central, 801 North Orange, The Julian, UnionWest, and EA Orlando Studio at Creative Village.
• VelocityREDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial real estate development, investment and consulting company led by Brooke Myers with experience in large-scale master-planned projects, multi-family residential, and hospitality developments. Currently working on Creative Village and AdventHealth Health Village.
• University of Central Florida (UCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCF Downtown campus opened August 2019 at Creative Village with over 8,000 students/faculty/staff. Home to world's top-ranked Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) game design program. Partnership enables talent pipeline to anchor tenant Electronic Arts.
• Valencia CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValencia College Downtown Campus opened August 2019 at Creative Village, offering hospitality, culinary arts, and other programs. Partnership includes student housing (UnionWest) and culinary facilities that host community programs like Chef Norman Van Aken's 'Get Cooking' initiative.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial real estate brokerage retained by Creative Village Development LLC to market select parcels for sale to compatible third-party buyers. First phase includes Parcel H and Parcels X & X-1 for multifamily, office, commercial, mixed-use development.
• The Allen Morris CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of The Julian Apartments (Parcel M) - a 14-story, 409-unit, $108 million market-rate apartment project. Joint venture partner with Ustler Development for this Phase 1 residential project.
• DEVEN Development Ventures GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly known as KUD International LLC. Co-developer with Ustler Development of UnionWest student housing project ($105 million, 600 beds) and Parcel J development including 105,000 SF education space for UCF and Valencia.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brandywine Realty Trust: Mixed-use and office-focused REIT operating Schuylkill Yards and other urban innovation districts in Philadelphia. Comparable in mixed-use TOD strategy with educational and corporate anchors, but operates as a public REIT rather than a private JV.
• Lendlease: Global urban regeneration and master-planned community developer with projects including Victoria Cross (Sydney) and various mixed-use TODs. Larger, diversified player operating in similar urban regeneration and public-private partnership space.
• Tishman Speyer: Major mixed-use and commercial real estate developer with projects such as The Spiral (NYC) and Rockefeller Center. Comparable in mixed-use urban development and corporate anchor strategy, but operates at much larger scale and asset class breadth.

Others

• Mill Creek Residential Trust: Direct third-party developer partner at Creative Village for Modera Creative Village market-rate apartments. Largest multifamily developer in the U.S., provides a comparable on Class A multifamily execution but is a partner rather than a competing master developer.
• Atlantic Housing Partners: Direct third-party developer partner at Creative Village, building Amelia Court and The Beacon. As a development partner, they are economically aligned with the JV but represent a participant rather than a master developer peer.

Direct peers

• The Howard Hughes Corporation: Master developer of large-scale mixed-use, transit-oriented communities including Ward Village (Honolulu), The Woodlands (Texas), and Summerlin (Las Vegas). Closest analog to Creative Village's 68-acre live-work-learn-play master development model with third-party developer partnerships.
• The Cordish Companies: Developer of large-scale mixed-use entertainment and innovation districts (Inner Harbor Baltimore, St. Louis Ballpark Village) with strong public-private partnership expertise. Comparable to Creative Village's PPP structure with municipal partners and mixed-use programming.
• Steiner + Associates: Master developer of Easton Town Center (Columbus) and other mixed-use town center developments. Comparable to Creative Village's mix of retail, office, residential, and entertainment uses anchored by a single developer co-ordinating the entire district.
• JBG SMITH: Developer of National Landing in Arlington, VA, a transit-oriented mixed-use innovation district anchored by Amazon's HQ2, similar to Creative Village's EA-anchored innovation district. Both focus on corporate anchor + transit + mixed-use + education ecosystem.
• Related Companies: Master developer of Hudson Yards (NYC) and other large-scale mixed-use urban districts with public-private partnership structures. Comparable to Creative Village in scale of mixed-use development, corporate anchor strategy, and integration of residential, commercial, and public space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CreativeVillageORL
• Instagraminstagram.com/creativevillagedevelopment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creative-village-educational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Creative Village