Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff outlines Horizon plan for Office Street, rails-to-trails and State Road 19 coordination
Summary
City staff briefed the Planning and Zoning Advisory Board on the "Horizon" initiative for Office Street/Old 441 and the State Road 19 corridor, including a proposed 14-foot multimodal trail on abandoned CSX right-of-way, utility-extension challenges, and the need to coordinate funding and engineering with FDOT, Lake County and the MPO.
City staff presented an update on the "Horizon" planning effort for Office Street/Old 441 and the State Route 19 corridor, seeking board input on streetscape, multimodal trail connections and utility extensions.
Staff described Office Street as a recently rebuilt one‑way segment with decorative lighting, planters and on-street parking that staff hopes to extend as a "complete street" with sidewalks, landscape strips and safer pedestrian crossings. The Horizon team proposed using a closed CSX rail corridor to create a 14‑foot multimodal trail and to run water and sewer infrastructure along that corridor; staff said the city has a letter of intent from CSX and is working with The Trust for Public Land on land acquisition for the rails‑to‑trails conversion.
Staff cautioned that utility placement and right‑of‑way will require coordination with FDOT, Lake County and the MPO; parts of the corridor do not currently have water and sewer and would need pre‑engineering and budgeted consultants to move forward. On crossings, staff said major trail intersections would likely have high‑emphasis crossings with flashing beacons and marked crosswalks, while minor crossings would have standard striping.
The presentation addressed several recurring questions from board members and residents: whether the trail would allow golf carts (staff said it would be non‑motorized, for bicycles and pedestrians only), whether reclaimed water would be added during reconstruction (staff said reclaimed water was unlikely because of crossing and plant-location constraints), and who would remove rail cars and graffiti if the corridor is acquired (staff said the operator would remove track material and the city would not be left with that obligation). Phil, a city public‑works representative, said CSX is a willing seller and that the city included that information in a grant application.
Staff said the corridor work will require a pre‑engineering, environmental and project-development study (the presentation referenced a PDNE study completed in August 2024) and that the team will seek grant funding and consultant help before construction. The board and staff also discussed broader State Road 19 issues: a decade‑old corridor PD&E study, planned widening and new bridge work tied to development pressures, and the need for coordinated advocacy to raise the project on MPO and FDOT priority lists.
Presenters asked the board to comment on priorities and potential code changes; staff said the next steps include additional staff meetings, completion of pre‑engineering scopes, and bringing a funding and phasing plan to City Council for direction and budget consideration.
