Teresa Sargeant
Key Points
- The Apopka CRA chose not to purchase a $299,000 vacant property at 161 E. Sixth St and redirected funds for park restrooms instead.
- Board members expressed concerns about buying property without a clear plan and preferred exploring private partnerships or developers.
- The reallocated $299,000 will fund a prefabricated restroom facility at Alonzo Williams Park, approved in the FY 2027 budget.
The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency declined Monday to pursue the purchase of a $299,000 vacant East Sixth Street property and later redirected the money toward restrooms at Alonzo Williams Park.
No formal vote was taken Monday on the 0.42-acre property at 161 E. Sixth St. Instead, Mayor Nick Nesta said the consensus was not to move forward for now, and Economic Development Director Antranette Forbes acknowledged the board’s direction.
Forbes presented an evaluation requested by the board after the CRA held off on purchasing the property last year. Staff examined several possible uses, including about 40 parking spaces to support the Apopka Museum. Forbes suggested temporary parking as an interim use while preserving the property for potential future redevelopment or a public-private partnership.
But several board members questioned buying the property before determining what ultimately would be built there.
Board member John Drago said the CRA should be cautious about acquiring property because doing so removes it from the tax rolls.
“I’m opposed to buying a property just for the sake of storing the property for some future use,” Drago said. Instead, he suggested working to find a developer for the property.
Board member Nadia Anderson agreed that the CRA should not acquire the property without knowing how it would be used and suggested officials instead explore a private partnership.
Board member Yesenia Baron said that if the CRA were to acquire the site, the property should have a revenue-generating use that helps draw people using the nearby trail into downtown Apopka.
“What is it that we can put in that area that’s going to be revenue-driven for our city?” Baron said.
Nesta agreed with the board’s concerns and said that if additional parking is desired, city-owned property next to the museum could potentially be formalized as a parking lot.
Later in the meeting, the CRA redirected the $299,000 previously allocated for the Sixth Street purchase to restrooms at Alonzo Williams Park as part of its fiscal year 2027 budget. Parks and Recreation staff said estimates for a four- or six-stall prefabricated restroom building range from about $250,000 to $300,000, before costs to connect utilities. The budget, with that adjustment, was approved unanimously.