Update:  Following a number of public meetings, and the feedback received by the public both at the meetings at here through our feedback link, the concensus is that we proceed with Option 2.  Some modifications have been made to the design: most significantly, Green Street will remain 2-way to allow for boat traffic to Indian Mounds Park.  Also, the round-about will be tabled for now, but may be revisited in the future.

Project Background

• For many years discussions of storm water management on Dearborn Street have taken place.  The original thought was that a vault system would capture the storm water.
• The introduction of Low Impact Design as an alternative was presented to the Board of County Commissioners, and with their directive, the work was defined, and then awarded, to a local team of professional including DMK Associates, Florida Waterscapes LLC, and Axis Engineering.
• West Dearborn Street and the surrounding commercial area have been approved as the pilot project for the Low Impact Design Manual.
• The primary purpose of the Low Impact Design project is to provide an ecologically sound method for storm water management that has re-use potential at its source.
• In addition to the health of Lemon Bay and surrounding areas being greatly enhanced, the Low Impact Design project encompasses a broad swath of improvements including pedestrian pathways, parking, signage, street and county-owned property beautification.

Current Situation

• The existing conditions surrounding the Dearborn Street corridor significantly compromises the safety of pedestrians and restricts the amount of beautification that can be accommodated.
• Some streets surrounding Dearborn Street are bordered by swales which capture storm water, but present a hazard for parking cars and for disembarking passengers.
• These feeder and parallel streets have limited if any sidewalks for pedestrian travel.  Parallel parking is non-defined and haphazard at best, landscaping and tree canopies are virtually non-existant.
• Currently Dearborn Street is the commercial corridor that offers pedestrian and limited diagonal parking and street beautification.

Resolution

• There are three proposed designs with each proposing various numbers of  one way streets within the Central Business District that could selectively accommodate bioswales for irrigation and stormwater, parallel parking, pedestrian sidewalks and Florida friendly landscaping.
• Modifications to some streets to one-way traffic routes could reconfigure the existing narrow right of ways to contain some of these additional enhancements to better balance vehicular, pedestrian and environmental improvements.
• At the juncture between Olde Englewood Road and West Dearborn Street a roundabout will facilitate return traffic and eliminate the need to turn around in residential neighborhoods.

A town hall meeting will take place on April 15th at 5:00 PM at the CRA Office at 101 North Orange Street.  This meeting will present an opportunity for all stakeholders to become more clearly aware of the proposal. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.  In preparation, the attached diagrams may be downloaded and viewed.  Please keep in mind that the drawings may take a while to load.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3