Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City approves downtown restaurant and retail incentives, ranks Whiting-Turner for canopy constructability work
Summary
Council and the CRA authorized downtown restaurant and retail incentive agreements for three businesses and approved rankings and constructability funding for the downtown canopy project, naming Whiting-Turner the top-ranked construction manager at risk and allocating $105,000 for constructability review.
Orlando City Council and the Community Redevelopment Agency on May 19 approved several downtown incentive agreements and advanced the canopy project by approving rankings for a construction manager at risk and authorizing constructability review funding.
CRA staff presented a request to rank firms and authorize Whiting-Turner Contracting Company as the top-ranked construction manager for the downtown canopy project. David (staff) said the item before the council approved the rankings and authorized Whiting-Turner to begin constructability review; the CRA will cover $105,000 for that initial scope. Commissioners voted to approve the ranking and the funding.
The council and CRA also approved three downtown incentive agreements through the DTO restaurant and retail programs. The agreements approved on the consent agenda were:
- Buffalo Boss Orlando LLC, proposed at 333 North Orange Avenue (about 1,700 square feet). CRA staff said the business qualifies for total assistance of about $89,257.20, with approximately $50,000 toward first-year rent abatement. - Turio LLC, doing business as Acropolis Greek Taverna Orlando, at 390 North Orange Avenue under a 10-year lease; staff said the business is eligible for about $99,300 in assistance, with $50,000 toward rent abatement. - The Wig Factory LLC at 642 West Church Street under a three-year lease; staff said total assistance of about $35,129.15 is available, with roughly $15,000 applied to first-year rent assistance.
Each of the agreements was described by CRA staff during the consent presentation, and commissioners approved them as part of the consent agenda motions. The approvals include rent-abatement components intended to support startup and relocation costs for the downtown small businesses.
Council members and CRA staff framed the canopy constructability review as the next step in advancing a long-discussed downtown canopy project; the ranking authorizes the top firm to begin technical review work and coordinate with city design staff.
Council actions on these items were taken by motion and voice vote during the consent and CRA portions of the meeting. Staff will proceed with the constructability review and finalize formal incentive agreements with the downtown entrepreneurs.
Those approvals are intended to move both public infrastructure planning and small-business recruitment forward in the downtown CRA area.
