Ocala CRAs
Larry Laube took his first trip to Ocala in 1970. He drove off Interstate 75 onto State Road 40. And he still remembers the disappointment at what he saw.
“It was not that great,” Laube said about the area’s appearance.
Today Laube is general manager of KWI of Ocala, an equipment rental and supply store located off U.S. 27. It’s another gateway, like SR 40, from I-75 to Ocala’s downtown. When he looked out from his shop recently, he was disappointed at what he saw there, too.
“If this is your first impression when you come off the interstate, it’s probably not your best impression,” Laube said, referring to a nearby empty strip mall and vacant buildings. “This area does need some work.”
Laube was happy to learn the U.S. 27 corridor is among four areas the city of Ocala is considering as possible Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs), where a portion of tax dollars would be set aside in a trust fund dedicated to cleaning up slum and blight. The Ocala City Council is reviewing the four proposals to determine which, if any, it wants to designate a CRA. A decision is expected soon.
The four options include:
An expanded central district, which would expand the existing CRA in the downtown/North Magnolia area.
An expanded central district downtown and the SR 40 gateway.
The corridors, which include the areas along the city’s major thoroughfares.
A neighborhoods and corridors plan, which includes areas along the major roadways and a portion of east Ocala, a portion of west Ocala and an area west of I-75.
Read more here.