Shady Banks Mobilityl Master Plan
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The City of Fort Lauderdale is experiencing a resurgence in development and is working to transform itself into a multimodal, active, vibrant community. In order to support this growth and change, the City is working to complete a series of Neighborhood Mobility Master Plans that address neighborhood transportation issues in collaboration with the community.
Shady Banks is a residential neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With approximately 500 homes on quiet, tree-lined streets, it is located on the banks of the New River. Hortt Park and the Bill Keith Preserve Park are also located within the boundaries of Shady Banks. Over time, community members have expressed concerns over the cut-through vehicular traffic and speeds, as well as a desire to preemptively calm traffic that may be introduced by future developments. In addition, neighbors have expressed the desire for a safer and more walkable environment. In recognition of these desires, the City of Fort Lauderdale initiated the Shady Banks Neighborhood Mobility Master Plan.
STUDY PROCESS
The Shady Banks Neighborhood Mobility Master Plan was conducted over a period of eleven months, beginning in January of 2016 and ending in November 2016. The project team took a “blank slate” approach, with no predetermined assumptions on the issues or needs. This allowed the neighbors, supported by data and analysis, to identify the issues and importance of those issues.
This process was completed in four phases, as seen in FIGURE 1. Beginning with data collection and analysis and stakeholder involvement, phase one identified the issues and opportunities in the neighborhood. In phase two, a general menu of potential improvements were identified and presented to the community. The community was then asked to choose the types of strategies they would like to see implemented in the neighborhood. In phase three, the improvement types decided on in phase two were applied to the specific issue and opportunity areas identified in phase one. Additionally, planning level cost estimates and project timing were developed for the improvements. These were presented to the community and the feedback received was used in phase four to create the final master plan. Phase four is ongoing, and includes a final prioritization developed between the community members and the City of Fort Lauderdale as well as the implementation of the projects as funds become available.