Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kimley‑Horn outlines US‑17 corridor plan focusing on land use, resiliency and jobs
Summary
A 12‑month US‑17 corridor plan covering Wauchula, Bowling Green and Zolfo Springs will produce actionable strategies for stormwater, land use, transportation and economic development; the study area includes about 8,600 residents and roughly 4,000 jobs.
Jessica Rossi, a senior planner and economist with Kimley‑Horn, told the Hardee County Industrial Development Authority on Wednesday that the firm’s US‑17 corridor plan will produce a clear, implementable vision for the highway as it runs through the county.
Rossi said the planning process began this spring and is expected to run about 12 months, with the team aiming to finish by April 2026. The study area runs county line to county line — north past Bowling Green and south toward Zolfo Springs — and generally extends about a mile on either side of the corridor in urban sections and farther in more rural stretches.
“About 8,600 people live in the study area and there are over 4,000 jobs,” Rossi said, noting that households in the corridor include higher shares of lower‑income residents: “about 43 percent of them earn less than $50,000.”
Rossi said the plan will align land use and transportation, and produce implementation strategies across several themes including stormwater and resiliency, neighborhood stabilization, economic development, and design. She described the work as three phases: research and data compilation, development of planning and implementation options, and public outreach and final reporting.
Public engagement is built into the schedule: Kimley‑Horn has convened a community advisory committee that will meet three times during the process, held stakeholder meetings earlier in the year and plans public events and online engagement to solicit input before returning results to the community. Rossi said a corridor characteristics report — currently a draft under staff review — will be posted on the project website once finalized.
Board members asked technical questions about the study’s employment figures and data sources. Rossi clarified that the 4,000‑job figure counts jobs located in the corridor — “actual jobs and chairs” reported by employers — and acknowledged possible fluidity from hybrid work arrangements.
The study’s leaders said the effort is intended to help the county prioritize projects that could attract grant dollars and support coordinated growth along Highway 17.
The advisory committee’s second meeting is scheduled in two weeks; the firm plans further elected‑official briefings in the next month and will reengage the public as analysis progresses.
