Mayor pitches two-way Orange Avenue, more parks in State of Downtown Orlando address
Downtown Orlando is expected to get more park space and changes to one-way streets under the city's plans for its urban core.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer highlighted the DTO Action Plan during the Downtown Orlando Partnership's State of Downtown event Oct. 15 at the Kia Center.
The mayor focused on three key ideas to build toward as a part of his annual address:
- To make downtown Orlando easy to get around
- To make downtown Orlando a park
- To make downtown Orlando for everyone
"This is a big, ambitious plan that sets the stage for downtown to own the future," Dyer said. "More important, it’s a plan to ensure that our downtown is place where everyone can find themselves."
Reshaping roadways
Dyer said the city plans to reconstruct Magnolia Avenue between Livingston Street and Robinson Street to go from a one-way street to two-way street traffic, with wide sidewalks to encourage pedestrian traffic and slow vehicles on the road.
Orange Avenue from Colonial Drive to South Street will be changed from all three lanes of traffic traveling south to one lane traveling north, one lane traveling south and a turning lane.
Rosalind Avenue will also be reconstructed to encourage two-way traffic and the city will reconfigure a portion of Church Street near the SunRail station to encourage pedestrian traffic and events.
Magnolia Avenue would be the first of the roads to get those changes, but a timeline has not been set for the work to begin.
New park space
The city is putting a focus on parks, with goals including the development of Lake Lucerne into a full park.
The site would be transformed to include jogging paths, fitness equipment, a fishing overlook, a paddle dock, event lawns, dog parks and playgrounds, though a timeline to begin those changes was not announced.
The city also expects to begin construction on The Canopy, an urban gathering area under Interstate 4, in early 2025 and for it to take two years.
A pocket park at the corner of Orange Avenue and Robinson Street, called Art Squared, will have space for food trucks and an art gallery and is expected to open in early 2025.
A neighborhood for everyone
Dyer said his goal was to make downtown welcoming for everyone who lives there, works in the district and visits.
He announced the city will have LiveNation operate the 3,500-seat concert venue at the Westcourt mixed-use development.
The city has also been working to draw new retail and restaurants downtown, with the Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelopment Agency having awarded $1.4 million so far to spur new business.
The city has also launched a "Clean and Safe" app to allow people to report non-emergency issues, such as overflowing trash cans and graffiti.
It also has a goal to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in the city by 50% by 2027, through increasing access to affordable housing.