WINTER PARK, Fla. — A plan that would bring additional parking to downtown Winter Park is now on hold.
During Wednesday’s City Commission meeting, local officials had the option to move forward with a public-private partnership for a parking garage development. The city had originally issued a formal solicitation to identify qualified respondents that would assist the city in building a parking garage, and three companies were selected to move forward in the process.
Ultimately, city officials decided to table the project until after the November election to see whether a proposed property tax amendment is approved by the voters.
“Parking has always been an issue,” said Maureen Hall, owner of Maureen Hall Stationery & Invitations. “Although it has been alleviated throughout the years through the parking garages, more people are coming into town.”
According to information from the city, downtown Winter Park brings in millions of visitors every year, and a 2024 city report shows that Park Avenue gets more than 8,000 visits a day.
A 2024 parking study conducted by Kimley-Horn showed that there were more than 2,400 parking spaces in downtown Winter Park during the weekday and more than 2,500 spaces during the weekend. This same study showed a parking shortage of about 135 spaces within the Park Avenue corridor.
Though the project is preliminary, the proposals for a garage included anywhere from 200 to 400 additional parking spaces.
The city is expected to consider the parking garage plan as a discussion item during a meeting in the first week of December.