City to host public presentation, follow up on King Street Improvements Project
Presentation to be held on Thursday, June 27
On Thursday, June 27, from 4:30pm to 6:30pm, the City of St. Augustine will host a public meeting in The Alcazar Room of City Hall, located at 75 King St., in partnership with engineering consultants, Hanson Professional Services, Inc. and Marquis Latimer + Halback, Inc., to review and discuss design recommendations for the King Street Improvement Project. A brief presentation will begin at 5:30pm. This is a follow up to the February public meeting, April HARB/Corridor Review Committee joint meeting, and community presentation feedback.
The King Street Improvements project seeks to create a beautiful streetscape leading to the heart of the Nation’s Oldest City. The project goes from Malaga Street (west) to Charlotte Street (east) and includes a variety of mobility and beautification improvements to make this ‘The Best Mile in Florida’.
There are three primary factors to the design: (1) Livability, (2) History, and (3) Beauty. Improved sidewalks and shade from trees will create a better pedestrian experience for residents and visitors alike. Vehicular modifications are focused and “surgical” in nature with the intent of supporting smoother movement of vehicular traffic. Traffic engineers have modeled two concepts to validate that traffic volume is maintained or even improved from today’s conditions.
Two design concepts will be presented and discussed. Concept “A”, which has received more consistent support to date, improves the beauty of the street while defining the center turn lane in brick with mid-block pedestrian crossings carefully placed between intersections while maintaining current access patterns to easily access businesses and residences along the corridor. Concept “B” shifts traffic lanes to the north and incorporates a transit-only lane for transit circulators, buses, carriages, trolleys, and trains.
A dedicated website (mlhhub.com) has been created to provide detailed information about the project, including design renderings, links to submit public input, and a new Q&A section has been added based on feedback.
For those who are unable to attend in person, public comment may be submitted in writing via the project website, via email to Assistant City Manager Reuben Franklin at rfranklin@citystaug.com, or mailed to City Hall, Attn: Reuben Franklin, 75 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084. Public comment in writing will be accepted through Friday, July 5, at 5:00pm.
For questions about the project, please contact Assistant City Manager Reuben Franklin at rfranklin@citystaug.com.
Media inquiries may be directed to Melissa Wissel, Communications Director, at 904.293.3307.