A second new downtown parking garage (following the Heritage Plaza garage) will be built next to the Lakeland Police Department on the current Bay St. lot. After all, business development + parking spots go hand-in-hand.

Here’s your breakdown of the parking garage plan in two minutes. ⌛

🚗 What is it?

The proposal involves creating 800 to 1,200 spaces for police department members, retail and office use, and future downtown development.

🚗 What does it cost?

$15,000 per space. This amount will be included in the city’s next year budget. Proposals from construction firms + developers will be welcome – for building the structure in part or in whole. Ideally, the hope is for a solid proposal to be in by 2020 or 2021.

Funding for the project has not been determined. City officials have left it open-ended depending on whether the construction costs would be paid for using taxpayer money, a public-private partnership (similar to the Heritage Plaza garage), or operated and maintained by a private entity.

🚗 What will this mean for the city?

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) sees the project as the future site for a transportation hub that could include Lakeland’s public bus system, bike routes, pedestrian paths, carpools, taxis, Uber + Lyft. FDOT has scheduled a public meeting on the project for May 23 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Peggy Brown Building (215 S. Lake Ave).

City officials say that the ground floor can be constructed to house a future intercity rail, such as the potential Brightline project. Building the garage will overall support the city’s long-term downtown plan with providing more parking.

Poll

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