by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
As the Florida Department of Transportation continues to overhaul and expand much of Riverside’s major traffic arteries, neighborhood residents say those efforts could be better executed.
Arriving before the City Council just weeks before the City’s Brooklyn master plan is revealed, legislation detailing possible changes was introduced Tuesday night and is being further reviewed in the Council’s Transportation, Environment and Energy Committee.
Council member Reggie Fullwood sponsored the bill. He said it will endure only one committee cycle before returning to the Council floor July 26.
“Basically what this bill does is explain where there are problems with the DOT’s designs in Brooklyn and why they are an encroachment to the neighborhood,” said Fullwood.
Those problems were identified by traffic engineer Walter Kulash, who is based in Orlando. He was hired by the design firm the City commissioned to plan Brooklyn in June.
“He took a look at the DOT designs and zoned in on various concerns right away,” said Fullwood. “He’s given us options, which I think are worth looking at.”
Trip Stanly, chair of Riverside Avondale Preservation, agreed.
“He is probably the premier street designer in the country and we owe it to ourselves to listen to his recommendations,” he said. “People need to understand the impact of finding the right design for a neighborhood.
“He knows how to do that.”
Kulash said the planned expansion of Riverside Avenue and Forest Street should incorporate more landscaping and less asphalt.
“Right now DOT is looking at making those roads seven lanes each,” said Stanly. “What (Kulash) is saying is that we need to be turning black top into green top. Convert the inner lanes into a planted median.”
Kulash is also suggesting that smaller side streets be opened.
“He looked at a lot of the street closings in the area and how they are becoming cul-de-sacs and told us that that is a big no-no with respect to neighborhood revitalization,” said Stanly. “We need to open those up, because closed off streets can kill a neighborhood and stagnate many potential developments.”
A third and final recommendation, Kulash said the FDOT should redesign its storm water retention layout throughout Riverside.
“If it’s not done right, it destroys the urban fabric,” said Stanly. “Walter was very clear that we need to make those a community amenity, not a deterrent. Make it easy for future developments to tap into them so that they don’t have to design their own later.”
Stanly, who brought Kulash’s suggestions to Fullwood, hopes the Council’s support will make the FDOT listen.
“We’re hopeful we can get the proper political support,” he said. “I can’t stress enough the importance developing the area the right way. Thankfully, Councilman Fullwood agrees with us.”
Fullwood agreed the changes can make a difference.
“If you look at what (Kulash) is saying, these changes are very minimal but they can make a significant, long-term impact.”
Minimal or not, the FDOT said any changes to its plans may be too late and too costly to implement.
“It’s very difficult to say,” said FDOT spokesperson Mike Goldman. “We’re talking about some major changes, whether you realize it or not, and this plan has been in development for a very long time. We had sufficient input from the public when we were putting it together in the early 1990s.”