Access and Parking

The new Community Venues locations and design deliver much improved parking support. Ensuring convenient access to parking while meeting the transportation needs to and from the new Community Venues remains a top priority of the City and each Venue partner.
Our goal is to create a seamless system that incorporates multiple options and choices, an improved road network, a pedestrian-friendly culture, parking that is easy to access, and mass transit options.

Through the development of a Community Venues Master Plan, the City has planned for more
than double the current parking availability for both the events center and performing arts center. In addition, the following principles were identified as important to reaching this goal:

• There MUST be parking on-site or in close proximity that meets the needs of guests and individuals who want to park near the Venues. However, it is not in the best interest of guests attending downtown events to be forced to converge on a single mega parking location at a specific time. This creates serious traffic congestion and impacts the full experience of attending a concert, sporting event or cultural performance.

• We must take maximum advantage of investments already made in existing parking and
  transportation systems before spending additional taxpayer dollars.

• We must make the new Venues convenient and “user-friendly” through the development of an extensive electronic signage system that directs people to available parking and helps
  pedestrians safely walk to events.

• The new Venues must not be surrounded by parking lots, which would keep new retail outlets and restaurants from being built in the area and would lessen the local economic impact of the venues. Instead existing and new parking garages will be incorporated into a seamless experience.

• To meet the Venues transportation needs, we must provide new street connections, capitalize on improvements made to I-4 and the 408 Expressway, convert some Downtown streets to two-way, and enhance our local mass transit systems by offering new options such as commuter rail.

• We must work to establish a positive pedestrian culture by creating safe and pleasant
  sidewalks and walkways. This should include encouraging greater use of awnings and other shelters.

Parking Available

The plan calls for construction of 2,000-3,000 new parking spaces adjacent to or in close proximity to the Events Center that could meet venue and general needs 24/7. By comparison, Memphis built 1,500 spaces with its arena and Charlotte built no new spaces, instead taking advantage of existing garages and transit. In addition to planned spaces, there are another 5,300 existing parking spaces available within a five minute walk of the new Events Center. With the construction of the new spaces the new Events Center will have 4,000 to 5,000 more spaces than what currently exists with the Amway Arena.

There are approximately 5,500 existing spaces available within a five-minute walk of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) site. This is 2,900 more spaces than what currently exist within a five-minute walk of the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. Additional parking garages for the PAC are also expected to be built onsite or immediately adjacent to the site as part of ancillary development around the Venue.

*Note: Adjacent /on-site parking for the Dr. Phillips PAC would be constructed with ancillary development around the Venue.

Downtown Transportation Plan
Last year, the City completed the most comprehensive Downtown Transportation Plan in its history.
Its underlying finding was that the number of commuter trips originating or ending in Downtown would rise, and with minimal options to widen roads in a downtown environment, a multi-modal approach must be taken to address future growth.
The plan identified dozens of recommendations that are being evaluated and prioritized by the City’s transportation staff. These solutions will be implemented over the next few years and include:

• extending and realigning the current road network,
• enhancing intersections by adding turn lanes and improving timing of lights,
• converting some Downtown streets to two-way,
• maximizing improvements to I-4, the 408 and Downtown on-and off-ramps offering direct
access to the Venues
• installing electronic signage system to direct people to available parking and safe walkways,
• expanding the Downtown Lymmo system,
• providing pedestrians with greater protection from the sun and rain with awnings and street
trees, and
• enhancing on-street bike lanes.

Mass Transit Options
Guests of these three venues should not be forced to park in the same location at the same time. That would create the same gridlock that exists after an event at the current Arena and Bob Carr. Our efforts have focused on dispersing parking around the Venues while providing transit options that allow easy travel to and from each of the new venues. For example:

• The proposed Commuter Rail System, which is expected to be complete before the opening of the new Venues, would include a station located less than two blocks from the new Events Center and less than three blocks from the Performing Arts Center. This new system would allow residents from areas like Lake Mary, Maitland and Winter Park to never have to drive into Downtown, reducing traffic and parking needs.

• The Community Venues Master Plan and Downtown Transportation Plan also call for
  expansion of the Downtown LYMMO service. This system will allow residents to park in garages anywhere Downtown and ride to the Venue front doors. Again, this would reduce congestion by distributing parking over a larger geographic area.

Transportation Access Planning Network
As the design and construction of these venues begin, the City will continue to refine its parking and traffic plans. And, we will work with our Venue partners and other new developments in Downtown to provide additional, nearby parking options that are convenient and easy to access.
In addition, the City has formed an interdepartmental planning network to address specific parking and access needs for individual events, including traffic flow, need for additional Lymmo buses and public safety efforts.