CRA staff outlines skate park groundbreaking, sidewalk gap study and Eighth Avenue design timeline

Eric Smith, senior transportation project administrator, told the Ocala Community Redevelopment Agency that the skate park groundbreaking is scheduled for the next day and that the project is expected to be completed in 2026, with scheduling and minor delays still being resolved.

Smith also said staff reinitiated a sidewalk gap identification project in the East CRA. The initial mapping highlights sidewalk gaps identified in a 2016 findings-of-necessity inventory; staff said they are overlaying as‑built data, active CIP projects and property rights‑of‑way to determine which gaps are feasible to address. The team expects to complete the initial identification phase within two to three weeks and will coordinate with engineering for prioritization and design once the list is finalized.

On Eighth Avenue, Smith said funding is programmed for 2027 and plans have been completed. The design includes roundabouts, two travel lanes in each direction and a planned connection to Sixth Street that will create a new street alignment to Sanchez; one roundabout will create a new link intended to improve access south of the baseball field and support larger truck turning radii for event traffic. Smith described the Eighth Avenue work as part of a corridor activation strategy tied to other CRA investments.

Staff also reported a decision that a previously proposed mid‑block crosswalk near a Midtown brewery is no longer warranted after roadway changes and parking reconfigurations. In addition, staff noted FDOT will resurface what the materials referenced as Silver Strings Boulevard and that FDOT design changes may limit aesthetic intersection improvements; staff has penciled potential intersection upgrades into CRA budget discussions but said FDOT approval is not assured.

During discussion, board members raised concerns about sidewalk right‑of‑way constraints in older neighborhoods, pedestrian safety for children walking to nearby elementary and middle schools, and whether traffic calming (including speed humps) and signage could be used where sidewalks are not feasible. Staff said the sidewalk program will identify feasible projects and that traffic calming studies and warrants would be handled by transportation engineering if particular locations demonstrate the thresholds required for measures such as speed humps.

Staff also reviewed budget highlights: the CRA public materials accompanying the meeting said the FY 2025–26 public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3 and that the CRA proposes an additional $400,000 for next year’s grant program and set‑aside funds for sidewalk improvements and potential land acquisition opportunities to support corridor activation.

Ending: Staff expects to return with a refined sidewalk‑gap list after the two‑ to three‑week identification phase and will coordinate recommended projects with the city’s CIP and engineering departments for design and implementation schedules.