OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Ocala City Council Work Session on Vision 2050 – February 10, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, February 10, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, February 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:08:20

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Is everybody else coming?

0:05

They'll be open.

0:12

All I need is three.

0:15

Here you go.

0:22

Oh my God.

0:22

I want it back.

0:23

Do you want it back?

0:26

It's gonna be a long year.

0:32

Oh no.

0:46

All right.

0:46

I'd like to welcome everybody to the 2050 workshop.

0:52

Mr.

0:52

Pete Lee, will you?

0:55

Well, let's call a rule first.

0:57

Let's call it call it to order.

0:58

Let's call the rule.

1:00

Mr.

1:00

Marciano.

1:01

Here.

1:01

Mr.

1:02

Musley.

1:02

Here.

1:03

Ms.

1:03

Dreyer.

1:04

Here.

1:04

Mr.

1:04

Mansfield.

1:05

Here.

1:05

Mr.

1:06

Bethe.

1:07

Here.

1:07

Public notice.

1:10

The February 10th, 2026 City Council Works session was publicly noticed on January 15, 2026 on the City of O'Cala's website.

1:18

Thank you.

1:19

Thank you.

1:21

Topics for discussion.

1:23

Thank you, sir.

1:25

Oh, sorry.

1:32

40 Vision 2050.

1:36

Yes.

1:37

Thank you.

1:38

This is long awaited, and we're glad to bring it before you a workshop of the draft of the 2050 vision or vision 2050.

1:58

It's been really the kind of the most important toolbox that we've had over the my career here.

2:19

And to set our priorities and get those things done.

2:24

So staff will make the presentation and we'll be ready for questions, and I'll start off with Jeff.

2:30

Thank you.

2:31

For the record, Jess Rome Growth Management Director.

2:35

With me here today, we also have Aubrey Hill, our planning director, and Indira Madrevera and her chief planner.

2:40

They're gonna be doing the bulk of this presentation.

2:43

Also, we have Allie Palmer, our consultant on this project with Kimley Horner Associates is here.

2:54

As you listen to this presentation today, you know, ask yourself what is your vision for 2050.

3:00

Kind of get those juices going.

3:02

You know, some of the things you might think about is where is the development going on?

3:05

Where is it happening?

3:06

What type of development?

3:08

Um what's our population?

3:10

What's our demographics look like?

3:12

How is our ability to govern further impacted by further state preemptions and mandates?

3:18

Um, we have passenger service at the airport.

3:22

Or perhaps even vehicle trips will now be personal aircraft.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning and Zoning█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Economic Development███████████████16%
Public Engagement██████████████15%
Procedural█████████9%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Ocala City Council Work Session: Vision 2050 Draft Presentation

On February 10, 2026, at 12:00 PM, the Ocala City Council held a work session at Ocala City Hall to review the draft Vision 2050 plan, an update to the 2035 vision. The meeting included a detailed presentation by Growth Management Director Jeff Rome, Planning Director Aubrey Hill, Chief Planning Official Indira Madrevera, and consultant Allie Palmer from Kimley-Horn. Council members discussed growth projections, land use, mobility, and implementation strategies, with no formal votes taken.

Discussion Items

  • Vision 2050 Presentation: Staff presented the draft Vision 2050, emphasizing it as a guiding document for future development, building on the 2035 vision. Key elements included:

    • Population Growth: Projected 31% increase from 2024 estimates, reaching nearly 92,000 residents within city limits by 2050.
    • Land Use: Identified 11% of city land as vacant or undeveloped. Urban form opportunities (blue dots on map) target medium-intensity special districts for higher density/intensity, shifting toward form-based code.
    • Economic Analysis: Urban 3 study showed downtown CRA has 53% tax-exempt properties (vs. 23% citywide), meaning 47% of properties carry the tax burden. Mixed-use developments can generate up to $9.4 million per acre compared to $0.4 million per acre for big-box retail.
    • Action Items: Four building blocks (land use/housing, mobility/connectivity, public/open spaces, core components) with citywide initiatives including unified land development code (first major update since 1980s), capital improvement program, infill redevelopment, mobility fees, enhanced transit (SunTran expansion), complete streets, parks master plan update, Tuscawilla Park master plan, and gateway improvements along State Road 40 and I-75.
    • Focus Areas: Four focus areas (East Ocala, High Intensity Central Core, West Ocala, Airport) with catalytic sites, trail connections, and placemaking. State Road 40 designated as signature gateway corridor.

  • Council Questions and Comments:

    • Councilmember Mansfield requested data on total green space (parks, DRAs) to counter concerns about losing open space. Staff agreed to calculate public park acreage.
    • Councilmember Hilty asked how to redevelop underutilized privately owned downtown properties. City Manager Lee cited tools like CRAs, brownfields, and public-private partnerships, noting ongoing conversations with property owners.
    • Councilmember Dreyer suggested coordinating with the school board on surplus properties to align with Vision 2050.
    • Councilmember Musleh inquired about incorporating initiatives from the TDC’s gap study; staff said they would review for structural fit.
    • Council President Bethea questioned the timeline for annual priority-setting. City Manager Lee emphasized the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as annual tools to align capital projects with the vision.
    • Councilmembers discussed model cities: Greenville (SC), Huntsville (AL), Winter Park (FL) were cited as examples for downtown activation and mixed-use development.
    • Councilmember Mansfield praised the inclusion of the airport focus area, noting the airport industrial park has seen no development. Staff noted alignment with the airport’s master plan.

Key Outcomes

  • Feedback Requested: Council members were asked to review the draft document and provide written feedback within a few weeks. Staff will incorporate comments and then schedule public hearings, likely in April or May 2026.
  • Public Engagement: The public can access the draft via a QR code on the city’s website and submit comments. A media campaign will be launched to increase awareness.
  • Next Steps: Staff will clean up inaccuracies in the draft, then present a final version for adoption. The unified land development code update will be a major subsequent project.
  • No Formal Decisions: The work session was for discussion only; no votes were taken.

Meeting Transcript

Is everybody else coming? They'll be open. All I need is three. Here you go. Oh my God. I want it back. Do you want it back? It's gonna be a long year. Oh no. All right. I'd like to welcome everybody to the 2050 workshop. Mr. Pete Lee, will you? Well, let's call a rule first. Let's call it call it to order. Let's call the rule. Mr. Marciano. Here. Mr. Musley. Here. Ms. Dreyer. Here. Mr. Mansfield. Here. Mr. Bethe. Here. Public notice. The February 10th, 2026 City Council Works session was publicly noticed on January 15, 2026 on the City of O'Cala's website. Thank you. Thank you. Topics for discussion. Thank you, sir. Oh, sorry. 40 Vision 2050. Yes. Thank you. This is long awaited, and we're glad to bring it before you a workshop of the draft of the 2050 vision or vision 2050. It's been really the kind of the most important toolbox that we've had over the my career here. And to set our priorities and get those things done. So staff will make the presentation and we'll be ready for questions, and I'll start off with Jeff. Thank you. For the record, Jess Rome Growth Management Director. With me here today, we also have Aubrey Hill, our planning director, and Indira Madrevera and her chief planner. They're gonna be doing the bulk of this presentation. Also, we have Allie Palmer, our consultant on this project with Kimley Horner Associates is here.

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