Seminole aims to move busy bus stop
To make way for redevelopment, officials begin talks with Lynx, property owner
A Lynx Superstop in Fern Park used by thousands of bus riders every day — making it one of the busiest in Central Florida — stands in the way of plans to redevelop a blighted area with hundreds of new apartments, shops and a streetscape project.
Seminole County officials said they recently started discussions with Lynx and the owner of the old Orlando Jai-Alai Fronton property to move the Superstop near U.S. Highway 17-92 and State Road 436 to another nearby location. Plans to relocate the stop, which is on Fernwood Boulevard west of rundown Oxford Road, come as the county is set to launch a long-awaited $20-million beautification project. The goal is to refurbish Oxford Road between S.R. 436 and Fern Park Boulevard.
“We believe we’ll have the least amount of disruption of [bus] service if we leave the stop as close to the existing stop as it is now,” County Manager Nicole Guillet said.
Lynx’s 15 Superstops — also known as transfer facilities — are hubs where bus riders transfer from one route to another to reach their final destination.
The projects that will upend the Superstop include the county’s aims to transform Oxford Road into an attractive “main street” with on-street parallel parking, landscaping, large trees, wide sidewalks, bike lanes, decorative street lights and benches.
It’s an effort by Seminole to spark economic development in the area and encourage developers to construct multi-story buildings that include residential units, shops and eateries.
In addition, fronton site owner
RD Management LLC in June submitted plans to the county to construct a 210-unit apartment complex adjacent to where the Superstop sits.
“In order for this project to work and move forward with this entire vision, that [bus] stop has to be moved somewhere,” Guillet said. “And we have been working with Lynx and the primary property owner out there to try to find a suitable, alternate location for the Superstop.”
One rider who uses the stop wasn’t overly concerned about a new location.
Nearly every morning after finishing her night shift, Nicole Jackson steps off a bus from Winter Park at the Superstop on Fernwood Boulevard and waits for another one to take her home in Altamonte Springs. It’s a routine she’s done for years.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter where they move this stop” she said on a recent morning at the Fernwood stop. Several buses lined up waiting for boarding passengers in front of her.
“As long as I’m still able to catch another bus back home, I’m fine,” she said. “But it would be nice if a new bus stop had some kind of shade.”
She commented as the fronton parking lot behind her sat empty. For decades, the fronton was a popular spot to watch and wager on professional matches.
But matches are seldom held there today. The fronton building is now known as Orlando Live Events and hosts musical performances, sporting events and other shows.
The parking lot is pockmarked with pot holes. The nearby sidewalks are littered with empty cans and other trash. The medians are bare or covered with weeds.
Eventually, the fronton building will be torn down and the 13-acre site along Fernwood will be redeveloped, the owner has said.
As part of the Oxford Road project, Seminole also plans to extend Fern Park Boulevard nearly half a mile west through a wooded and marshy area to U.S.17-92, just south of a Lowe’s shopping center. That new road extension will help ease traffic congestion in the area and make it easier for the public to access Oxford Road, according to county officials.
Plans also show narrowing Fernwood Boulevard — between Oxford and U.S. 17-92 — from four lanes to two lanes, adding onstreet angled parking, building new sidewalks and installing a roundabout.
The upgrades mean the Superstop must be moved, preferably nearby, county officials said.
Matt Friedman, a Lynx spokesman, said his agency is working with the county and the developer to come up with the best solution on moving the Fernwood Superstop.
Lynx has nearly 90 routes carrying about 88,000 riders a day on average. About 2,750 riders board Lynx buses every day at the Fernwood Superstop.
“We are always looking at ways to provide the best service possible and the best amenities as possible,” Friedman said. “But as areas get developed, we have to adjust our services or our amenities.”