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Consultant ranks Festival Park site highest as Groveland weighs new City Hall options
Summary
A consultant told the Council that Site 2 (near Festival Park) scored highest for a proposed civic complex because of infrastructure, walkability and City ownership; Council asked for structural inspections, cost estimates, financing options and phased approaches and directed staff to continue analysis.
Groveland officials reviewed an updated civic‑complex feasibility study on May 21, 2026, and heard that the Festival Park area (Site 2) ranked highest among five candidate locations because of existing infrastructure, City ownership and proximity to planned State Road 50 improvements.
Consultant Geoffrey Mouen summarized population and development projections from the University of Florida Shimberg Center and said Groveland could see significant growth in coming decades—roughly 1,000 additional residents per year through 2040, according to the materials presented. Mouen described five sites evaluated for walkability, access, infrastructure readiness and long‑term competitiveness.
“Site 2 near Festival Park ranked highest overall in the consultant's evaluation due to its existing infrastructure, accessibility, walkability, proximity to the future State Road 50 bypass improvements, and City ownership of the property,” Mouen said during the presentation.
Council Members asked follow‑up questions about renovating the former Days Inn on U.S. 27 (site 4), the condition of existing structures, parking and traffic impacts, and the relative readiness of Bright Hill for a civic presence. Council consensus directed staff to return with additional structural evaluations, conceptual layouts, space‑needs analyses, and cost and financing scenarios before selecting a preferred site.
Public commenter Bob Proper urged the Council not to eliminate the Carroll Fulmer property from consideration and said portions of that property could remain available for City use following planned renovations.
Next steps: staff to continue evaluating City Hall options and report back with more detailed site feasibility, cost estimates and financing strategies.
