TAVARES, Fla. – New mixed-use development plans are set to transform downtown Tavares, as city officials announce potential groundbreaking this summer for an apartment complex featuring ground-floor retail space.
The complex, called Heritage Square, will combine 58 residential units with about 12,000 square feet of commercial space in the heart of downtown Tavares.
Christopher Clark, owner of Tiki West in downtown Tavares, sees the development as an opportunity for mutual growth.
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“I’ll always appreciate growth,” Clark said. “Growth helps me. Hopefully we help them. You know, hopefully we all kind of work together.”
Clark is optimistic about the development bringing more people downtown.
“It just all makes sense because everything will be within walking distance,” Clark said. “You know it’s not many places you can just live and walk two blocks and get steak, seafood, you know go enjoy music, stuff like that.”
While some people think the project would help downtown, some residents worry about the project’s impact on Tavares’ small-town atmosphere, infrastructure and parking.
We asked Tavares’ Director of Economic Development, Bob Tweedie about parking and he said right now the project meets code.
“It meets the requirements of city code for the number of parking spaces,” Tweedie said. “I believe it exceeds the current requirement.”
The city told us it is also working on several parking projects right now.
City officials said there are three parking areas that will be under development in the next 90 days that will create just shy of 100 spaces by the end of the year.
Tweedie also said there are future plans for two parking garages that could create anywhere from 1200 to 1500 additional spaces. However, Tweedie said the final number is dependent on funding.
Tweedie said the apartment complex will create more of an anchor for downtown businesses.
“In terms of having residential population in the core of the downtown right now, there isn’t any,” Tweedie said. “This sort of development can create more of a permanent foot traffic for their customer base.”