Maitland downtown goes back to drawing board

Maitland's main street is going through an identity crisis. Should it be brick or asphalt? Have curbs or no curbs? Parallel or right-angle parking?

The Maitland City Council is second-guessing what Independence Lane should look like – and how much it should cost to give it a makeover.

The landscape architecture firm Dix-Hite & Partners has been working on design plans to turn the road into a “festival street” between City Hall and the Maitland City Centre project since April of last year. One year into the process, Council members decided the $2.2 million price tag that came with Dix-Hite design was too high.

“One minute we're declaring that we're the poor step-sister town of Winter Park then the second minute we're looking to put $2 million in the little spot between us and the new development,” Councilwoman Bev Reponen said.

“...This is just too much money to put out.”

The Council decided on Monday, April 25, to send the design plans back to the drawing board, agreeing to hire a new design firm and assigning a hard $1.2 million budget.

Maitland's Community Redevelopment Agency Director Charles Rudd said, as it is, the Dix-Hite plan had been stripped down to its bare-bones to cut costs since it was first presented. They changed out the pavers, lights and benches for lower cost options to get the price tag down to $1.6 million.

“It started out as a beautiful design, and we've picked at it until it's a fraction of what it was, trying to save money,” Rudd said.

The hope is that a new design firm can offer a fresh perspective, and give the Council an idea of what the city can realistically get within its budget.

“I'm all down with going back to square one... so we can get as much bang for our buck as possible,” Mayor Dale McDonald said.

If the Council doesn't like what the new design firm comes up with, Rudd said, they can go back to the Dix-Hite plan. One year into the process, the city has paid Dix-Hite approximately $76,000 for their work on the design, he said.

Rudd said it will take the new firm, likely GAI Consultants, which is currently working on the city's Master Plan update, two to three months to come up with a new design.

Maitland City Centre developer David Lamm said he is running short on time and patience while the city goes back and forth on what Independence Lane will look like. The city agreed to transform the road into a “festival street” in the development agreement for Lamm's project. The street, the agreement said, is supposed to cater to active pedestrian traffic bordering Lamm's mixed-use development.

“We're not going to probably be very happy as your neighbor if it becomes an ordinary street,” Lamm said.

Lamm said since his project was approved last year, making the project a reality has become increasingly difficult because of the city’s indecision. “It's been the most painful process,” Lamm said.

“Anybody who wants to come to this town and invest in this downtown would have to be out of their mind,” Lamm said. “...Nobody wants to do business here, its too hard.”