Government & Education news

MOUNT DORA SEEKS DEVELOPER FOR PARKING GARAGE PROJECT

3/19/2021

ABOVE: The proposed site in the City's RFP includes the new public grass parking lot on 3rd Avenue and Baker.

By Crissy Stile
On March 5 the City of Mount Dora released Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit bids for the development of two existing downtown surface parking lots on Baker Street.

The RFP is seeking bids from developers to potentially develop, design, construct, finance, operate, maintain, and own either a parking garage or a mixed-use development. The latter must comprise a parking garage with at least two different uses which may include residential, office, mixed uses, and commercial retail. A minimum of 495 parking spaces in the parking structure is required.

In a 2016 parking study, the City reported a total of 720 public parking spaces were available in the downtown area. The study cited City maps to factor in the 625 public spaces in downtown Mount Dora plus 95 spaces at the First Methodist Church parking lot on 5th Avenue to total the 720. The same study found that in peak season there was an approximate shortage of 286 spaces if all the existing restaurants’ indoor seating was full. The study didn’t account for outdoor dining in its calculations.

In the five years since Mount Dora’s parking study, downtown’s parking equation has inevitably changed. In 2017, dozens of parking spaces were removed on one side of sections of streets to provide better access for emergency vehicles. In 2018, the parking calculations changed further when a thriving new tenant (with approximately 50 employees at the time) moved into downtown’s Sunset Building on Baker Street. Although those factors increased the parking deficit, the City added 49 spaces when it opened a grass parking lot on 3rd Avenue and Baker Street in 2019.

In the current parking garage RFP, the proposed development site includes two existing surface parking lots with a total of 95 spaces. Development of these lots further increases the parking shortage without taking into account any future land development in the downtown area. There are private development projects currently in the planning stages that would negatively impact, even further, the City’s parking dilemma. Additionally, any mixed-use development as a result of parking garage RFP would also create a need for additional parking.

Meanwhile, Mount Dora Planning and Zoning Commission could be tasked with approving or denying the approximate 6,500 square-foot proposed addition to the Sunset Building at 3rd Avenue and Baker Street. Additionally, the proposed 53-foot Gaslight Building is a new proposed mixed-use commercial building, approximately 17,250 square feet and over 3 stories with rooftop amenity which would further increase the need for more parking spaces. That building would be located directly across the street from the proposed parking garage development.

related facts:

As Mount Dora’s parking garage RFP was introduced, a familiar discussion has been “raised” yet again -- should Mount Dora increase building heights downtown? Currently the maximum building height allowed Downtown is 35 feet, the Planning and Zoning Commission has asked City Staff to prepare an ordinance increasing Downtown building heights to 55 feet, significantly higher than downtown’s Renaissance Building.

In September 2018, G3 Development proposed a very similar garage development through a public private partnership (PPP) with the City for a 488 space parking structure to be constructed on part of the development site included in this newly-presented RFP.

The City paid $798,000 for the 0.54 acre property that currently has 49 parking spaces. Additional expenses were incurred for the restroom facility, the automatic arm closure at the entrance as well as the sod, landscaping and the grid system under the grass. Total cost is over $1,000,000 (over $20,000 per parking space). This lot is closed on Monday and Tuesday of each week to allow the grass some relief from vehicle traffic. In the current RFP to develop a parking garage, this property would be incorporated into the new garage project.

There is a residential property sandwiched between the two proposed parcels to be developed in the RFP.

The City’s recommended Developer (based on proposals submitted) will be announced on May 6, 2021. City Council will vote to approve the recommended developer on May 18, 2021.

By Crissy Stile

ABOVE: The proposed site in the City's RFP includes the surface parking lot between Baker Street & Tremain that borders the railroad tracks.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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MOUNT DORA CITY MANAGER IS FINALIST FOR JOB IN PORT ORANGE

3/16/2021

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The lengthy search for Port Orange’s new city manager began in late November and yielded 84 candidates. Over three months later that group has been whittled down to five finalists. Robin Hayes, Mount Dora City manager since 2016, is now one of the finalists for the position.

RELATED STORY: Mount Dora City Council Update - March 16 Meeting

Previously, the field of candidates was narrowed to 10 after Port Orange’s five council members each selected five names during a special meeting. The next step in the process will be on Friday, March 19 when Port Orange City Council will hold another special meeting to interview the finalists.

RELATED STORY: Mount Dora Considers Significant Height Increase to Downtown Buildings

The public meeting will begin at 1 p.m. inside the City Council Chambers at Port Orange City Hall and will be live-streamed on the city’s YouTube Channel, “Port Orange Government Television.” The public can also attend in person at 1000 City Center Circle, Port Orange, Florida.

Hayes, hired by Mount Dora City Council as City Manager in 2016, submitted her resume to apply for the position on February 18, according to the date on her cover letter. Before her tenure in Mount Dora, she served as the Management Services Director for the City of Oviedo.

The other candidates that join Hayes as finalists for Port Orange City Manager are:

Wayne Clark, economic development director for DeBary.
Brian Weiss, commanding officer of the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville.
Michael Bornstein, city manager of Lake Worth Beach.
Alan Ours, county manager for Glynn County, Georgia.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app. Free subscriptions to Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates are available here.

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MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL UPDATE: mARCH 16 mEETING

3/16/2021

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By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council Representative, District 4

We had a very full agenda today so I have selected several items from the agenda and from discussions to share with you. Please keep in mind that I am reporting not on behalf of City Council as a whole but only from my own perspective.

There are several major construction projects underway. Cauley Lot Park is being completely renovated at a cost of just under $700,000. A new Municipal Service Complex (Public Works facility) is in design and will be located on Limit Ave. That project will cost about $8,000,000. A much needed storm water drainage project costing about $322,000 is about to begin on Helen St. where there have been serious flooding problems for years. That project will be completed this summer. Two new fire stations are currently being designed. One new fire station will be located on Co. Rd. 19A and the other will be next to the Public Works Complex on Limit Ave. The total cost of those stations will be about $13,000,000. Our library needs additional parking spaces. This problem will be solved in stages. Stage 1 is to add 20 new spaces to the existing parking lot. A second phase will follow in a couple of years.
Speaking of construction projects, the City is trying hard to partner with the Lake County Board of Education to build a state of the art playground on the campus of Triangle Elementary School that would greatly benefit both Triangle Elementary students and the entire neighborhood. There are currently no real parks for kids in that part of town. In my estimation the problem is that the Board of Education's attorney is dragging her feet thus stalling the project. I am greatly concerned that this unnecessary delay will doom this wonderful partnership which would only harm the girls and boys who deserve a decent playground in their neighborhood. I think that would be a real shame.
We'll be repaving about 3 miles of city streets this summer and constructing about 10 "speed tables" to slow down speeders.
Improvements to both of our waste water treatment plants are also in the works. Our city staff will be working very hard to complete all of these much needed projects on time and on budget over the next couple of years.
Our meeting wasn't all about construction projects. We also discussed how best to implement recent changes to our City Charter that were approved by our voters. This year we need to change the configuration of your City Council from 4 district representatives and 2 at-large representatives to 5 district reps. and 1 at-large rep. We will continue to have a mayor just as we have had in the past. Since more than half of the new residents moving into Mount Dora between 2010 and 2020 have moved into District 4, my district has gotten too big. Ordinarily we would use the 2020 Census data to redraw the district boundaries but due to COVID-19 the census results have been delayed by several months. Our plan will be to use the population data we have to revise district boundaries on an interim basis and then tweak them again whenever we receive the official census numbers later this year. City staff has been working on this project and have come up with a good interim plan.

My quote for you today is from General Colin Powell. "All children need a laptop. Not a computer but a human laptop. Moms, Dads, Grannies, and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles - someone to hold them, read to them, teach them. Loved ones who will embrace them and pass on the experiences, rituals and knowledge of a hundred previous generations. Loved ones who will pass to the next generation their expectations for them, their hopes and dreams."

Amen to that!
Thanks for your interest in Mount Dora.

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council Representative, District 4

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app. Free subscriptions to Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates are available here.

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