Universal has begun land clearing and grading on a piece of property that it owns near Epic Universe, kicking off speculation within the fan community…and beyond. The work began last month as Universal began clearing trees. Now, Universal is beginning to bring in dirt to grade the land, and fans are wondering what this mystery project could be. Here’s the latest look at the work, and what Universal says it’s doing with the plot of land near Epic Universe.
Universal Begins Mystery Project Near Epic Universe
What began as tree clearing last month has evolved into a mass grading project for Universal Orlando Resort near its new Epic Universe theme park. A nearly 90-acre plot of land near TopGolf Orlando is owned by Universal Orlando Resort, and the theme park operator has been clearing trees and is now grading the land. Aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct show the progress and latest work.
As you can see in the photo below, Epic Universe can be spotted off in the distance, some 1.2 miles away, as the dragon flies. The land sits at the intersection of Universal Blvd and Pointe Plaza Ave. The plot of land is a block away from International Drive.
While the plot of land being graded is almost the exact same size as Universal CityWalk, Universal told the Orlando Business Journal that “the work recently conducted on our property along Universal Boulevard was part of land maintenance and nothing more”.
Of course, Universal famously isn’t in the business of announcing plans ahead of time, and for this phase of the work, they are likely technically correct in saying that this is land maintenance. That said, the addition of “nothing more” is probably less believable given their bullish approach to development in Orlando in recent years.
Universal was granted a permit for the 35.5-acre mass grading project back in December 2025, with a standard expiration timeframe of 5 years.
In the project summary found within the permit, Universal says that the mass grading project currently underway is to “support future site development” – without the need to disclose what that future site development may be.
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