Ocala downtown parking garage, hotel and related projects advance; businesses warned of rolling closures

City of Ocala staff told the Downtown Community Redevelopment Advisory Committee on April 16 that multiple downtown construction projects — including a new parking garage tied to a hotel development — are moving forward on schedule but will require extended site preparation, intermittent road closures and heavy truck traffic that will affect adjacent businesses.

Charlita Whitehead, economic development and cultural arts projects coordinator, said the site-preparation phase for the new parking garage and the adjacent AC/Marriott hotel will continue through fall 2025, with foundations placed from fall into winter, precast erection from winter into spring 2026 and remaining work into summer 2026. "They're starting the site prep phase... you'll start seeing a little bit more activity there in the next couple of weeks," Whitehead said.

The city warned of a permanent road closure for the length of construction on Broadway between Second and Third streets and additional rolling closures elsewhere downtown. Whitehead said contractors expect more than 1,200 truckloads of materials, some deliveries on tractor-trailers more than 100…