Lake Wales' Downtown Park Avenue Moving Closer to Completion as New Stretch Opens to Traffic

The long-awaited opening on a second stretch of a reconstructed Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales is a reality after construction crews removed barriers, allowing traffic to flow on the newly-bricked street.

Robert Connors

A welcome sight for downtown merchants is cars parked along this newly-opened stretch of East Park Avenue between market and First Streets. The new brick street offers two-way traffic for the first time in move than 50 years.

Along with the new travel surface comes a lush new landscape of oaks and ornamental plantings and new wider sidewalks designed to accommodate sidewalk dining. Still to come are new streetlights to create the proper evening ambiance. Merchants have struggled during the closure and are eager to welcome shoppers back to the beautified area.

"It's great!" said Melanie Manwell of Maggie Mae's Ice Cream Parlor, which fronts on the newly-opened block. "I've already noticed an increase in business in the first few hours after they took down the barricades" she said happily.

The ongoing work on the eastern portion of Park Avenue will soon involve the redesign of the intersection of the street with Scenic Highway, which is State Road 17. A permit for that portion of the work was recently issued by the Florida Department of Transportation, allowing the work to proceed.

The project is only the first phase of a massive effort called Lake Wales Connected, intended to re-invigorate the city's urban center. The plan for the redesigns followed a months-long community-wide effort to seek public input through a series of workshops, charettes, and an open-design studio, led by the award-winning planning firm of Dover, Kohl & Partners.

Robert Connors

Attractive brick street surfaces, parking areas, and crosswalks add a classic touch to the re-imagined look of the historic district of downtown Lake Wales. The ongoing Lake Wales Connected project is transforming and attracting private investment to the formerly-declining area of the city.

The total cost of the Connected effort is expected to reach nearly $50 million and cover more than 45 blocks of the city. None of the cost is being passed on in the form of higher taxes to local residents.

Funding for the project was recently juiced by the award of a $22.9 million federal "Complete Streets" grant intended to increase safety for residents while also improving the quality of life. The grant will pay for new sidewalks and bike tracks, lighting, pavement, and landscaping, among other improvements. Included in the project will be about a mile of new sidewalks in the Northwest Neighborhood. A public meeting on that plan will take place on Thursday, August 22.

Other funding has come through a bond issue completed more than a year ago which will be retired through "tax increment financing" by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Construction is slated to begin in coming months on an additional block of North First Street, as well and four blocks of East Orange and Crystal Avenues, which will get new rain gardens, landscaping, and lighting, along with street and sidewalk improvements in a process city officials have described as the "light" version of the Park Avenue project.

Robert Connors

The recently-completed block of West Park Avenue converted a wide stretch of ugly cracked asphalt into a shady and attractive boulevard.

Future phases will include East Central Avenue between First Street and Scenic Highway, which will see the creation of a bike track along the north side of the street and new shade trees to replace the current palms. That project is also expected to include a block of First Street between Central and Stuart Avenues.

Other elements of the plan include an expanded network of bike trails spanning the city, along with new installations of public art. in parks and gardens.