Two prominent views emerged during the public forum on the proposed restructuring of South Florida Avenue at the Polk Museum of Art Thursday evening.
The plan is to reduce the number of travel lanes from four to two, while keeping the center turn lane, from Pine Street to Ariana Street.
On the side of proponents, residents said the downtown-to-Dixieland stretch deserves a chance to thrive. South Florida Avenue with its cramped lanes and wonky sidewalks threatens to strangle the fledgling Dixieland renaissance.
David Collins, a resident and artist known for his temporary public art installations, compared South Florida Avenue’s current state with how interstate highways have cut through cities like moats.
The decision in the past to add extra travel lanes to South Florida put a barrier between the Lake Morton neighborhood and Dixieland.
“This is simply an opportunity to make it right,” he said. “The community of Dixieland has just been destroyed. This will give us an opportunity to bring it back. This will be the catalyst to reconnect the Dixieland area to the Lake Morton area and never be divided again.”
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