Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Bonita Springs City Council takes action in support of complete streets/livable communities

At the Jan. 20th Bonita City Council meeting, they approved three items that demonstrate that real progress is being made in implementing the Council's vision for downtown redevelopment, as well as implementing complete streets and a multi-modal approach in its transportation planning. All these projects underway (downtown redevelopment, traffic study with multi-modal/complete streets focus, bike/ped master plan development, and the Bonita Beach Rd. visioning study) are aimed at making Bonita Springs a place that people want to live, work, and play. Not only will Bonita benefits from these projects, they are serving as a model for others in SWFL. Kudos to the Bonita Springs City Council and staff for their vision and leadership.

Downtown Redevelopment Project
The construction is well underway on the reconstruction of Old 41 Rd. in downtown Bonita, and last week the Council approved the first big project to move into the Old 41 Rd. corridor as part of the city's efforts to revitalize the area. The Council unanimously approved zoning changes for The Mosaic @ The Preserve at Oak Creek, a mixed use housing project complex to be located on Old 41 Rd. and Dean St.  The two major buildings will occupy the site, one an apartment house (272 units), the other a mixed use building and residential and commercial space.  Construction is scheduled to start later this year.   

See these newspaper articles for more information:
The Traffic Study


Also on the 1/20/16 agenda was a presentation of the Traffic Study by McMahon and Associates, the firm tasked by the City in June 2015 to update the City's 2008 Traffic Master Plan, with an emphasis on opportunities for multi-modal and complete streets network improvements.  The report includes an inventory of all road, bike/ped facilities, along with a prioritization of projects and cost estimates.  The report also shows ways to expand the grid network as a way to address the Bonita Beach Rd. congestion problem.

The report will now serve as a resource as the Council develops its 5-year CIP and other strategic planning.
 
Below are links to the PowerPoint presentation and the full report:
Bike/Ped Master Plan
Also on the agenda was a proposed scope of work for expanding the McMahon Associates Traffic Study contract to add a new task--the development of a city-wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. According to the scope, the City's overall objective is "to provide for connectivity across their available network, link the system to pedestrian and bicycle trip generators, provide links to parks, schools, etc., and be safe for these proposed multi-modes of transportation.  The City has been planning for a number of years to be a destination, and also address its diverse community of year-around residents, as well as the seasonal population."


The project includes a public workshop to be scheduled at the end of March, to receive public input and to reach user groups.  The City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board will be involved in this effort.
Thanks to the City Manager and staff for moving this project forward so quickly.  It's exciting to see several communities in Lee County busy working on developing bike/ped master plans--Cape Coral's plan is getting underway this month, and next year the plan for Fort Myers Beach will get underway, and we're hopeful that the Village of Estero will follow suit, based on the recent FGCU study for the Village of Estero, which recommended the creation of a bike/ped master plan.  
Click here for the Bike/Ped Master Plan scope of work
Report by Darla Letourneau
Previous BikeWalkLee-related blog posts on Bonita Springs 










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