By Mary Hladky
A year after Boca Raton hired a consultant to reimagine East Palmetto Park Road, residents finally have the opportunity to weigh in on how to improve the street’s appearance and make it safer and more inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Residents are able to take an online survey about the entire downtown, including East Palmetto Park Road, that asks why they come downtown, their priorities for transportation improvements and their experiences finding and paying for parking.
The city and consultant Alta Planning + Design, which has a $431,645 contract, also are offering an interactive map that allows residents to report downtown problem areas for pedestrians, bicyclists and people with mobility issues.
The city and Alta held a heavily promoted community meeting on April 17 at the Downtown Library where Alta principal Alia Awwad gave a high-level view of the work the company is doing for the section of road from Dixie Highway east to Fifth Avenue.
About 50 attendees, joined by 23 people attending virtually, used their cellphones to post comments on an audience interaction platform.
Although attendance was modest, more people have responded to the online survey and interactive map. Almost 1,500 people identified problems on the interactive map, Awwad said.
Alta staffers have gone door to door to speak with business owners, and Awwad hopes to speak with Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce members this month.
Awwad said her firm would finalize its work to improve East Palmetto Park Road in early fall and then present its recommendations to the City Council.
But she offered no hints as to what the final plans would include or what they would look like.
“Saying this project is important to me is an understatement,” said Awwad, a city resident. “Our goal is to recreate a corridor that is the best it can be.”
Safety, she said, “is definitely a core goal.”
Data she presented showed that from 2018 through 2023, 1,868 crashes occurred in the downtown, resulting in six fatalities and 31 serious injuries. Along East Palmetto Park Road, there were 534 crashes, with 3% involving bicyclists and pedestrians. There were five fatalities or serious injuries.
Asked to give a short description of their impression of East Palmetto Park Road, attendees’ responses included “speedway traffic,” “traffic nightmare,” “unsafe,” “dangerous,” “poor walkability,” “outdated,” “dangerous for pedestrians,” and “unsafe for bicyclists.”
Asked later what a reimagined road should be, they said “more walkable,” “pedestrian friendly,” “safer crosswalks,” “connectivity for bikes,” and “reason to walk.”
City officials and residents have talked for more than a decade about the need to improve the road, with not much to show for it except for the installation of crosswalks with flashing lights between Federal Highway and Fifth Avenue.
Former Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke pressed her fellow council members and city staff to make improvements, saying that the construction of the Brightline station, the planned building of the Center for Arts and Innovation at Mizner Park, and the opening of Wildflower and Silver Palm parks created an urgent need for a revamped roadway.
The council approved hiring a consulting firm in June 2022 and selected Alta the following March.
The online survey and interactive map are available at myboca.us/2440/Make-Connections-East-Palmetto-Downtown and on Alta’s site at bocaraton.altago.site
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