FDOT Planning Studio

Florida Department of Transportation, District One

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One has recognized the opportunity to provide a planning framework to develop integrated land use and transportation strategies that align with corridor and area visions in communities throughout the District, particularly along the region’s state roadways.

The Planning Studio provides the catalyst for interagency coordination and regional and local context setting, which establishes the foundation for the development of system and corridor strategies that ensure streets provide modal choices, are safe for all users, and contribute to economic attractiveness and community revitalization. As the lead consultant to the FDOT Planning Studio, Renaissance is facilitating visioning and action planning using innovative methods to tell community stories and define place-based policies and investment strategies that align with community visions.

Renaissance led the development of the following plans through the Planning Studio contract:

  • Cortez Road Vision & Action Plan - Corridor Study, Public Engagement & Storytelling

  • Avon Park: SR 17 Main Street “3R” Project - Community Engagement to Define Place-based Strategies

  • Growth Story

  • “The Story of Our Rides” - A District One Ballad and Original Music Video

  • Winter Haven: US 17 Corridor Vision and Action Plan [Motor Pool Road to Cypress Gardens Boulevard]

  • Haines City & Davenport: US 17/92 Corridor Vision and Action Plan [US 27 to the Polk/Osceola County Line]

  • SR 70 Corridor Vision [ I-75 to the Okeechobee/St. Lucie County Line]

  • Fort Meade: US 17 “3R” Project - Community Engagement to Define Place-based Strategies

  • Wauchula: Community Engagement to Define Place-based Strategies for US 17

  • Lakeland: West Lake Hunter Trail Feasibility Study [Ariana Street to Lime Street]

 
 
 
 

Cortez Road Vision & Action Plan

Cortez Road (SR 684) is one of two roads in Manatee County providing access to its northern barrier island that comprises the communities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Coquina Beach. The eastwest corridor is approximately 10 miles in length with primarily commercial land uses including big box retail and strip development.

Renaissance is supporting District One with the development of a Corridor Vision and Action Plan in a partnership with Manatee County, Sarasota-Manatee MPO, City of Bradenton, local communities and other stakeholders. The purpose of the project was to develop an integrated land use and transportation vision for the Cortez Road corridor and define multi-modal transportation strategies and complementary land use policies to guide evolution of the corridor toward the intended vision.

Renaissance began by defining the local and regional context from a transportation, land use, environmental, sociocultural and economic perspective. It identified existing conditions and trends and provided contextual information for engagement with partner agencies, community leaders and other stakeholders. This information was synthesized in a community story video, entirely filmed, edited, and produced in-house by Renaissance. This community story supported stakeholder workshops and public engagement efforts. The video features local interviews, drone video with map overlays, motion graphics, and human-centered storytelling that conveys community goals and aspirations.

Avon Park: SR 17 Main Street “3R” Project - Community Engagement to Define Place-based Strategies

FDOT District One is scheduled to begin a resurfacing and rehabilitation project on SR 17, including Main Street in the City of Avon Park – an historic, small town in Highlands County, Florida. Before work begins in 2026, Renaissance has been working with FDOT D1 to lead traffic analysis and community engagement to define place-based strategies for SR 17. FDOT and Renaissance are partnering with Avon Park to hear about the issues that matter most for Main Street and to identify potential enhancements that can be integrated into the resurfacing project in support of the community’s goals and vision. The "Avon Park Main Street Community Vision" video was prepared for and screened at the Avon Park Community Workshop on March 23rd, 2023 to energize the participants and catalyze valuable community input on how to improve their Main Street.

Growth Story

The 12-county region comprising FDOT District One in SW Florida is experiencing rapid growth with increasing pressure on environmental systems, transportation systems, and infrastructure. The Growth Story analysis – presented as printed, graphic rich briefing documents and a comprehensive Digital ArcGIS Story Map – reveals that growth trends are placing a disproportionate reliance on state roadways to provide for increasing transportation needs. Growth patterns are also impacting the region’s ability to achieve its economic and quality of life goals.  For the first phase of the project, Renaissance evaluated the impact of past and current growth patterns on environmental sustainability, economic prosperity, and transportation system productivity.

 

“The Story of Our Rides” - A District One Ballad and Original Music Video

While leading creative public engagement and storytelling for the Planning Studio contract, Renaissance was also asked by District leadership to create a unique and engaging video as an introduction to the District’s annual Work Program development process.  Through a highly collaborative process, the idea for a custom music video emerged based on the mission and values of FDOT – that it does more than just roads, but it also covers a wide range of projects that improve the quality of life for everyone in Florida.  Produced, filmed, and co-written by Renaissance (along with professional signer Lora Kelley), “The Story of Our Rides” might be the first ever original music video about the partnerships, heart, soul, and mission of a state transportation agency that is helping to make our community, economy, and our rides as smooth as possible. The music video has received wide praise for the fun and unique way of communicating FDOT goals weaving original music, real interviews with MPO leaders, and place-based storytelling. 

 

Winter Haven: US 17 Corridor Vision and Action Plan

[Motor Pool Road to Cypress Gardens Boulevard]

Renaissance facilitated the development of a Corridor Vision and Action Plan for US 17 traversing Winter Haven’s urban core. The community-based evaluation identified investment strategies and policies to accomplish the safety, multimodal accessibility, and placemaking objectives for the corridor.

The US 17 Corridor Vision is an expression of the community’s values and desires for the future development, character, and function of US 17. The Action Plan defines policies, programs and transportation strategies to realize the community’s vision.

The US 17 Vision & Action Plan document may be viewed at Issuu.com.

 

Wauchula: Community Engagement to Define Place-based Strategies for US 17

FDOT District One is scheduled to begin a resurfacing and rehabilitation project on US 17 (SR 35) in the City of Wauchula – an historic, small town and county seat of Hardee County, Florida. In advance of the resurfacing project, FDOT partnered with the Wauchula community to hear about the issues that matter most and identify potential enhancements that could be integrated into the resurfacing project in support of the community’s goals and desires. The collaboration resulted in the identification of several place-based strategies to improve the safety, walkability, and appearance of the corridor.

Wauchula Community Story: Video for Community Workshop - Entirely filmed, edited, and produced in-house by Renaissance, this community story supported stakeholder workshops and public engagement efforts. The video features local interviews, drone video with map overlays, motion graphics, and heartfelt human-centered storytelling that conveys community goals and aspirations. This video was screened at the Wauchula Community Workshop in August 2021 to provide a foundation for collaboration and to orient local participants with storytelling that features the voices and community visions from local residents and leaders. It can be viewed on our YouTube here: https://youtu.be/DM6ir4KqOG0

 

Fort Meade: US 17 “3R” Project - Community Engagement to Define Place-based Strategies

FDOT District One partnered with the City of Fort Meade and community stakeholders in advance of a scheduled resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation “3R” project on US 17 that traverses historic Fort Meade in rural Florida. In advance of the project’s design phase, Renaissance worked with the community to identify potential design elements that are supportive of multimodal safety, quality of life, and placemaking goals that could be integrated into the project. The collaboration resulted in the identification of several place-based strategies that were integrated into the project design in support of community goals.

Fort Meade Community Story: US 17 "3R" Video for Community Workshop - Renaissance filmed, directed, and edited this video in-house; it features local voices, drone video with map overlays, motion graphics, and heartfelt human-centered storytelling. The video highlights the importance of US 17 to the city and how transportation investment – when aligned with their goals – can impact community wellbeing through the design of the built environment. This video was presented at a stakeholder workshop held in May 2021 in Fort Meade to help orient participants about the issues, opportunities, and broader goals for the US 17 project. It can be viewed on our YouTube here: https://youtu.be/jfUGB7m_g5E

 

Lakeland: West Lake Hunter Trail Feasibility Study

[Ariana Street to Lime Street]

FDOT District One, in partnership with the City of Lakeland and community stakeholders, evaluated the feasibility of converting a five-foot sidewalk to a 10’-12’ multi-use trail.  A preferred design concept and alignment was identified through stakeholder engagement and informed by an environmental and constructability analysis. The 1.5-mile trail will be adjacent to Lake Hunter, on the southern end of Lakeland’s downtown. It will connect with the newly completed New York Avenue Cycle Track, Lakeland Intermodal Center, and the City’s Lake-to-Lake Bikeway system.

 

Haines City & Davenport: US 17/92 Corridor Vision and Action Plan

[US 27 to the Polk/Osceola County Line]

Renaissance worked with FDOT and local partners to develop a Corridor Vision and Action Plan for a 12-mile portion of the US 17/92 corridor traversing the cities of Haines City and Davenport in Polk County.  A community-based evaluation resulted in a vision for the future development character and function of the US 17/92 corridor.  The Action Plan identified investment strategies and policies to support the safety, multimodal accessibility, and placemaking objectives.  A transit-oriented development framework was developed for future Sun Rail stations in the corridor.

 
 
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