City Council will consider a plan to keep the parklets around for at least three years in the future following what they see as a successful launch during the height of the pandemic.
The pilot Temporary Use Permit Parklet Program was developed to allow for increased social distancing for businesses within the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) boundaries in downtown Orlando and was approved in September 2020. Following the approval, the City installed five parklets in the Thornton Park Main Street district with CRA funding.
City staff is now advocating transitioning the pilot program into a three-year program for qualified on-street parking rights of way within the CRA boundaries. The program will be funded by the CRA with each application to be reviewed by the DDB/CRA Executive Director, the Public Works Director, and the Transportation Engineering Manager.
Eligible business owners requesting a parklet permit will need to execute a Right of Way Encroachment and Removal Agreement with the City of Orlando to acquire a license but existing parklet license holders in Thornton Park will not need to resubmit applications to continue to use their parklet spaces.
Eligible parklet locations include on-street parking spaces where the speed limit is less than 25-miles-per-hour, non-metered parking spaces on a case-by-case basis, and public rights-of-way areas controlled by the City of Orlando, the County, or FDOT, with the permission of the given agency.
Click HERE for more information on the program’s early guidelines. This item is set to be voted on by the city commission on July 19, 2021.
I hope that the program remains in place permanently. Outdoor dining creates a neighborhood atmosphere and is a great option for people uncomfortable with dining indoors. If not already in place, one way traffic with a bike lane added might be a good idea on streets with parklets.
I’m fine with the parklet concept but the business needs to pay rent for the additional square footage. It’s only fair.