WINTER HAVEN | The Orange Dome is coming down.

That is scheduled to happen in late June, and will be the first visible sign of The Landings at Winter Haven, a $150 million private-public project that city officials expect will breathe new life into the city's economy.

The local economy is already starting to feel the boost as the three phase, four-year project gets under way, creating a new gateway into the city east and west of U.S. 17 as that major thoroughfare enters the city's southwest corner.

That boost is in part linked to a clause in the contract between the city and developer Tony Benge that specifies the consideration of local vendors for the project that will remake the Chain of Lakes Complex into a combination of business and public facilities.

It is a clause Benge said he is happy to fulfill.

"We've been impressed with the local talent in the community," Benge said.

His business partner, Taylor Pursell, agrees.

"There's no reason to go anywhere else," he said. "The more of these dollars that stay in the local community affects the impact exponentially."

Expected to bring more than 1,000 jobs and $48 million in economic impact upon completion, Benge and Pursell, who will be a principal owner in The Landings, said the project is already giving a shot in the arm to local companies hired to work on engineering, traffic studies and preliminary design. These firms include Pickett Survey and Tucker Construction.

Benge and Pursell hired local printing firm Thompson Printing to create business cards and event banners, and used Traditions Bank for financial services.

Dave Carter of Carter Engineering said this bodes well for Winter Haven-based businesses, especially after several economically difficult years.

His company is just starting to work on site planning and preliminary design while coordinating efforts with the developer, city staff, subcontractors and others involved with The Landings project.

Like other consulting firms weathering the recession, Carter has had to cut work hours and expenses in the past few years.

But the economic boost generated from the upcoming opening of Legoland and the development of The Landings has made a positive difference for Carter, who has a staff of six employees.

"We've gone from a maintain workload staff to everyone working as hard as they can to accommodate," Carter said. "We've gone from an idle to full blast in the matter of a few months."

Carter said businesses in Winter Haven are in a "very unique spot" because of the coming of Legoland and The Landings.

His company has experienced a "definite uptick" over the past few months. He attributes this to a stirring economy and people deciding to begin projects they've had on hold. "The Landings - that will kind of get things started," Carter said.

Benge said The Landings project has already drawn interest from a number of potential tenants.

"A large portion of key tenants have been set," he said, adding that he hopes to announce them in the near future. "The rest of the negotiations will continue over the summer."

According to Dave Dickey, the city's community and economic development director, Chick-fil-A has filed preliminary paperwork with the city.

Construction is expected to begin in March 2012 with noticeable changes by that June.

Initial construction is likely to be on the public facilities as those currently in use cannot be demolished until they are completed.

Upon completion, the $150 million mixed-use development will include two hotels with a combined 400 rooms, four or five restaurants, half a dozen fast food establishments, a movie theater, a major retailer and several smaller retailers as well as residential apartments.

The private-public partnership between the city of Winter Haven and Landings Winter Haven Partners LLC, the project will also include a new facility housing general recreation, a pool and Theatre Winter Haven.

This will be built on eight acres retained by the city for public facilities.