Lincolnville MLK streetscape design advances; staff warns transformer easements could be needed on private lots

City staff presented a progress update on the Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Streetscape Project, saying the corridor redesign from Sarrow Street to Bridge Street includes sidewalks, traffic-calming measures and the undergrounding of utilities — but that undergrounding will require conversations with residents where transformers may be sited on private property.

"We have what we're calling 100% design documents, which are still preliminary," Jamie D. Perkins, Neighborhood Services and CRA Manager for the City of St. Augustine, told the Lingonville Community Redevelopment Agency steering committee. Perkins said the design intends to improve sidewalks, add pedestrian and bicycle connections, and narrow travel lanes to calm traffic.

Perkins said staff and the city's engineering consultant asked Florida Power & Light (FP&L) to identify locations for the transformer boxes needed to support underground service. In some cases, Perkins said, FP&L has proposed placing transformer boxes on private lots; those placements would require permanent easements and resident agreement.

"What we are doing now is looking for ways to approach those residents to have those conversations with…