ANNA MARIA – City commissioners got their first look at the preliminary plans for proposed safety improvements along Spring and Magnolia avenues as part of the expanded Reimagining Pine Avenue project.
The new plans complement the initial Pine Avenue plans the Anna Maria City Commission approved in 2022 but have not yet acted on. The commission later agreed to include Spring and Magnolia in an expanded Reimagining Pine Avenue project that will hopefully attract more interest from construction companies than the initial stand-alone Pine Avenue project did.
The current fiscal year budget includes $3.34 million for the expanded project, including $2.69 million in state appropriations and $283,412 in American Rescue Plan funds.
When presenting the “starting point” plans on Oct. 19, Project Engineer Gerry Traverso said, “The concept is the same. Provide sidewalks and pedestrian safety.”
The plans call for permeable paver sidewalks to be installed along both sides of the entire length of Spring Avenue and all but a few portions of Magnolia Avenue, including the area where The Center of Anna Maria Island parking spaces extend to the street. Portions of those streets currently have no sidewalks and/or sidewalks on just one side of the street. The permeable paver sidewalks are also expected to improve drainage.
The plans include several new crosswalks and the removal of existing landscaping that currently impedes motorists’ view of pedestrians and bicyclists.
The plans include $765,000 for street lighting, but Mayor Dan Murphy said the lighting improvements will be pursued as a separate, city-funded project. Using state funds subjects the city to the Florida Department of Transportation’s limited lighting options.
Minus lighting, the estimated cost is $1.95 million for Spring Avenue and $1.55 million for Magnolia Avenue. Murphy said he’ll need and seek additional state appropriations to help fund the expanded project.
Commission insights
Commissioner Charlie Salem questioned the exclusion of a sidewalk where The Center parking spaces abut Magnolia.
“That area’s not safe the way it is. People are walking in the road,” he said.
Providing an answer that didn’t fully satisfy Salem, Traverso said pedestrians would be directed to cross Magnolia before they reach The Center parking spaces.
Commissioner Robert Kingan inquired about installing a bike path along Magnolia or Spring. Traverso said there’s not enough city-owned right of way to do so and doing so would negatively impact the existing drainage trenches.
“It’s a tight corridor,” Traverso said.
“The only way to put in a bike path would be to make each of those streets one-way and then we would have the room,” Kingan suggested.
Traverso noted he and the commission received strong public opposition to the previously discussed and discarded concept of making Pine Avenue a one-way street, with either Spring or Magnolia serving as the corresponding one-way street for traffic traveling the other way.
Commissioner Mark Short said the Pine Avenue opposition was strong because the corresponding one-way traffic would have subjected a residential street to heavier traffic and more delivery trucks and commercial vehicles.
During public input, former commissioner Doug Copeland said making Spring and Magnolia one-way streets and eliminating one vehicular lane on each street would provide space for wider sidewalks and for bike paths constructed on the unused travel lanes.
Commissioner Jon Crane stressed the need for community outreach and generating as much public input as possible. Salem suggested mailing notices to Spring and Magnolia property owners. Murphy agreed and said public input will be solicited during future commission workshops.
“We can fine-tune this and make it better. The object is to start the process,” Murphy said.
