Shop owners are excited about a $455,000 streetscaping plan for Douglas Avenue, which will connect the street with downtown.
By MEGAN SCOTT
Published August 19, 2004
DUNEDIN - Most drivers zoom down Douglas Avenue so fast they barely notice the quaint antique shop and the eclectic gift store.
But soon, they will be forced to slow down.
Dunedin is transforming Douglas into another Main Street with brick sidewalks, decorative lights and crape myrtle trees. The goal of the $455,000 plan is to slow down traffic and add character to the street that serves as a gateway to downtown.
"It will be absolutely night and day," said economic development director Bob Ironsmith. "You'll go from this four-lane, characterless, high speed, not-pedestrian-friendly corridor to a two-lane, local street, good sidewalks, that has a good look to it."
Commissioners approved the concept of re-doing Douglas Avenue several years ago, but wanted to wait until the Belcher and Keene Road extensions were finished. They were finished earlier this year.
The project, which comprises the section of Douglas Avenue between Main and Albert streets, will be paid mostly from Penny for Pinellas and community redevelopment agency funds. The cost also includes the cost of upgrading utility lines.
"It's an inconvenience but it's something that is necessary," said Jan Scully, owner of Raspberries, a gift shop on Douglas Avenue. "My customers are really great. They sometimes have to work to get here, but they do. I believe this will increase business ten-fold."
The streetscaping is scheduled for completion in November, Ironsmith said.
He hopes to begin the same work soon afterward on Douglas between Albert and Beltrees streets. He acknowledged, though, that may not happen on schedule because utility companies are currently working on clean-up efforts from Hurricane Charley.
Kimberly Holtorf, owner of Romantique Jewelers, is eager for that work to be started.
The streetscaping was one of the reasons she chose her location six years ago.
"I thought that was a great reason to be here," Holtorf said. "I've been looking forward to this. We'll have to wait again until they come down here."
But the Douglas Avenue project at least has momentum now, said Ironsmith.
Dennis Martino, a financial planner who owns a yellow Victorian house on the street, is planning to develop a mixed-use project called Dunedin Station Square. Dunedin has already developed 12 feet of Martino's property into angled, brick-paved parking spaces.
As part of the project, the city intends to construct a brick circular compass with the four points at the intersection of Douglas and Main.
"People that are on Main Street now will recognize Douglas is part of the downtown area," Ironsmith said. "We wanted something that adds value. That's what we think this streetscape project will do."
Even the shops on Scotland and Broadway streets will benefit from the broader downtown, said Lynn Wargo, president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. They no longer will feel like a side part to the central hub.
The streetscaping is the latest in a series of enhancements to downtown Dunedin.
On Monday, the city unveiled three dumpsters on Main Street painted by two Croatian immigrants. The trash bins feature images of alligators and pelicans lounging, playing a guitar and painting.
"Anything they do is a plus-plus for Dunedin," said Della Robinson, who owns Rose Garden Boutique on Broadway. "Dunedin is very up and coming about what they want for their city and shop owners. They are always promoting."
