Lakeland’s City Commission voted unanimously on Monday to adopt the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Downtown West Action Plan — an ambitious outline of short- and long-term actions to nurture and uplift the area west of Florida Avenue, south of Memorial Boulevard, north of Lime Street and east of Lake Beulah Drive.
The plan, which was a year and a half in the making, aims to better connect portions of the city, revitalize struggling neighborhoods and provide incentives for infill development. Its adoption makes it easier for the CRA to apply for grants to complete or begin projects.
Community Redevelopment Agency Manager Valerie Ferrell-Vaught told commissioners that the CRA has targeted about a dozen “priority projects” that are either underway or planned for the near future in Downtown West, noting that “the fabric of downtown erodes significantly in the first two blocks west of Florida Avenue.”
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