Kissimmee wants to create a Medical Arts District between two of its hospitals. To help make it happen, they're enhancing a major road in the area.
- Kissimmee planning enhancements to Central Avenue
- It includes sidewalks, bike lanes
- Enhancements used to entice businesses for planned Medical Arts District
Sam Locklear’s shoes were soaked from his walk home Monday. He says Central Avenue needs more sidewalks.
“Jump over this culvert here and culvert there because the sidewalk ends,” he said. “And then you've got to jump to go [to] the road then back to the sidewalk again.”
He’s happy to hear that there will be some changes on Central Avenue, which runs down to the planned Medical Arts District. “I am saying great. It’s about time,” Locklear said.
The city is using federal funds to conduct a study to come up with enhancements -- a nearly $300,000 project. It’s called Healthy Central: The Heart of Kissimmee.
“It looks like rural ditches in the middle of an urban area,” said Randy Schrader, a senior planner for the city.
Schrader said they’re looking into adding sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, as well as bike lanes. Schrader said it's about doing infrastructure in a holistic way -- looking at everyone who might use a road -- as opposed to the traditional approach that just looks at ways to move cars.
The enhancements would be part of the new Medical Arts District. The city wants to attract a hub of health care-related companies and physician practices between Florida Hospital Kissimmee and Osceola Regional Medical Center.
“That would be nice. The more specialists, here the better,” Locklear said.
The next public workshop is tentatively set for the first week in November in conjunction with Central Florida Mobility Week. If you would like to provide feedback, click here: http://www.healthycentralave.com/