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City transportation staff previews Go CDC ITN, Safe Routes grant and neighborhood parking request
Summary
City transportation staff described a newly advertised Go CDC ITN for a mixed-use site on State Road 40, progress on a Safe Routes to School grant application (portal closes Jan. 31) and a committee suggestion to extend parking at Mary Sue Ridge by an estimated 25–50 spaces to ease event parking shortages.
Eric Smith, senior transportation project administrator for the City of Ocala, briefed the committee on several transportation and neighborhood improvement items.
Smith said the Go CDC ITN (a community development procurement) was advertised for a site just off State Road 40 (the 1800 block) seeking mixed‑use proposals — single‑family residential, medical or dental offices, salons and other complementary uses — and that the procurement is a repost intended to move quickly through procurement.
Smith also described the Safe Routes to School grant timeline: the portal closes Jan. 31; the city expects to submit its application in February or March; federal reviewers score applications in June and selections are made in July, with planned implementation to follow in the next fiscal year. "We're on the final stretch of that," Smith said, noting staff may add local funds to improve competitiveness.
Members raised neighborhood concerns and ideas: placing trash containers on school routes (staff cautioned that right‑of‑way clear‑zone rules limit placement), running school contests or incentives to reduce litter, and a proposal to extend parking at Mary Sue Ridge by roughly 25–50 spaces to handle concurrent community events. Staff asked members to identify specific locations and said they would coordinate with sanitation and planning to study feasibility.
No formal decisions were recorded on these items; staff requested member input and indicated follow‑up would be handled through city planning and procurement processes.
