Maitland project gets push

Maitland is one step closer to laying the foundation for its new downtown developments with Monday’s City Council approval of a new utility system to be constructed in the downtown district.

The approved utility plan will lay the infrastructure necessary for four-blocks of the downtown district – including Independence Lane, and Horatio, George and Packwood avenues – to be developed with improved water, stormwater and sanitation systems.

“I’m very much in favor of getting this done,” Mayor Howard Schieferdecker said. “… We have a lot of exciting opportunities in front of us, and we need to be able to jump on them.”

Once the $39,380 utility system is installed by AVCON Inc., Community Redevelopment Director Verl Emrick says it will streamline the new downtown developers’ ability to connect to the city’s system. And while the city is paying for this improvement project up front through the Community Redevelopment Area budget, Emrick said the developers will be required to reimburse the city for its installation cost once they move in and hook up.

To keep up to date on Maitland’s downtown development, visit itsmymaitland.com

“This is an investment in the future,” Councilman Ivan Valdes said.

Though progress has been slow, Emrick said the city is potentially within 120 days of having finalized plans for the majority of this four-block downtown area, and that the construction of the utility line under Horatio Avenue is set to begin in four to six months.

The old city hall property site, he said, should have a drafted developers agreement proposed for 20,000-square-feet of mixed office and retail space, as well as a three- to five- story parking garage by the end of this week. Agreements for mixed-use residential and commercial property from George to Horatio avenues bordering the First Presbyterian Church of Maitland, and commercial/office space on the north corner of Highway 17-92 at Horatio, he said, are hopeful to follow in the next 30 days.

Still in the works, Emrick said, are plans for the New Traditions Bank site, which houses the old Winn-Dixie property. But by the end of the second quarter, or beginning of the third quarter of this year, he hopes finalized agreements for each of the projects will begin reaching the City Council for approval.

“Things are moving along at the proverbial snails’ pace, it frustrates us all … but in this economy it just takes a little more time to get things though,” Emrick said. “And we’re expecting some significant movement coming up.”