For months, city employees have been planning and preparing for the installment of a village green in the Midtown District. Their efforts finally will come to fruition near the end of this year, when the park is expected to be completed.
“I’m looking forward to getting this thing started within the next couple of weeks,” Community Services Director Karen Collins said.
The work is expected to be completed by Christmastime.
The park, located south of Renfro Street, between Evers and Wheeler streets, will feature large shade trees, sidewalks, benches and plenty of green space. The dazzling central feature will be a customized fountain purchased from Fine’s Gallery, a company in Bonita Springs.
“We’re going to be very busy little campers around here,” Collins said.
Collins said she was excited to start picking out trees at the nursery. The park will feature diverse vegetation, including cathedral oaks. Cathedral oaks can grow up to 35 feet tall, and reach a branch width of up to 20 feet. The size of these trees will distinguish the park from other areas of downtown where the trees are much smaller.
“It’s not going to take years to get to looking like a mature, filled-out park,” Collins said.
Besides its aesthetic and recreational value, the park will increase Plant City’s sustainability. The vegetation is intended to help clean the aquifer by filtering out environmental pollutants, such as phosphates leftover from the Gro-Mor Fertilizer plant.
There will be monitoring wells installed in the park. When the park is finished, the water in these wells will be checked for various contaminants, to determine base levels. The EPC and EPA will test these wells each year to follow, and track the sustainability plan’s effectiveness.
“So far, as the park and fountain are concerned, this is the type of people place that makes for successful downtown environments,” said Interim City Manager Dave Sollenberger.
THE REZONE
The Plant City Planning Board unanimously recommended Aug. 14, that the City Commission approve the rezoning of the first phase.
The first phase is a 35-acre portion of land that borders the CSX Railroad, positioned between Ball and Ingram streets. If the rezoning is approved, it will allow this land to be developed in a way that matches the surrounding downtown area. For example, buildings will border the sidewalk directly, instead of being set back like in suburban zones. This type of development is called “new urbanism.”
“Actually, there’s nothing new about it,” Sollenberger said. “It’s how downtowns were developed 100-plus years ago. So, it should blend pretty well with the existing environment, which has been one of my hopes all along.”
Currently, the Phase One area is zoned for mixed use of general commercial and residential buildings. Existing structures are public or commercial buildings, and one city-owned multi-family complex. There are also portions of vacant land. The Planning Board’s recommendation is to rezone the entire area for commercial use.
A report from the city manager states that the rezoning of not just Phase One but also all Midtown areas, would not have a significant impact on the provision or capacity of public utilities, transportation or schools in Plant City. It also promises that the rezoning will not cause overcrowding, decrease quality of life in surrounding areas or depreciate the value of property in the surrounding areas.
After the rezoning process is complete, the next step will be for the planning board to select a construction firm to develop the publicly owned portions of the district.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
The Plant City Commission will hold two public hearings regarding the proposed rezoning at their meetings this month — at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8, and Sept. 22, at City Hall, 302 W. Reynolds St. Citizens and others with special interest in the Midtown redevelopment are welcome to address the commission at these times.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityovserver.com.