Hardee County IDA advances downtown revitalization plans, unveils alley-park concept

Hardee County Economic Development Council and Industrial Development Authority leaders presented updates Tuesday on multiple downtown redevelopment projects, including a planned “alley park” on Main Street and progress on grant-funded restoration at 122 West Main.

The developments were presented as part of the authority’s new “building a vibrant community” capital outlay line item approved by the board last month; officials said the line item is intended to support smaller-scale projects that make downtown more attractive and encourage foot traffic to Main Street businesses.

In an executive report, Kristen (executive staff) said the alley park will be located between the building housing VITAS and the former Ben Franklin building on Main Street and is intended as a “visually engaging and interactive outdoor space” that acts as a feeder to downtown retail and dining. Melanie (project manager) said the first phase is engaging the Lehi Group to prepare a conceptual rendering to support collaboration with Main Street Huachula and other stakeholders.

Kristen described the alley park as the first project funded through the capital outlay item and said the design will be tailored to “reflect elements native to Hardee County.” She showed an example image drawn from Artesia, New Mexico, and said the final plan will be adapted for local context.

Officials also updated the board on 122 West Main, where the authority received a first installment of a grant from the Florida Historic Preservation program. Kristen said the state architect for historic preservation complimented the work done by the project’s design team. That grant, she said, is funding design and engineering work in partnership with Main Street Huachula.

Kristen noted that the authority already has several downtown projects underway that the capital outlay line item is intended to complement: renovation of the Honey Bear Bakery space, ongoing construction at the Reif Building, the Gardens At Midtown parking-lot project and the Future Gardens residential development. She said the aim is to continue developing smaller, high-impact public spaces that “draw more residents and visitors to the heart of the community.”

Board members were also told there are two current requests for qualifications (RFQs): one for design and development services for Gardens At Midtown, and a second RFQ for a real estate broker. Kristen told the board the RFQ responses are due at 3 p.m. tomorrow and that selection committees will be formed to review them.

Why it matters: small-scale capital improvements and targeted historic-preservation grants are central to the authority’s stated strategy to increase downtown foot traffic and attract investment. Board members said the recent efforts and partnerships — including with Main Street Huachula — demonstrate momentum behind the downtown revitalization work.

The authority did not take a separate vote on the alley park concept; staff said the next steps are completing conceptual renderings and stakeholder coordination before seeking design approvals or construction funding.