The City of Orlando’s Main Street Program could be getting a new addition in the near future if approved by City Council at an upcoming meeting on May 17.
The Main Street program is part of a national initiative that focuses on strengthening business districts by creating unique identities and market. Orlando currently has ten Main Street programs operating, including Audubon Park, City District, College Park, Curry Ford West, Gateway Orlando, Ivanhoe Village, Mills 50, The Milk District, and Thornton Park. But sometimes these districts start out as “Market Streets” which are basically like the diet sodas of the Main Street world. Or a training wheel program to let them find their balance before they can take off on their own and get more funding from the City of Orlando.
The West Lakes Partnership (Facebook | Website) is a community development organization that focuses on the five neighborhoods of Rock Lake, Lake Lorna Doone/Westfield, Clear Lake Cove, Luola Terrace/Lake Sunset, and Clear Lake, and they have been petitioning the City for a Main Street program for years.
This new program will operate as a separate non-profit, separate from the West Lakes Partnership, but hopefully in cooperation with it. The program will require its own full-time director and independent volunteer board, and you can see the job description for the new program director by clicking HERE.
The City of Orlando will provide $25,000 of funding to the new program, if approved, along with an additional $5,000 to the district for beautification purposes, including banners, new neighborhood signage, and landscaping.
