Orlando announces new paid parking spaces downtown

As part of the city of Orlando’s ongoing transformation plan for the downtown core, the city on Wednesday officially announced the arrival of 150 temporary parking spaces meant to help ease traffic congestion, increase pedestrian safety, and “foster a safer, more efficient, and user-friendly environment for residents and visitors alike,” according to a city news release.

The new parking initiative is a one-year pilot program that is expected to become a permanent cornerstone of the city’s “Canopy” project. It introduces two new parking and visitor drop-off locations downtown. One lot, located on Pine Street between Garland and Hughey avenues, offers three-hour paid parking spaces, available between 11 a.m. to 4 a.m at a rate of $1.35 per hour.

The other lot, on Central Boulevard between Garland and Hughey, will be designated for pickup and drop-off only, beginning Friday, Dec. 20, between 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. for the StaffDNA Cure Bowl, and then daily from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. after that, serving as a convenient rideshare pickup location

Visitors parking in the new Pine Street lot can pay through the ParkMobile app or (presumably) a parking kiosk on-site, for those who are technologically challenged or allergic to mobile apps.

During the pilot year, city officials will keep an eye on the program’s effectiveness at accomplishing what it’s intended to do: Provide additional parking options for visitors and residents, and promote more visitation downtown to support local businesses that have struggled to stay afloat.

Downtown businesses (both owners and employees) have taken serious financial hits over the past year, what with city-enacted crackdowns on its boisterous nightlife, a deadly shooting on Halloween that killed two people, and a recent Orlando Police Department sting that alleged nearly two dozen bars and clubs were violating city rules on selling alcohol after midnight. Illegal drug activity was also allegedly identified in 17 of them, according to OPD.

Still, the city has moved forward with an ambitious plan to transform downtown into a downtown that is more family-friendly, visitor-friendly, and … sort of like a park? Or, that’s the idea behind its broader project, dubbed the Canopy, that the city announced earlier this year to be built underneath Interstate-4.

Granted, the idea of building an urban park under I-4 is one that’s already at least nine years in the making, as an initiative formerly known as the “Under-i Project.” In 2015, the city closed lots 9 and 10, eliminating 900 parking spots under I-4, during I-4 Ultimate construction. 

The city gave the erstwhile Under-i Project its new name and vision in February.

According to the Orlando Business Journal, it’s an estimated $40 million project running from from Church Street to Washington Street that the city expects will take roughly 24 months to complete. Eventually, around 500 parking spaces may return under this latest iteration.

While early design drawings feature a canopy of trees and “lush landscaping,” only about 30 percent of the design drawings are complete, according to OBJ. The city currently has a request for proposals open through Jan. 30, 2025, for contractors to submit construction bids.

Records show the city first contracted with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. in January 2023 for preliminary design and conceptual work. In October 2024, the city requested an amendment to their $1.7 million contract to allow the firm to assist with the “visioning and design of a unique restroom facility, artistic trees, and raised platforms” for the project. AECOM, subsequently, found a subcontractor to work on the trees, specifically.

Altogether, the contract with AECOM now allocates up to roughly $2.2 million for their design services, including $269,298 for restroom design and $223,333 for the “artistic tree” design services. Records show the state Department of Transportation agreed to kick in up to $750,000 for design costs through an agreement with Orlando in 2021, back when the concept was still referred to as the Under-i Project.

Construction of the Canopy is expected to begin in early 2025.

Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | or sign up for our RSS Feed

This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2024.