03.08.2023 - Redevelopment of 8th Street pier & surrounding area meeting minutes
City Manager Bulthuis began the meeting at 6:05p.m speaking about the vision residents have for Clermont. This meeting is to talk about the vision the community started years ago and
how to build upon that with the downtown and lakefront areas.
Mr. Bulthuis gave a brief history of the 8th Street Pier and that currently the pier is closed due to safety concerns. With the current condition of the pier, the estimated cost to repair
the existing pier is approximately $750,000.00 to $1,000,000.00. In order to repair the existing pier, the funds would have to come out of the General Fund.
In 2015, the community came together and created a Downtown Master Plan which had an area called the promenade section that included event space and docking capabilities at the foot
of 8th Street. In that same year the Community Redevelopment Agency updated their plan which stated that the CRA’s economic growth is tied to the continued multi-use of its assets along
with lakeshore.
During visioning sessions there was a desire to connect Lake Minneola with downtown. The concept that was shown is called “Meet Us in the Middle Plaza” which comes from the fact that
the 8th Street area is in the middle of the Coast to Coast trail. There were discussion regarding making the parks enjoyable and how to get people to want to go there. The concept being
shown has restrooms, places for families to gather, enhancements to the trail and docks for families to park their boats and enjoy downtown.
Mr. Bulthuis reviewed funding sources as well as grants that can be applied for. The project can be phased in as funds are available.
Jeff Powell from Powell Studio Architecture presented concept plans. He noted the concept plans is not a final design. There is a lot of potential for the area to include bike path and
potential boat slips. There will be a focal point in the middle of the space for pictures and gatherings and to create an iconic place to visit. While creating the design, they were
sensitive to not block the view from Osceola Street, saving the trees and reducing some of the retention pond. Any new pier will not go any further than the current pier.
He reviewed the next steps in the process consisting of: site data, meet with state agencies, final design and creating a budget. The project is still early in the process. Mr. Bulthuis
explained there is a survey currently being done to collect data to obtain specific ideas.
City Manager Bulthuis opened the meeting for public comment.
Kathy Kyle, 335 3rd Street – expressed concern with quality of life and does not want 76 boat slips.
Roy Davis, 1445 Lake Avenue – likes the plan, but expressed concern with the number of boat slips.
Tod Howard, 1986 Brantley Circle - does not support the project.
Charlene Forth, 939 W. Desoto Street – not in favor of the project.
Chandra Myers, 1040 Glenraven Lane– the park area is beautiful, is not in favor of that many boats.
Kim Grogan, Clermont Main Street – excited the city is bringing this to fruition. More watercraft users can enjoy downtown and free up parking spaces.
Shauna Vaughan, 473 Blue Cypress Drive – likes the park idea, not the boat slips.
City Manager Bulthuis stated they will consider all of the citizens input.
Libby Hanna, 1251 Fran Mar Court – expressed concerns regarding the vegetation and losing the natural protection on the lake.
Mark Graff, 1944 Brantley Circle – excited for the project, moving in the right direction.
Rosie Mulholland, 10240 Minneola Shores – Meet us in the middle concept has a lot of hardscape. The number of boats is out of scale, focus on sustainable types of lake uses.
Eric Schwalback, 709 S. Main Ave, Minneola – spoke about the good points of the boat docks.
Renaldo, 1212 Grand Hwy – in favor of the concept, we should welcome it.
Allison Strange, 1120 Lakeshore Drive –Concept is beautiful, needs time for proper planning.
Steven Franklin, 378 12th Street – in favor of the idea as long as we protect the lake.
Dean Morris, 26643 Bimini Drive, Tavares – concept is outstanding, will work well for everyone.
Patrick Bianchi, 752 Montrose Street – in favor of the project, thanked staff for moving forward.
Ash Condon, 786 W. Montrose – needs more green space.
Bill Downs, Suncreek Brewery – city has brought to life everything they have said since 2017. This is an attraction that will bring people in to downtown.
Otis Taylor, 2686 Caladesi Road – staff is doing a great job.
City Manager Bulthuis acknowledged there were questions regarding environmental concerns so he introduced the engineer from Halff Associates, Inc., Duane Booth to answer questions.
Mr. Booth stated that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has stringent rules. There is a lot of permitting to do which will take time. They will be looking at primary
and secondary impacts.
City Manager Bulthuis closed the meeting with discussion about the budget and phasing the project. The city is open to anything to enhance what is already there. This is the beginning
and there are still many details that need to be figured out with this project.