Winter Park is officially hunting for a development team to turn the surface parking lot behind City Hall into a multi-level garage, a project city leaders hope will finally ease the long-running Park Avenue parking crunch. The new solicitation invites private teams to pitch how they would design, build, finance and possibly operate a structure that keeps spaces for city staff while adding spots for visitors.
How the city will pick a partner
The process starts with a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which will narrow the field before a more detailed Request for Proposals (RFP). It is set up as a two-phase public-private partnership selection. RFQ responses are due by 2 p.m. on July 15, and a selection committee is scheduled to meet on Aug. 4 to review applicants, according to Bid Banana.
How many spaces and where
The RFQ calls for replacing the roughly 145-space lot behind City Hall and adding at least 120 public parking spaces, for a minimum of about 265 total stalls for employees and downtown visitors. The location and basic program are laid out in public notices and local coverage of the solicitation for the site at 401 South Park Avenue, just off the Park Avenue retail corridor, according to The Orlando Real.
Officials warn cost is steep but say parking is pressing
At the May 13 commission meeting, Mayor Sheila DeCiccio did not sugarcoat the price tag, saying the city "does not have the money now." Even so, she argued that commissioners needed to move forward because parking headaches around Park Avenue have dragged on for years. Her comments, and the commission's decision to issue the solicitation, were reported by Your Community Paper, which covered the staff report and meeting discussion.
Design worries from commissioners and merchants
Some commissioners and downtown business owners are already sounding alarms about what a bulky garage could do to Park Avenue's carefully curated look and feel. They have stressed that any structure should match the corridor's scale and keep free, short-term parking for shoppers. Local reporting notes that officials are also looking at less permanent fixes and transit options, and they are making it clear that design quality will carry real weight in the selection, according to Winter Park Voice.
What is next
Teams that make the RFQ shortlist will be asked during the RFP phase to submit more detailed design concepts, structured financing plans, and ideas to protect long-term downtown value. The RFQ specifies that responses at this stage should be high-level concepts rather than full construction drawings. The city has not yet decided how it or a private partner would split costs, ownership, or operations, a question staff say will be worked out as proposals advance and public input continues, according to the solicitation and staff email reporting in Starbridge.
