Report
by Darla Letourneau
At the Bonita Council meeting on
Aug. 5th, the Council confirmed their selection of Toole Design Group for the Bonita Beach Rd. visioning study project. At a special Council workshop on July 14th,
the Council heard presentations from the five firms that submitted proposals
for this project, and ranked the firms, with Toole Design Group being ranked #1. The Aug. 5th action confirms the ranking that
were approved by the Council on July 14th.
Background
Back on July 28, 2014, the City
Council voted to allocate $100,000 in its 2014-15 budget to hire a firm to
develop a vision for Bonita Beach Road
with a focus on livability--bike/ped/transit and aesthetics. Council also voted to halt continued funding
for the next phase of the widening (to 6 lanes) of Bonita Beach Rd. pending the
development of this area-wide transportation network vision.
Subsequently, on Aug. 6, 2014, FDOT announced
that it would be formally recommending to the MPO Board on Aug. 22nd that its
PD and E study currently underway for the US 41 and Bonita Beach Rd.
intersection be halted until Bonita's visioning study is completed so that the
results of that study can inform the future of this important corridor. The MPO Board voted 10-4 on Aug. 22nd to
suspend the FDOT study.
Bonita Springs City Council has
taken an active role in developing this project, including instructions to
staff about the RFP to ensure that firms with national experience apply. As the RFP states, "a national
reputation is preferred to raise the level of competition and results".
Council also set up a review process to have the competing consultant teams
make presentations to the Council and for the Council to serve as the selection
board vs. a staff committee. The RFP, which
was approved by the Council on April 1, 2015, was very explicit re: the
qualifications and vision for this project. (See agenda pkg p. 91-107.)
Scope of project
According to the RFP scope of work, the goal of the
project is to develop "an imaginative and unique vision for Bonita Beach
Road" (east of I-75 and west to Hickory Blvd.) and all its major
north/south intersections. The proposed vision is to follow the city's Complete
Streets policy and use a context-sensitive approach, "using the latest and
best management practices that connect land use and transportation needs for
all users, including connectivity to adjacent streets, while remaining flexible
to the unique circumstances of different streets. This vision and subsequent design of the
Bonita Beach Road corridor would act as the foundation for a comprehensive, connected
and well-maintained multi-modal network....It is envisioned that these efforts
would lead to a revitalization of commercial development, office development
and residential development of varying intensities and densities."
As mentioned in the RFP, Bonita Beach Rd. is a Lee
County road and FDOT controls the US41/Bonita Beach Rd. interchange, so both
parties will be involved in this project and will be critical to implementation
of the project's outcome.
Selection of Toole Design Group
On July 14th, five firms made
presentations to the Council. As part of
the process, the workshop was closed to the public, but presentations were
video-taped and then posted on the City's website a week later. The RFP clearly attracted world-class firms
with broad national experience and it's worth watching the videos to see the
perspective of these firms on the Bonita Beach Rd. corridor. (click here for access to videos with all 5interviews.) The winning firm was Toole Design Group, and it's well worth your time to watch the video of their presentation.
Watching these presentations gives you an idea of how our communities could be transformed by innovative ways of integrating land use and transportation planning, and by taking a holistic corridor-wide approach. The focus of the Bonita Beach Rd. visioning project will be to make this a bike/ped/transit-friendly place where people want to be vs. simply car throughput. The presentations also illustrate the value of bringing in the world class experts who have extensive experience in designing these types of projects and then implementing them.
The Project Director will be Ian Lockwood, Toole Design's Regional Office Director in Orlando. Ian Lockwood, P.E. is a recognized national leader in sustainable transportation policy and urban design, and has led a wide variety of transportation projects aimed at making communities more walkable, bikable and transit-friendly.
Next Steps
The next step is for the city staff to negotiate a
contract with Toole Design Group.
Hopefully, the project will be ready to begin in the early Fall, and will
involve extensive public engagement.
BikeWalkLee is excited about the synergy that is occurring in Bonita Springs
from all the projects and initiatives underway
--from the City's Complete Streets policy adopted in Oct. 2014, to the major downtown
redevelopment project which will begin construction this Fall, and this Bonita
Beach Road visioning project; along with their participation in the USDOT
Secretary's Mayors Challenge for bike/ped safety, their participation in the
Bicycle Friendly Communities national visit in January, their revisions in road
impact fees to make their use more multi-modal, along with discussion of
mobility fees; and their discussions about future participation in the Blue
Zones initiative currently underway in Naples.
Kudos to the City Council and staff for their vision
and leadership on all these new initiatives that are aimed at making Bonita
Springs a place that people want to live, work, and play. Not only will Bonita benefit from these projects,
they are serving as a model for others in SWFL to follow. BikeWalkLee will continue to track these
developments closely and keep our network informed about opportunities for
community participation in the development and implementation of these plans.
Previous
BikeWalkLee-related Blogs
BikeWalkLee is thrilled to see the
Bonita Springs City Council's efforts in support of complete streets and a
livable community vision being recognized by News-Press in its annual awards
competition.
Kudos to the Bonita Springs City
Council and Staff on being the 2014 Complete Streets Champion of the Year!
BikeWalkLee is thrilled to see the
City of Bonita Springs join the complete streets movement!
Congratulations to the City Council that unanimously and enthusiastically
adopted the complete streets resolution.
Kudos to Peter
O'Flinn of SW Spotlight Magazine for this outstanding commentary imagining the
future of Bonita Springs. It's exciting to see ideas such as complete
streets, balanced transportation that's affordable and sustainable, mobility
fees, integration of land use and transportation planning, roundabouts,
walkable and bikeable and livable communities taking hold in Bonita Springs.
At the Aug. 22nd Lee
MPO Board meeting the Board debated at length whether to proceed with a study
that would include examining a possible flyover option at the US 41 and Bonita
Beach Rd. intersection. After extensive public comment, including
comments by BikeWalkLee, the Board voted 10-4 to suspend the FDOT
study.
In the past two weeks there are been several game-changing developments in
Bonita Springs that are good news for complete streets
advocates.
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