OVIEDO, Fla. – Managing growth and traffic were top of mind for voters in Oviedo during last week’s mayoral election.
Incumbent Megan Sladek was re-elected for a third term and is now looking to continue pushing her ideas to reshape the city’s future.
Locals want to make sure the city’s small-town feel is maintained in the midst of its population boom. Nearly 40,000 people call Oviedo home today, but an estimated 10,000 more are expected to live there in the next decade.
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Gayle Parmelee has lived in Oviedo for more than 25 years. While things have certainly changed since then, she said you can still find a slice of old Oviedo.
“We’re sitting here eating ice cream, looking at the Oviedo chickens, next to the Townhouse Restaurant, it doesn’t get any more small-town than this,” she said. “It’s such a great place.”
As you drive through the heart of Oviedo, it’s clear the city is in the middle of a growth spurt. Roads are under construction, new shops and restaurants are popping up, and traffic is getting worse.
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“Years ago, before Oviedo on the Park, it would take me ten minutes to get where I wanted to go. Now it takes 20 minutes,” Parmelee said. “It’s just tough. The roads aren’t wide enough to accommodate the growth, but that’s progress I guess, and we’re just going to have to roll with it.”
Sladek wants to see more residents walking or biking to alleviate some of the congestion.
“It’s not feasible to build enough roads to get out of this,” she said. “About 19% of the trips in Oviedo are two miles or less. That’s our lowest-hanging fruit. That’s an achievable distance to get people to walk or bike.”
Shoring up infrastructure, specifically for public safety, is another priority for the recently reelected mayor.
Voters recently rejected a ballot referendum, asking if the city should borrow up to $35.5 million to help pay for a new and larger police headquarters.
“I don’t think they showcased how badly they need it,” Parmelee said. “It’s all about presentation.”
One option the city could now reconsider is moving the police department to the former Sears inside the Oviedo Mall.
“The only way that can work, though, is if all of city hall moves,” Sladek said. “Our fire chief has said that he believes we need one, possibly two more fire stations, and one of the locations where one is most needed is right by the mall.”
There’s been a huge push to redevelop the mall into what could be known as Oviedo Marketplace.
The city will hold a public hearing next month on plans to build new apartments, a hotel, and more retail on the site of the former Macy’s.
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