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Leesburg unveils 201‑space Fifth Street downtown parking plan, aims for bids this fall
Summary
City staff and consultant showed a concept for a reconfigured Fifth Street parking lot that would add roughly 93 spaces to downtown by formalizing adjacent lots and partnering with LifeStream; staff will complete permits and aim to bid in October–November and begin construction early next year if permits and agreements allow.
The City Commission reviewed a concept plan on Aug. 11 that would expand downtown parking near Fifth Street and the Art Center, creating about 201 total spaces by combining existing city lots, formalizing a grass lot and incorporating part of LifeStream's parcel.
Blake Drury of GAI Consultants presented the concept, saying the plan would increase LifeStream's surface parking from 36 to 47 spaces and raise the city parking capacity on the Fifth Street/right‑of‑way site from 72 to 113 spaces; formalizing the grass lot between Sixth Street and the water plant would add roughly 41 more spaces.
Why it matters: Downtown parking has been cited as a constraint in earlier planning studies. The concept aims to prioritize event parking and routine downtown needs while preserving access for semi‑truck deliveries to the water plant, and by minimizing demolition and grading to keep costs down.
Design and constraints: Drury said the design avoids building directly over a shallow water main that runs near the old building footprint and includes two exfiltration stormwater systems placed under the lot. The design shifts access slightly east to align with truck backing maneuvers to the water plant, preserves a large street tree on Sixth Street, and provides ADA parking on Magnolia.
Timeline and agreements: Amy Shields, civil engineer with the consultant team, said permit documents should be ready in one to two weeks; permitting review is estimated at 30–40 days. Staff expects to put the project out to bid in October–November and, if permits and the agreement with LifeStream are in place, begin construction early next year. Commissioners noted Bike Fest (April) could affect the construction schedule and asked staff to avoid disrupting the event if feasible.
Public‑private issues: The concept depends on reaching an agreement with LifeStream for use and improvement of the parcel the nonprofit owns at the northwest corner of the site. City staff said the city would make improvements on LifeStream property under an agreement that would permit public special‑event use of that area.
Outcome: Commissioners expressed broad support for the concept and gave the city manager and consultant direction to pursue permitting, refine design details and finalize agreements with LifeStream in advance of bidding.
