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Laura Bornfruend (407) 246-3423

CITY UNVEILS PATHWAYS FOR PARRAMORE

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioner Daisy Lynum Unveil Strategic Initiatives to Lead Revitalization of Parramore Heritage Neighborhood
 

June 14, 2005 (Orlando, FL) – Amidst a crowd of more than 200 residents and business and community leaders, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and District 5 Commissioner Daisy Lynum launched bold pathways to guide the City of Orlando’s revitalization efforts for the Parramore Heritage Neighborhood.

The Pathways for Parramore initiative came to fruition from a task force commissioned by Mayor Buddy Dyer in November 2003. After more than 6 months of conducting research and obtaining stakeholder input, the task force presented recommendations in June 2004.

The mission of the Parramore Task Force was to develop strategies that address the areas of: Public Safety, Housing, Quality of Life, Education and Business Development; with the goal of restoring the Parramore Heritage Neighborhood to a safe, livable, sustainable and prosperous place for families, businesses and institutions to thrive.

Based on the five key areas addressed by the task force, Mayor Buddy Dyer outlined the pathways for Parramore’s revitalization. “The City can’t do this alone, with the support of our community and business leaders, Parramore residents and business-owners, we, for the first time, as a coordinated effort – can build this community, and build it on the heritage of this historical neighborhood.”

Commissioner Daisy Lynum addressed the audience, including Grant Hill, Representative Bruce Antone and Senator Gary Siplin, about the City’s commitment to the Parramore Heritage Neighborhood saying, “there are few new ideas for Parramore, what we are here to do is to reaffirm our commitment to make our vision for Parramore a reality, and see these projects through to completion.”

Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Lynum announced several key initiatives that will give momentum, create excitement and build a foundation for the renaissance of Parramore:

• The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the redevelopment of the Parramore Village site, which will result in more than 40 new housing-units, has been issued and information is now available for interested parties at City Hall.

• City Council will consider a purchase agreement from the Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF) to purchase approximately one acre of land anchoring the northwest corner of Parramore Avenue and Church Street. This will be a cornerstone catalytic project comprised of 41,000 s.f. of office space, 20 office condominiums, 45 residential units, 10,500 s.f. of commercial space, a community meeting room and a small business incubator.

• The Orlando Police Department is implementing a door-to-door campaign in the Parramore neighborhood to share valuable City and OPD information on housing rehabilitation and public safety programs, and to build relationships with residents.

• Free summer programs for Parramore children will be offered by the City and community organizations throughout Central Florida. Additionally, many of the participating organizations have offered scholarships and other accommodations. LYNX has graciously provided free bus passes to teens that sign up for these programs.

• For the first time ever, the City has 4C childcare subsidies for every family in Parramore who was on the waiting list, increasing enrollment by 27% with 77 children enrolled. Mayor Dyer is prepared to re-sign the City’s contract with 4C for families next year.

• The City will set aside funds raised at Citykidz - Buddy’s Benefit for Children - as the first installment to a “Legacy Trust” for Parramore children, which will pave the way for permanent funds to be available for educational resources.

• The approval of $2.2 million from the CRA will be used for the Division Streetscape enhancement project. This project is now on track and is scheduled to begin the first quarter of 2006.

• The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority has agreed to restore, with additional streetscape improvements, Z.L. Reilly Park on the 700-block of Parramore Avenue as improvements are made to S. R. 408 (East-West Expressway).

• To better serve the Parramore area, construction is underway on the CityView Police substation, which will bring public safety resources closer to home and is scheduled for completion within the next few months.

• Site work has already begun on Parramore Heritage Park, which includes a neighborhood park and a centralized facility for the collection of stormwater for the anticipated development within a sub-basin of the Parramore neighborhood. This project not only provides incentive for redevelopment, but also serves as a neighborhood park for the residents of Parramore.

• In an effort to encourage the beautification of Orlando’s older buildings, the boundaries of the City’s Façade Grant Program will be extended to the area along Church Street from Terry Avenue to Parramore Avenue, and then south on Parramore to Long Street. In addition, Parramore will be a priority zone for this program.

• The City’s Business Development team will be developing a block-by-block plan to encourage mixed-use development or “Parramore Town Center” concept closer to Interstate 4 and developing strategies to protect and encourage low-density residential development west of Parramore Avenue and South of the 408.

Ongoing initiatives and current projects in the Parramore Heritage Neighborhood include:

• The development of a computerized tracking system to ensure a “crackdown” on repeat code offenders. This, combined with the addition of 3 Code Enforcement Officers dedicated to Parramore, has resulted in a 350% increase in code enforcement’s case management within Parramore.

• The Carver Park Housing Development, a 203-unit project by the Orlando Housing Authority, will provide 57 families opportunities for homeownership.

• The CityView / Hughes Supply Headquarters development is a mixed-use development model with housing, retail, and office space in one central location for Parramore residents and businesses. The Hughes Supply building is fully occupied and there is a waiting list of residents for the CityView apartments.

• The Shiloh Baptist Church is committed to making a $5M investment for a new youth life center to more effectively serve the Parramore residents spiritually, socially and economically.

• The new Federal Courthouse is now under construction and represents an investment of $82M dollars. In addition, it will house 400 employees combined with the current George C. Young Courthouse.

• The FAMU School of Law campus, set to open in a few months, will provide approximately 750 students the opportunity to attend a prestigious law school in a downtown neighborhood where they can also live, work and play.

• Phase I renovation work is complete at the Expo Center for the UCF School of Digital Media and Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. Students and Faculty are now located in the building and it is expected to house 1600 students within 4 years and 3100 students at build out.

For full details on the Pathways For Parramore, please log on to www.cityoforlando.net.

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