Changes Coming To Downtown
Project DTO 2.0 is focused on “driving actionable changes to the streets, civic spaces, mobility options, and neighborhoods to promote a thriving downtown.”
During Mayor Buddy Dyer's State of Downtown address back in December, he referred to the project as, "an action plan for enacting dozens of small steps that add up to one big evolution of downtown Orlando as its own urban neighborhood.”
Those small steps will get underway this year, like changes to the landscape of downtown.
"Streets that are one way, that a lot of people just traverse the city without ever stopping, are going to turn it into two way," said Giuliani.
He said the city is focusing on one square mile at a time. "Largely to the east side of I4, coming down from Lake Ivanhoe down to Lake Lucerne."
He said you can also expect changes to sidewalks and better lighting downtown.
These changes are vital as Giuliani said residents need a downtown that's more like a neighborhood with different dining options and other businesses that can attract workers back into downtown.
"Because if we can continue at very moderate occupancy levels in buildings, the building value decreases the property tax receipts decrease," said Giuliani.
He said having a more vibrant downtown at all hours of the day, and not just at late night is going to entice more users of downtown.
Moratorium, Permits, and the Plan
In January, the Orlando City Council postponed its vote on a proposed six-month moratorium on new downtown nightclubs until March 1st.
They will also wait until that date to vote on an ordinance to create required special permits for nightclubs downtown that want to stay open between midnight and 2 a.m.
These ordinances and Project DTO go hand-in-hand as the city looks to diversify the downtown area.
Giuliani said downtown should be a place where everyone wants to come.
"People that live here wanting to have their grocery stores here, and their dry cleaning here and dog walking services or whatever is required there," he said. "Making sure downtown kind of works for everybody."
He says right now there is a lack of harmony downtown.
"There's so many bars and the conditions the police chief went over, there's just a spike in crime between 12 and four in the morning," he said. "And so they have to staff that with a whole bunch of extra officers, which takes them away from other parts of the city."
He said that creates an unsustainable funding issue due to the surge in police.
But, if these ordnances were to pass, could the cost to stay safe trickle down on to visitors or paying customers? Or cause pay cuts for workers potentially?
Giuliani said it's unclear, but currently the cost is falling on residents and the city.
"I think it's like $40,000 per weekend because of the surge in police."
He said there's not much room to cut the pay for a bar worker. "Does it take away some of the dollar drink nights? Maybe."
