BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Expect the nebulous plans regarding Starke’s downtown revitalization to receive greater definition thanks to the help of a new grant.
Staff at Woodward and Curran, Starke’s engineering consultant, assisted the city in obtaining a $58,500 Florida Commerce Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant. The project is now in Woodward and Curran’s hands, with the city providing input and review as it moves forward.
The nonmatching grant requires no cost from the city for the consultants to create a vision for a “downtown entertainment district,” as Starke Chief Administrative Officer Jimmy Crosby described it.
Crosby said the city has targeted several grants to work on downtown revitalization, but its success in obtaining those grants could hinge on having some plans already on the drawing board. That is what the community planning grant will help provide — a vision that will earn the city more points toward future grants.
“If you don’t have a plan, they don’t want to talk to you. So, we’re getting prepared for our next leap,” he said.
Crosby expressed appreciation to Justin deMello and Woodward and Curran for their assistance. Their close work with the city will help guide the project.
In addition to the accolades, the consultant will be paid through the grant proceeds. Broken down into four tasks, their goals include meeting with stakeholders about the project and preparing a draft plan for the commission’s review. That work is due by Dec. 31.
The city will have three to four weeks to provide comments on the draft as Woodward and Curran works on the final draft, which is to be complete Feb. 28. Then, by May 30, the city will receive four visual renderings depicting the revitalized downtown area.
Woodward and Curran described the project background like this:
“The city has experienced a decline in visitors to the downtown district since the completion of the FDOT 301 Bypass. To promote the economic output of the city’s downtown area while simultaneously meeting the needs of the rural community and increasing tax revenue for the city and state, the city of Starke desires to create a Downtown Entertainment District Visioning Plan.
“The project will address the needed recovery from the loss of pass-thru and foot traffic occasioned by the Route 301 Bypass by developing a public facing and pedestrian friendly entertainment district that connects key downtown destinations, unique programming, recreation opportunities, and ecological networks.
“The project will integrate stormwater management and urban heat island mitigation to address associated climate resiliency challenges to ensure sustainable revitalization.
“The resulting visioning plan will serve as a downtown revitalization plan appropriate for the city commission to adopt, implement, and add to its comprehensive plan.”
Crosby described an expanded vision of downtown that crossed U.S. 301, incorporating more of West Call Street and the Madison Street corridor. It also includes the 301 commercial corridor through town.
Crosby also said the Florida Department of Transportation would be visiting the city in January to take another look at the 301 corridor improvements.
“This is one more piece of the puzzle of how we make the bypass continue to be a positive, not a negative that we were all afraid of 10 years ago when they first started talking about it, and I think we’re seeing that happen. So, this is just another step in that direction,” he said.
City commissioners unanimously passed the resolution approving the agreement with Woodward and Curran.
In September, the commission approved a conceptual plan from architect Paul Stressing for the design of a new amphitheater at the Downtown Square. Recent land use changes approved by the board have also allowed the 45-townhome development known as CityWalk to advance to an application for a planned unit development just east of the Downtown Square.
