ORLANDO, Fla. — The City of Orlando is crafting a master plan to modernize Lake Eola Park in the heart of downtown Orlando.

What You Need To Know

City officials are looking for public input to make the park the best it can be for the community to enjoy for the next 50 years. They said the city has outgrown the 16-acre piece of land surrounding the lake.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the city was seeing around 3 million visitors to the park every year, including events.

Around $200,000 has been set aside to come up with a concept for Lake Eola Park improvements.

There have been several expansions more recently, but the last renovation to the park was in the 1980s.

Officials are looking at re-imagining the amphitheater for concerts while making more gathering spaces.

"We want to know, how does each and every person feel about the park, what is important to them, and how can we make sure that we keep those ideas and feelings in the park," City of Orlando Parks Division Manager John Perrone said.

The Lake Eola Park Master Plan survey is on the City of Orlando's website, and includes questions about safety, parking, and what brings you to the park. 

There is also a series of virtual meetings coming up, the first one on October 22, for Lake Eola businesses, residents, and visitors to weigh in. The website includes links for information on all upcoming meetings as well the Master Plan process.

The manager of the Lauren Nicole store right by Lake Eola said she would like to share her thoughts with the city.

"I love the downtown feel and I love the hustle and bustle of downtown, and I think more events in this area would be really good, especially for businesses like us, the small businesses, where we rely on the foot traffic," Amelia Riley said.

The timeline and cost of this project will be worked out further once the city gets to hear and read what the public wants to see with these improvements.​