Reconnect and nurture neighborhoods: Lakeland looks at first draft of Downtown West plan

LAKELAND — Lakeland commissioners got their first look at the proposed Downtown West Action Plan aimed at uplifting and transforming a section of the city.

Over the past year and a half, GAI Consultants has worked with the Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency to draft a vision for the future of Downtown West and plans to help uplift the area.

What's Downtown West? It's an area that been defined as south of Memorial Boulevard, from North Florida Avenue in the west to Brunell Parkway in the east, and dipping as far south as North Ruby and Palmetto streets along the edge of Lake Hunter. It's roughly 1,140 acres.

Valerie Farrell, Lakeland's CRA manager, gave an overview of the extensive work that's gone into determining what three major moves, or key objectives, the city should make in Downtown West.

Reconnecting a divided community

Farrell said the first point is to improve connectivity for all, starting with pedestrians and bicyclists.

Downtown West has faced several challenges to development over the years, Farrell said, George Jenkins Boulevard, Kathleen Road and the CSX Railroad serve as barriers between neighborhoods.

The study suggests the city set 13 priority projects within a five-year action plan to achieve its key objectives, according to Blake Drury of GAI Consultants.

One of the priority projects strongly emphasized for improving connectivity is the Five-Points Roundabout off Lake Beulah, which is under construction. It will be a single-lane traffic circle where West Main Street, Lemon Street and Sloan Avenue/Bonnet Springs Boulevard meeting, just south of the CSX tracks and George Jenkins Boulevard.

Drury said this not enough, and he placed emphasis on getting the partners in that project, including CSX and the Florida Department of Transportation, to realize it is one of three pieces of the puzzle.

The city should place priority on improvements to the adjacent intersection of George Jenkins Boulevard at Sloan Ave and the entryway to Bonnet Springs Park, Drury said. Sketches of the area suggest a possible roundabout. Commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley, who also sits on the board of Bonnet Springs Parks, said she believes the park would have some concerns about a roundabout at the intersection. McCarley said she agrees westbound traffic on George Jenkins Boulevard approaching the park is a concern, but she's not sure a roundabout is the solution.

Drury encouraged the City Commission to get all parties to a table as soon as possible and conduct a traffic study, as the area is identified as a priority in need of immediate attention.

Other suggested roadway improvements include retrofitting George Jenkins Boulevard's Bridge with a multi-use trail that provides greater safety and comfort for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Nuturing Lakeland's neighborhoods

A key to uplifting Downtown West is to focus on the individual neighborhoods it contains: Crescent Heights, North Lake Wire and Westgate Center/Lake Beulah, Farrell said.

"We have to nuture our neighborhoods," she said. "They each have individual qualities they want to preserve and want to continue to see investments."

Drury said the list of desired actions is similar across the four targeted communities. Residents want walkable sidewalks, more streetlights and a street tree program similar to the core of Downtown Lakeland.

"Street trees can make a huge difference in the character of a neighborhood," Drury said.

The year-and-half study into Downtown West has identified several segments of roadway where the sidewalks sometimes suddenly stop, short of connecting with another nearby section of sidewalk. Drury said there's been a comprehensive list made of where these segments could be connected and improved.

These streetscape improvements were highly sought by a lot of neighborhood residents who gave input on the Downtown West Action Plan.

"They want to ensure we are bringing beauty back within the neighborhoods," she said.

Commissioner Stephanie Madden asked Farrell whether the CRA had shared its proposed plan with Lakeland Electric, which is constantly replacing poles or looking to improve the resiliency of its grid. Madden said perhaps the utility could review the areas that need streetscape improvements and see whether electrical lines could be run underground in these areas to improve resiliency and streetscapes at once using available federal grants.

Another area placed on the suggested priority list for improvements is Lake Wire. Its location is key, Drury said, given the redevelopment underway at the former Florida Tile site and approved Peachtree Flats.

"Lake Wire is going from the back door to the front door of the city," he said. "When we have a little more intense development there, we think there are going to be more people who want to use it."

It's been suggested the city should consider improving the walking trail around Lake Wire similar to the recent upgrades around Lake Beulah. This would mean widening the five-foot walking path closer to 10 feet, adding benches with basic amenities like trash cans and bicycle racks.

"It will build it up as a center of that neighborhood," Drury said.

Targeting infill development for growth

The Downtown West study's third objective is to help the commission take action and develop policies to target infill development in the area, adding to the residential growth downtown.

One suggestion is that the city focus on helping the pre-existing neighborhood with sewer connections. Crescent Heights, immediately adjacent to Bonnet Springs Park, still relies on septic tanks rather than being connected to Lakeland's sewer system, Drury said, which can limit the area's future development potential.

The study suggested the city should focus on making sure its upcoming Western Trunk Line, a replacement of city's main sewer lines, will provide the capacity needed for flows from the neighborhood. There is vacant undeveloped land in this area, close to George Jenkins Boulevard, that Drury said could support a number of uses.

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One of the main issues in Crescent Heights and North Lake Wire is the large number of properties that are vacant and undeveloped, many of which have been so since 2010. The study puts a focus on speculative land purchasing, where developers and investors have purchased property hoping land value will increase for a profit.

It should be the city's objective, according the consultants, to make developing these properties more enticing. One way it could do so would be to run a pilot pre-development loan-to-grant program for property owners to pay the pre-development costs of infill development. One suggestion is that the city could provide up to $15,000 for property owners who get plans and permits to build new single-family, duplex or townhome projects on empty lots. These loans would be forgiven, provided construction starts within two years.

Commissioners had many questions about a suggested infill program, but Farrell said the commission would be able to tailor it or restructure it to fit their intended goals.

What's next?

Farrell said the Lakeland CRA and GAI Consultants will take the feedback and suggestions of commissioners into account when drafting a final action plan. She said the final Downtown West Action Plan will be formally presented at a commission meeting for a vote likely in January.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Early Downton West plan aims to reconnect, nurture neighborhoods