Street project gives community a facelift
Galt Ocean Drive, just outside Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was an unusually wide expanse of asphalt roadway with plain concrete sidewalks. The roadway, which served as the entrance and access point to the Galt Ocean community, presented a sterile image that desperately needed to be changed.
The community felt that improving Galt Ocean Drive would project a new and revitalized image while making the area, once again, a showplace.
In the fall of 1993, the Galt Community Association, a group of property owners representing a neighborhood of over 4,000 residents along Fort Lauderdale Beach, contacted the city regarding their concerns.
Consequently, because the project was initiated by residents, it was important that it reflect the community’s needs and desires. To accomplish this, city staff members participated in more than 30 public meetings to explain the project, answer questions and solicit feedback from residents.
As a result of these meetings, the project scope evolved in a number of ways. A number of residents requested that the tall concrete poles and overhead utility lines along the east side of the roadway be placed underground. Additionally, extending the project approximately 1,000 feet north from Galt Ocean Drive to the Fort Lauderdale city limits would include three condominium buildings in the northern area in the project.
Removing the parking lane and a portion of the road’s loading areas to make enough land available within the public right-of-way to develop dramatic streetscape improvements were some proposed enhancements.
Densely planting palm and canopy shade trees, replacing the existing plain concrete sidewalks with colorful new decorative walkways consistent with the established theme for the area, constructing planting beds with shrubs, replacing existing pedestrian signals, adding new signals at appropriate locations and installing new decorative street lighting also helped in the establishment of a new community identity.
Typically, funding is the main obstacle to developing capital improvement projects of thiskind. Projects such as this one were proposed in the past for Galt Ocean Drive but were never pursued because of funding difficulties. However, this time, several financing options, including special assessments, bonds and a tax levy under the Safe Neighborhood Act, were explored in cooperation with the Galt Community Association. Residents approved a self-imposed tax assessment to raise the $3.2 million necessary for the renovations. In turn, the city donated $550,000 to the project, as well as the services and resources of numerous planners, engineers, architects and other staff members.
Still, before the city commission could start such improvements, it had to be sure the community had a “super majority” in favor of the project. Approximately 4,300 property owner interest surveys were distributed to homeowners throughout the community. The project response was extremely positive: 1,776 responses, representing 42 percent of the total number of property owners, were received. Of these, 82 percent supported the project.
Because of the overwhelming positive response from residents, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission authorized city staff to proceed with design development in April 1994.
The final project involved redesigning the roadway to accommodate two traffic lanes with a bicycle lane on each side of the road; installing new brightly-colored concrete curbs and gutters; new sidewalks and driveways; lush tropical landscaping; brick-paved loading zones and pedestrian crosswalks; distinctive signage; decorative benches and entranceway features.
The improvements also included the replacement of all existing concrete utility poles and overhead wires with underground cables as well as the addition of decorative streetlights and landscaping lights.
The three-year project, costing $3.7 million, ($12,000 under budget) was completed in November 1996.
The renovation was the largest capital improvement project of its kind in Fort Lauderdale’s history, and its success was the result of an innovative public/private partnership between the city and the Galt Ocean Mile residents.
Who helped: Recio & Associates, Landscape Forms, U.S. Foundry & Manufacturing, Yankee Hill