Community Alignment Through Lakeland’s South Florida Avenue Corridor Planning

COMMUNITY ALIGNMENT THROUGH LAKELAND’S SOUTH FLORIDA AVENUE CORRIDOR PLANNING

Community Alignment through Corridor Planning

The South Florida Avenue Case Study

About the Speakers

Agenda

• Project Overview

• Context and Studies

• Strategic Planning

• Community Alignment

• What Next

• Feedback and Questions

Setting the table The Context

• State Highway (SR 37)

• Dixieland and Downtown

• Historic Dixieland and South Lake

Morton Neighborhoods

• Florida Southern College and Florida

Presbyterian Homes

• Citrus Connection's Gold Line

• 60 feet between building faces

• Good traditional grid network

• Parallel Lake to Lake Bikeway routes

REGIONAL SHOPPING DISTRICT

MEDICAL DISTRICT

DOWTOWN WEST DISTRICT

DOWTOWN DISTRICT

DIXIELAND HISTORIC DISTRICT

DISTRICT

COLLEGE DISTRICT

TO REGIONAL SHOPPING DISTRICT AND AIRPORT

Florida Avenue’s Vibrant History

• "Lakeland's Fashionable Suburb"

• Early 1920s

• Diversity: Bakery, Grocery, Pharmacy

• Height immediately following WWII

Setting the table The Need

• Narrow travel lane width (8.5 – 9 feet)

• Narrow sidewalks

• Inadequate transit facilities

• ADA compliance concerns

• Hindrance to economic development within Dixieland Redevelopment

• Divides community

• Discourages pedestrian and bicycle travel

Early Community Engagement

• FDOT Master Planning (2016-2017)

• Transportation Analysis

• Economic & Redevelopment Scenario Development

• Saturday Charrette & Evening Events

• Week-Long Studio within Corridor (9AM to 9PM Daily)

• Parking & Alleyway Evaluation

• Implementation Plan

• Redevelopment Visioning for Catalyst Sites

Less is more… The “Road Diet Test"

• Resolution 5370 (2017), "a test period of no less than one year"

• Data collection program established

• Design details prepared

• Transit service and funding established

• Construction began in April 2020 (something else happened then...)

• Construction completed in October 2020 – test period officially begins

• Resolution 5793 (2022), recommended three-lane alternative

SFA near Frank Lloyd Wright Way

Test-Period Engagement

• Road-Diet Test Period (2020-2022)

• 2,276 Metroquest questionnaire submissions from 6/1/22 - 7/19/22

• 69 written comments from 7/11/22 Workshop

• Videos

• Social Media

• Neighborhood Meetings

• Phone Calls & E-Mails

Traffic Studies The Numbers

Traffic Studies

The Numbers

• Speeds

Dropped from 33 to 30 mph (posted speed)

85th %tile speed dropped from 38 to 35 mph

• Crashes

Comparable overall

Increase in rear-end crashes

Decrease in more severe crash types

Strategic Planning Guiding Principles

Enhanced Urban Experience

Realize an enhanced urban experience through the proposed street redesign to promote safety, walkability, and good urban design as emphasized in the previous plans.

2 Tactical Urbanism

3

1 4

Link the SFA District to major destinations, downtown, hospitals, shopping centers, and regional transportation hubs by pedestrian walkways, bike, trails, public transportation, and safe vehicular routes.

Safe and Resilient SFA District

Promote redevelopment activities to secure quick wins and gain regional exposure through branding and promotion. SFA (So-Flo) or Design District

Robust Mobility Networks Resilient Redevelopment

Leverage public investment and private partnerships to promote redevelopment on key sites, focusing on transit oriented, mixed-use development to mitigate the City’s foreseeable housing challenges.

Corridor Optioneering

2 LANE DIVIDED WITH BIKE LANES

2 LANE DIVIDED WITH 12' SHARED SIDEWALKS

2 SHARED LANE DIVIDED WITH 12' SHARED SIDEWALKS

2 LANE DIVIDED WITH 10' DUAL BIKE LANES

2 LANE DIVIDED WITH 8' PARKING LANES/BUS BAY

2 LANE UNDIVIDED WITH 8' PARKING LANES/BUS BAY AND 7' BUFFERED BIKE LANES

4 LANE UNDIVIDED

ONE-WAY PAIRS

2 LANE UNDIVIDED WITH 8.5' PARKING LANES AND 10' SHARED SIDEWALKS

4 LANE UNDIVIDED WITH SHARED OUTSIDE LANES

Options

Scenario Planning

Scenario Plan Phase 1 - 0 to 3 years

SFA corridor detailed design with amenities, alley improvements, city policy changes, private property redevelopment.

Scenario Plan Phase 2 - 4 to 7 years

SFA reconstruction, public parking, east-west street improvements, city-wide bike connectivity, private property redevelopment.

Scenario Plan Phase 3 - 8 to 15 years

Event Street, Design District urban features, private property redevelopment.

1 Corridor Design and Construction

2 City Policy, Redevelopment, Collaborations

Community Partnerships

WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS SAID

Public opinion summary

• Many people are strongly opposed to the road diet, with negative comments outpacing positive ones by about 2-to-1.

• That might not be an accurate reflection of broader public opinion.

• Area residents and businesses tend to be more supportive of the project. Commuters tend to be more critical.

Top complaints

1. Few alternative routes

• “S Florida Ave is the main road from North Lakeland to South – it’s not supposed to look like the downtown/Munn park area! Please save that for downtown and just let us get from one side of town to the other as quickly as possible - NO More Road diets!!!”

2. Traffic delays

– Facebook user K.H.

• “No matter the time of day, South Florida Ave has become a road with terrible congestion due to the road diet and implementation of needless middle lane medians further south on South Florida Ave.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 965249)

• “This so-called ‘Road Diet’ is awful! Traffic is worse than ever! Some drivers have no idea where to go. Confusing, total mess! My family avoids this area at all costs! Ridiculous idea!”

– Survey response (Visit ID 980104)

3. Ignores population growth

• “Reducing the number of lanes is certainly not a long-term solution as our population and traffic will continue to grow. That should be clear to anyone who has been paying attention to the number of apartments being built in and around the City.”

– Facebook user J.M.

• “Not to be negative, but all of these options look like small-town solutions. Lakeland has outgrown 2-lane roads a long time ago.”

– Facebook user J.D.

Top complaints cont’d

4. Increased traffic through neighborhoods

• “The merged area is chaotic, and many drivers exit to side roads, causing speeding vehicles and increased traffic in residential areas.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 968400)

• “Vehicles are taking side neighborhood streets more often to bypass the logjam. This is putting families at risk.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 968400)

5. Aggressive driving

• “You have now encouraged drivers to engage in EXTREMELY aggressive behavior when doing the final section in the right turn (to get into the 2-lane section from downtown). I have seen the craziest driving since you redid the traffic patterns there and it does NOT make it feel safer. It’s made it worse.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 966961)

6. Concrete barriers are ugly

• “The curbs are ugly and improve nothing.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 972784)

• “I have almost struck the concrete barriers when turning from an off-street because of how they are set up. You think the lane is open, but then there’s suddenly a concrete block.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 986713)

7. Turning is difficult

• “We need a green arrow light to help with traffic turning East on Belmar. The road diet has caused a lot of traffic to back up. You can sit through numerous lights before you can turn.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 980102)

8. Rarely see pedestrians or bicyclists

• “There is not enough pedestrian traffic in this area to warrant this extra travel time for commuters or the extra traffic for residential homeowners in the area.”

– Survey response (Visit ID 972984)

• “No one walks on So FL Ave because it’s too hot! They walk one street off, it’s prettier and shadier. We need the lanes back. It’s the town’s main thoroughfare! The road diet is insane.”

– Facebook user A.P.

• “There will never be foot traffic! It’s hot, no parking, and NOOOOOO ONE wants to walk a corridor full of random businesses... Who needs shoe repair, a podiatrist, and a lawyer? This is ridiculous.

– Facebook user A.H.

9. Cost

• “Almost $1 million dollars!!! What a waste of $$$ that could be used for bettering the city in other ways!!!”

– Facebook user I.F.

Dixieland business support

Jen Smurr

BORN & BREAD BAKEHOUSE

“This road diet has done so much for us as a small business, and for the safety of our customers… There’s something about our area that – long-term – should be walkable.”

Wendy Johnson & A.J. Jackson

KRAZY KOMBUCHA

“We are for the diet… We would love to see them finish what they started with expanding the sidewalks…

We would love to see people be able to walk from their homes into that retail area.”

Ryan Goding

HILLCREST COFFEE

“One of the things that we’re really looking forward to with the road diet being complete is having the extended sidewalk space… Just being able to connect as a neighborhood; to be able to walk to places and know that you are safe.”

Stakeholder group input

LAKELAND CRA LAKELAND DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

“The Lakeland CRA Advisory Board endorses the implementation of the South Florida Avenue lane reduction as a permanent configuration for this vital corridor in the heart of the Dixieland and gateway to Downtown CRA districts.”

“The Downtown and Dixieland districts are not appropriate for high-speed traffic. The corridor should be pedestrian focused.”

HISTORIC LAKELAND, INC.

LAKE MORTON NEIGHBORHOOD

“[The road diet] has numerous benefits including pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular safety, while preserving the historic buildings along the corridor.”

“The Lake Morton Neighborhood Association (LMNA) would like to express support for a properly streetscaped permanent continuation of the South Florida Avenue ‘road diet.’”

Side Streets

East of S. Florida Ave.

1. Speed humps have already been installed on Palmola, Patten Heights, and E. Maxwell.

2. Recommend installation of speed humps on Hibriten Way, if the neighborhood wants them.

3. E. Belvedere St. is slated for brick restoration, which might require removing the current speed humps.

West of S. Florida Ave.

1. Raised crosswalks have already been installed on Ariana St., east and west of Dobbins Park.

2. Recommend addition of midblock crossings with raised crosswalks at Missouri Ave & Hillcrest St. and at New York Ave & Hillcrest St.

3. Some alleyway improvements are already part of CRA and Public Works planning. Consider increasing funding for alleyway improvements.

Supportive Projects/Alternate Routes

Planned but needs funding:

• S. Wabash Ave. extension between Ariana St. and Harden Blvd. (City)

o Right-of-way acquisition underway

o Construction estimate: $35 million

• Bartow Rd. widening and improvements from Edgewood Dr. to Main St. (FDOT)

o Right-of-way funding – FY 23-25

o CSX easement needed

o Construction not funded

• Lakeland Intermodal Center

o Environmental analysis in current year

o Design and construction not funded

Funded:

• Central Lakeland Transit Signal Prioritization

o Florida Ave, US 98, Lakeland Hills Blvd – FY 24

Long-term perspective

Collaborative Implementation

Next Steps Design and Construction

• FDOT has programmed project in Five-Year Work Program.

• Primarily with local funds.

• Local funding for Design in FY 2024.

• City or FDOT Management is a major question.

• Construction funding package is under development, targeted for FY 2026 or FY 2027.

• Short-Term Projects on City Streets.

Interested in Seeing the Plans?

CONTACTS

Brian Rewis: brian.rewis@lakelandgov.net

Bessie Reina: bessie.reina@dot.state.fl.us

Chuck Barmby: charles.barmby@lakelandgov.net

Binoy Panicker: panickerb@ayresassociates.com