EDITOR’S NOTE: On Sunday, Ocala-News.com published an article about the construction of the city’s second parking garage.
The photo used as the featured image of that story was, in fact, a photo of the downtown AC Marriott hotel that is currently under construction.
When Ocala-News.com was contacted by city staff, the story was corrected and this statement was added.
We are committed to transparency and are not above reproach. If you see an error in a story, always feel free to contact us through our correction/retraction form.
The following is the original story as published, with the incorrect photos removed and additional details from city staff:
Construction of the city’s second parking garage in downtown Ocala is progressing quickly, less than a year before the structure is scheduled to open to the public.
Situated north of W Fort King Street, between SW 3rd Avenue and SW 2nd Avenue, the second parking garage in downtown is currently in Phase 4 of construction.
According to city staff, workers are currently laying the foundation of the new garage.
City officials began Phase 1 of the downtown parking garage project in October 2024, kicking off a series of major detours in downtown Ocala that have been in effect for months. The following Phase 4 detours are currently in place:
The new garage is projected to have 800 parking spaces. It will have two entry points, with each situated on the mid-blocks of SW 2nd Avenue and SW 3rd Avenue.
In August, the city approved an incentive package to a new hotel under construction in downtown Ocala for the exclusive use of approximately 225 of the parking spaces in the new garage.
That action came just a few months after the city broke ground on the second parking garage.
In January, the former Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church was demolished to clear the site where the parking garage is being built.
SSC Construction Management, LLC, an Ocala-based company, is handling the construction and of the second downtown parking garage. The structure is estimated to cost approximately $17,481,485.70.
Construction is estimated to be complete by the summer of 2026. The city estimates that all of the roadway projects in downtown Ocala associated with the garage will be completed by 2027.
Have you seen the new parking garage in your commutes across the city? Share your thoughts about the project in a comment below or, if you have more to say on the topic, write a letter to the editor.