MADEIRA BEACH - A plan to redesign the city’s downtown Madeira Way corridor got a boost when the commission voted unanimously to proceed from concept to the construction design stage on the project.
City Manager Jill Silverboard said the redesign of the right-of-way would bring “improvements in the appearance and environment of Madeira Way.”
Money for the next design stage, which will cost between $150,000 and $170,000, has already been set aside, she said. The commission in a unanimous vote approved spending the funds.
The design plan, which resulted from a concept chosen at a public meeting on the subject held nearly a year ago, calls for changes in the roadway that would presumably turn the current “cut-through” route into a lushly landscaped pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare. Trendy boutiques and restaurants would line spacious sidewalks that would allow room for al fresco dining and outdoor activities.
Silverboard said the concept meets citizens’ demands that the city “do something about Madeira Way.” Representatives from HNTB design consultants said the project has been scaled back from the original plan that would have cost more than $2 million to complete.
The corridor redesign would eventually result in redevelopment projects for the area, Silverboard said.
