Regional planners outline draft downtown master plan emphasizing wayfinding, facades and a stormwater master plan
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Summary
Central Florida Regional Planning Council staff presented a draft Downtown Lake Placid master plan highlighting community‑driven goals—maintaining small‑town character, wayfinding, façade improvements, improved connectivity and a long‑term stormwater plan—and promised a public comment period and appendices with funding sources.
Central Florida Regional Planning Council staff presented the draft Downtown Lake Placid master plan at the March 10 council meeting, summarizing community workshops and a draft vision to keep downtown "connected, walkable and leveraging lakes, arts and small‑town identity," planner Jennifer Salisbury said.
Salisbury and colleague Jeff Schmucker walked the council through eight draft goals that came from public input: establish a downtown identity, support high‑quality design and façade improvements, strengthen downtown as a community gathering place, improve walkability and connectivity, enhance environmental stewardship, foster partnerships, and develop a master stormwater system. The consultants emphasized "place making" elements such as wayfinding signs at gateway locations, streetscape enhancements, parklets, façade programs and design standards intended to give the downtown a cohesive look and slow vehicle traffic.
The presentation included examples of conceptual streetscape and wayfinding treatments and noted that many ideas can be implemented as low-cost, early-action projects to demonstrate commitment and spur momentum. "We see so much of this already on Main Avenue," Schmucker said, adding that the master plan will include 'cut sheets' that break projects into priorities, potential funding sources, responsible parties and estimated timeframes.
Council members and residents asked practical questions about next steps: how the plan would be posted for public comment, whether a project manager would be needed for implementation, how design standards would be folded into the town’s land-development code, and where funding would come from. Salisbury said staff would publish material to a project website and requested comments by early April as part of an outreach period leading into additional workshops.
The plan also proposes a downtown stormwater master plan that would treat stormwater as an amenity while addressing drainage and constructability. Consultants pointed to regional examples where coordinated stormwater investments have enabled better development patterns and stronger grant competitiveness.
The council did not take action on the plan at the meeting; staff said the draft and its appendices (which include possible funding sources) will be posted for public review and returned for further council discussion.