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 them and see if they are even amenable to having a transformer box on their property," Perkins said. She added the city plans to prepare an easement packet that would include an appraisal and any proposed compensation.

Residents at the meeting raised concerns about the visual impact of transformer boxes and about potential damage to fences and historic knee walls. One resident and builder, Alec Millard, said he had not seen detailed elevations and asked how the project would affect his corner property. "I wasn't aware of all of the changes that the city is intending to make," Millard said during the public comment period.

Perkins said the design packet distributed to the committee shows a range of FP&L recommendations and that staff will present the full design documents to residents on request. She also said landscaping and other "beautification elements" are being developed so plantings can screen transformer boxes where FP&L permits.

The meeting recorded some confusion about transformer dimensions during the discussion. Staff presented sizing tables marked as 10-by-10 and 20-by-20 on plan sheets; Perkins later clarified that some dimensions shown on the packet were in inches and noted she would confirm exact dimensions in follow-up materials.

Perkins also described project sequencing and constraints for construction. She said the project's design assumes undergrounding and that contractors need complete information about underground utilities to prepare bids. "The engineer wants — we have to have all of that information. We need to know what we're asking the contractor to do," Perkins said.

Funding remains a gating factor. Perkins said the city applied for a U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE (now called BUILD) grant for between $5 million and $7 million and expects to learn whether it qualified for the funding "sometime this summer between June and July." She estimated that, depending on funding and resident easement negotiations, it could be about 18 months before construction begins.

Committee members asked whether elements of the project not tied to undergrounding could proceed while negotiations with residents continue. Perkins said the design as written assumes underground utilities and that significant construction sequencing — including block-by-block excavation — depends on having the undergrounding plan in place. She added the city would consider alternate designs only if necessary and that substantial design money has already been spent.

Residents also asked what would happen if property owners refuse to grant easements. Perkins said she would prefer not to use eminent domain for a streetscape project, but noted the city has used eminent domain in other contexts. "I would hate for us to have to do that," she said, adding that staff would exhaust other options first.

Perkins said the city will pursue compensation and early appraisals as part of the easement packet, and will coordinate with FP&L on allowable planting and screening material around transformer sites so the units remain serviceable.

The update concluded with staff offering to provide full design documents on request and to continue public workshops and resident outreach as the project moves from concept into implementation.

Community members and committee members asked staff to circulate clearer, property-specific visuals and to identify what parts of the streetscape could advance if utility negotiations slow. Perkins said she would provide additional details and follow up with written materials to the committee and the public.