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Council delays Ashley Drive reconfiguration amid cost jump to $22 million and funding questions
Summary
A proposed Ashley Drive reconfiguration project that would reestablish downtown blocks and remove a slip lane moved from an earlier $10.7 million estimate to a $22 million price tag; council continued the item for further detail and to coordinate with CRA and mobility studies.
Councilwoman Hirtak pulled item 49 saying cost estimates for an Ashley Drive reconfiguration had increased and financing options were unclear. She said the project had been approved in 2023 at roughly $10.7 million with a proposed federal contribution of about $5.35 million and an anticipated city match; the new estimate discussed in council documents rose to roughly $22,000,000.
Council members questioned where the city would find the additional funds. Staff and Councilman Carlson said the administration was suggesting $8,000,000 from the downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), $4,000,000 of future debt and other sources; multiple members said the CRA does not have $8,000,000 available and that redeploying CRA funds would have consequences for other downtown priorities.
Brandon Campbell of the mobility department explained the project scope: remove the slip lane from Ashley to Tampa, lower the grade separation, install two new signals, square off blocks and create new developable parcels that could increase developable land in the southern portion. He said certain related north-of-segment work (ramp onto I‑275 and Scott Street reconfiguration) is FDOT work and outside the grant portion under discussion. FDOT does not currently fund the segment the city is being asked to pay for, Campbell said.
Councilman Clendenin moved to continue the item to April 3 to allow more information, particularly on the federal relationship and the project’s interaction with an Army-Navy RFP; the motion carried with Councilman Carlson voting no. Council members asked for a more detailed breakdown of which portions are FDOT-funded, what the CRA balance can support, and the potential effects on related redevelopment RFQs.
