New Business Coming to Minneola Fl

Updated October 5, 2021 (New Streetscape Updates)

Construction Updates:

• The portion of Minneola Street between 8th Street and West Avenue is now beautifully brick paved and opened to traffic on September 30! Businesses remain open. Thanks for your patience while we improve your downtown. View the construction timeline map in the Streetscape section of this page.

• Interactive map showing the locations of the major projects in the Master Plan.
• Click here for a downloadable Master Plan brochure. (PDF)

About

The City of Clermont’s award-winning Downtown-Waterfront Master Plan has served as the city’s road map for the future of our city since its adoption in 2015. Like any plan, it is meant to be a guide and is intended to adapt to changing circumstances.

There are over 30 projects in the overall Master Plan, including streetscape, trails, parks and infrastructure improvements. The $22-million Master Plan projects are being funded by Lake County’s Infrastructure Sales Tax, also known as the Penny Sales Tax; no property tax dollars are being used to fund the Master Plan.

While much of the focus is on the Downtown-Waterfront District, the Master Plan offers insight on how to keep our growing city connected and how to protect the very charms that have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to this internationally recognized city that is one of the nation’s top places to live and also a training ground for the world’s elite athletes.

We are dedicated to bringing this vision to life and have already made great progress. We are delivering on our promises.

Timeline

Here’s a brief timeline overview of the city’s Master Plan:

• 2013:
  The city held a series of three community vision sessions, and over 1,000 people attended. We asked our residents what they wanted for the future of their city, and time and time again, they said they wanted a vibrant downtown.
• 2014:
  As one of the results of the visioning sessions, the city embraced a bold new brand identifying Clermont as the Choice of Champions®.
• 2015:
  City Council adopted the Master Plan with three priorities – to enhance, connect and grow our community. For many months after that, the team from GAI Consultants studied the research that came out of the visioning sessions and worked with city planners and other staff to create a strategic master plan that would enhance Clermont’s many assets and charms – especially in the Downtown-Waterfront District.
• 2016:
  The Master Plan won the Florida Redevelopment Association state award and the Lake-Sumter MPO regional award.
• 2018:
  Victory Pointe, the first major project in the Master Plan, was completed. The Downtown Gateway Entry Feature also was completed.
• 2019:
  The new Kehlor Recreation Center opened, and the Gateway Entry Features at city limits also were completed.
• 2020:
  The new Clermont Boat Ramp opened. The Art Walk was completed.
• 2021:
  Streetscape Phase 1 was completed; Phase 2 is in progress. Parking Structure plans are in progress.
• 2022:
  Streetscape Phase 3 is scheduled for completion.

Parking Structure

Status:
In planning

Location:
Downtown, to be determined

Highlights:
When the city put together its Master Plan, it identified a parking structure as a project to be considered later. As anticipated, the city’s public investment successfully inspired private investment, which has increased the number of visitors downtown and, in turn, the demand for parking. A September 2020 parking study concluded that the city had enough parking downtown to serve its current needs, but additional parking would be needed if city parking leases ended and/or if parking needs continued to increase as downtown attracts more development. In February 2021, consultants completed a downtown parking site evaluation and scored six potential locations for parking structures based on site potential, walkability, surrounding land uses and current demand. As of March 2021, staff is currently evaluating these sites for cost estimates and construction constraints. Next, the city plans to select a preferred site.

Streetscape

Status:
Under construction

Construction Updates:

• The portion of Minneola Street between 8th Street and West Avenue is now beautifully brick paved and opened to traffic on September 30! Businesses remain open. Thanks for your patience while we improve your downtown. View the construction timeline map in the Streetscape section of this page.

Locations:
Montrose Street, Minneola Avenue, Osceola Street, West Avenue and Lake Avenue

Highlights:
The next part of the Master Plan strikes at the heart of our Downtown. The proposed improvements include streetscape, landscaping, lighting upgrades and beautification. This $12-million project is being constructed in three phases to allow for continued business operations and traffic flow downtown.

Phase 1 – Completed

Phase 1 focused on improvements to West Avenue and Osceola Street. Osceola Street was brick paved between 7th Street and West Avenue, and West Avenue was refinished with asphalt from Montrose to Osceola streets.

Landscaping and additional street parking enhanced the streets. Duke Energy’s contractor removed overhead poles and powerlines on West Avenue. Parts of Legacy Loop Trail also were completed during this phase.

PHASE 2 – UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The City of Clermont’s Downtown Streetscape Phase 2 project consists of reconstructing Minneola Avenue (from West Avenue to 7th Street) and 8th Street (from Osceola Street to Montrose Street). Construction began January 2021 with an estimated completion in December 2021.

Here’s a tentative construction timeline, subject to change: Downtown Streetscape Phase 2 Construction Timeline (PDF).

Phase 2 began on January 4, 2021. As with Phase 1 of the city’s streetscape construction project, Phase 2 is being constructed in segments. The first two segments, which were completed February 10, went from the intersection of 8th Street and Osceola Street to the intersection of 8th Street and Minneola Avenue. Next up was Minneola Avenue from 7th Street to 8th Street, which was done in half-block segments from east to west starting with March 15 with an early completion in May.

The project includes demolition of roadway, curbing, sidewalk, storm drainage, water mains and sanitary sewer mains, as well as all services to existing properties.

New construction includes water mains, sanitary sewer mains, services to existing and new properties, a new stormwater drainage system, decorative brick pavers on the street and parking, Americans-with-Disabilities-Act compliant sidewalks, curbing, landscaping, irrigation, decorative street lighting and event power where indicated.

The project covers four city blocks and is approximately 2,000 linear feet of reconstruction, including two intersections within an area of existing businesses, residents and visitors.

We are working on plans to celebrate “Meet Us in the Middle,” our location as the halfway point along the state’s Coast-to-Coast Trail, about 100 miles from each coast. After a valuable community feedback meeting, we have gathered residents’ ideas and input and are applying them to the design. We envision creating an attractive and lively destination for sports tourist, visitors and event attendees that would highlight the center of the trail.

In addition, Legacy Loop Trail and smaller trail projects will encourage South Lake Trail users to come into Downtown. The Legacy Loop Trail is a permanent bypass of the Waterfront from 7th Street to just west of Victory Pointe. This directs traffic into Downtown and provides a bypass of the Victory Pointe event area during large events. Part of the trail goes right in front of Suncreek Brewery and adjoining restaurants.

PHASE 3 – ON DECK

Phase 3 will cover Montrose Street (West Avenue to Lake Avenue) and City Hall Plaza. We plan to construct it in 2022, once Phase 2 is completed. We are finalizing designs for Phase 3 after Phase 1 is completed. Phase 3 will create a focal point at City Hall Park to anchor downtown visitors, making it a destination and a gathering point in the heart of Downtown Clermont.

The Art Walk

Status:Completed 2020

Location:
From Minneola Avenue to Montrose Street, in the former parking lot just east of the South Lake Animal League (Plans are in discussion about extending the Art Walk further north and south in the future.)

Highlights:
The Art Walk broke ground in 2020 and the core, one-block segment was completed by the end of 2020. This new brick pedestrian walkway celebrates local artists with a covered pavilion and an open-air grassy space for vendors to set up tents. The Art Walk encourages the connectivity and flow of visitors between our Waterfront and our Downtown shops, restaurants and breweries. The Art Walk project is a public-private partnership between the City of Clermont and the Art Walk LLC.

• News 6 featured the Art Walk in this article highlighting 15 new attractions coming to the Orlando area in 2020.

Boat Ramp

Status:
Completed January 2020

Location:140 East Avenue, just east of Waterfront Park on the southern bank of Lake Minneola (former Bell Ceramics site)

Highlights:
The City of Clermont has constructed a larger boat ramp in a new location based on valuable feedback from key community groups. A ribbon cutting was held January 10, 2020; view the event video here. A project bid from Traverse Group for $2.49 million was unanimously approved by our City Council at the May 28, 2019 public meeting. A big win, Lake County Commission approved the city’s request for partial funding for $750,000 at their board meeting on May 21, 2019, utilizing the county’s tourism development tax. A lot of behind-the-scenes work was done on the boat ramp, including surveys for boundary, topographic, tree, wetland locations, borings and geotechnical aspects; underground utility locations; and an environmental survey.

The former boat ramp between was between Victory Pointe and the Clermont Boat House. The new location shifts motorized watercrafts away from the many non-motorized watercrafts that launch from the Clermont Boat House and Victory Pointe. The new ramp doubled the launch pads from two to four, increased parking from 77 to 102 spots, added 10 mooring slips for peak traffic and has new restrooms. As part of the plan, the South Lake Trail was rerouted around the boat ramp for safety.

There is a cost to use the boat ramp. Visitors pay $5 per day and can pay via credit or debit card at the kiosks located on either side of the boat ramp. City of Clermont residents can purchase an annual pass for $35 from the Utility Billing office; it’s located on the first floor of City Hall, 685 W Montrose Street, and is open during normal business hours from 8 am to 5 pm. Monday through Friday.