West Palm launches study on getting around the city
WEST PALM BEACH — West Palm Beach’s mobility study is off and running — and walking, biking and bus, train and trolley riding. And parking.
Consultants Alta Planning + Design rolled out their plan Monday for a series of studies to shape the ever-crowded city’s transportation future, keep gridlock in check and encourage more people to get around without cars.
Alta principal Paula Flores told the mayor and city commissioners that the project, fast-tracked to be done in six months, will include studies of downtown and the Okeechobee Boulevard corridor and a study of downtown parking management and transportation demand.
It also will include an analysis of how the city can pay for recommended changes by switching from reliance on developer impact fees to a “mobility fee” system that allows money collected from development projects to contribute to transportation needs other than road-widening, since widening roads is not a priority, or even a possibility, Keep up with The Post’s complete coverage of West Palm Beach on its Facebook page dedicated to the city. On Facebook, search for Post on West Palm Beach.
for most of downtown.
Those studies come at the same time that West Palm Beach is developing a cit ywide bicycle master plan and having urban design firm Gehl Architects study West Palm public life with an eye toward making downtown more livable. Flores said her team also will take into account a 2014 “Walkability Study.”
Assistant City Administrator Scott Kelly said the Alta study also allows the city to consider ideas that have been voiced by members of the public in past months, from pedestrian bridges over Okeechobee to tunnels under it.
“It’s going to shape a lot of what the city is going to look like,” Kelly said of the Alta project.
Flores said her team was starting this week by meeting with community groups, representatives of other Palm Beach municipalities and other stakeholders, to get their sense of the cit y’s immediate and future needs. The public input meeting is scheduled for Wednesday in City Hall, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Alta will have a website that goes live in a few days, WPBmobility.com, with updates on the studies and an interactive map for the public to help identify locations where there are problems or opportunities for transportation changes.
Wednesday ’s meet i n g wi l l include a talk by former ZipCar executive, entrepreneur and author Gabe Klein, who has been tapped to help the city develop its transportation plan, the mayor’s office said. Klein is a former commissioner of the Chic ago Department of Transportation and former director of the District of Columbia Department of Transportation.
Ci t y c o mmissi o ner s a t t he Monday morning work session expressed enthusiasm for the study. They’ve been hearing from constituents more and more as many new downtown buildings have come on line, with a predictable increase in traffic complaints.