The Planning Commission will meet today, Tuesday December 13 at 5:30 p.m., when they will discuss approval of amending Apopka’s parking ordinance so it will allow on-street parking with reasonable restrictions, among the changes.
If the Planning Commission recommends approval, the amended parking ordinance will have two scheduled public hearings by the City Council: one on Wednesday, January 4 at 1:30 p.m., and the other on Wednesday, January 18 at 7 p.m.
Besides allowing on-street parking with reasonable restrictions, the revised parking ordinance would also ensure that public safety vehicles have access throughout the community, and ensure the delivery of other governmental services.
The city parking ordinance was last updated in 2013. Yet it was not an issue until early this  year, when the Apopka Police Department received complaints from civilians about parking matters. The police department then organized the Parking Ordinance Committee, comprised of Apopka residents from different neighborhoods, to review the 2013 ordinance.
The Parking Ordinance Committee met from July through mid-September of this year to recommend potential changes. The committee had a September 26 public hearing to gather input from the general public, then a final workshop on October 10 to discuss public comments from the September 26 public hearing.
Also on tonight’s agenda are two special exception requests by two different applicants. One is for a proposed development of a four-story, 80-room hotel at a building height of 55 feet. The other is for an industrial-zoned property on South Orange Blossom Trail belonging to the technology company Qorvo, which seeks a maximum building height of 55 feet.
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