The City of Lakeland will host a public workshop on the Downtown West Action Plan on Thursday, February 16th from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Yard on Mass (802 North Massachusetts Avenue). The public is invited to participate in a workshop and share ideas on improving the area being described as Downtown West. Downtown West is a prime redevelopment area bordered by Florida Avenue, Brunnell Parkway, Memorial Boulevard, and Ruby Street. The area includes Bonnet Springs Park, the former Florida Tile site being developed as the Lake Wire Apartments, and a number of other possible redevelopment sites.
The Lakeland City Commission requested that staff develop a master plan of the area west of Florida Avenue and during the 2021 strategic planning session, the area started being called Downtown West. Downtown West includes the North Lake Wire, Crescent Heights, Lake Bonnet, Lake Beulah, Westgate Central neighborhoods, and the newly launched Bonnet Springs Park.
Valerie Ferrell, CRA Manager for the City of Lakeland said, “CRA staff engaged GAI Consultants to develop the Downtown West Strategic Action Plan. This plan will help develop a unified vision and recommend specific actions to fill gaps in infrastructure, access, and land use.”
The final plan is expected to be delivered in early summer and will include an overview of key issues and themes within the study boundaries. It will also deliver an interactive ArcGIS Urban website to identify, market, and track public/private investments in the Downtown West area. For more information on the CRA and the three redevelopment areas, please visit https://www.lakelandcra.net.