Above: This artist rendering shows
the new Chamber of Commerce site (looking
northeast from the corner of Broadway and
Southeast First Avenue) with a building that
includes retail and residential space. Below: The
Chamber of Commerce site as it is seen
today.
Future Ocala City
council to review drafts for downtown revitalization Published June 22. 2004
7:30AM
BY LASHONDA STINSON STAFF
WRITER
OCALA - Since the blueprint for a
revitalized and revamped downtown Ocala was approved in January,
activity for implementing the downtown master plan has been
relatively quiet - until now.
Today, the City Council will
preview a draft of the long-awaited request for proposal (RFP) for
three of the key sites outlined in the plan for redevelopment: the
Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Ocala Public Library and
Sprint properties. The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 151
S.E. Osceola Ave.
The Planning Department is requesting
approval for the RFP, which seeks proposals to demolish and develop
the structures into a mixture of residential, commercial and office
uses with plentiful parking. The RFP seeks proposals from developers
to tear down the structures, design and construct and own or market
the sale or lease of one or a combination of the developments.
According to the draft RFP, developers may submit proposals for a
combination of projects, but must price each project
separately.
Marc Mondell, community and business development
manager, said this is the first step toward putting the master plan,
developed by Moore Iacofano Goltsman of Berkeley, Calif., into
action.
The city of Ocala owns the Chamber and Library
property and a portion of the Sprint site. The Chamber and library
sites are one project and the Sprint site is a separate project.
Construction on all three is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2007. The
city would like the Chamber project to be finished
first.
Proposals are due by 2 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Purchasing
Department, and the selection of the developer is set for late
October.
The 1.05-acre Chamber site, according to the
preliminary RFP, should include 40,000-square-feet of office space,
22 housing units, 12,000-square-feet of retail/commercial space and
a 120-space, two-level parking structure. Between 5,000 and 7,000
square feet should be reserved to relocate the Chamber's offices.
The Chamber owns the building, which is bounded on the north by
Silver Springs Boulevard and south by Broadway, and has a lease to
use the land until 2027. The city wants to negotiate the terms of a
lease/equity buyout with the Chamber. The city and the Chamber are
awaiting an appraisal of the value of the lease and the
building.
Plans for the library property include 25,000
square feet of office, 7,000 square feet of retail/commercial and a
four-level parking structure with 250 spaces. The property totals
.96 acres. The city owns the land and the library building. The
library headquarters is relocating to new headquarters on East
Silver Springs Boulevard.
The city owns 1.37 acres of the
2.1-acre Sprint site. The RFP describes the site being developed
into 18 townhouse units and nine single-family/professional office
units, plus parking. In addition, plans call for a
20,800-square-foot public plaza, 2,400-square-feet of lawn and
restroom/concessions and 54 parking spaces. This project will take
up a block, half of which is currently owned by the city and used by
different agencies for parking. The developer should allow space in
the development for the city's annual Ocala on Ice event, along with
designated parking.
Plans for the property not owned by the
city is contingent upon the "successful negotiation by the city or
developer with Sprint-Florida Inc.," according to the RFP. The city
has not assigned a value to any of the sites and wants the developer
to propose a lease price and term or purchase price.
Earlier
this year, the council decided to allocate $1.8 million (via bonds
and tax increment funds) to support the master plan and provide
incentives for development, but the RFP advises the city of Ocala is
willing to give incentives, but "is not committed to doing so."
Possible incentives include fee waivers, fee deferments, demolition
assistance or tax exemptions.
The RFP also states developers
must incorporate public art into each site.
Tonight, the
council will also vote on paying $8,777 to Andreyev Engineering Inc.
to perform a Phase II environmental site assessment on the Chamber
site.
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