The Public Kick-off Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, October 18, 2001 at Lockhart Baptist Church, was attended by approximately 40 residents and business owners. Also in attendance were Orange County District 2 Commissioner, Bob Sindler and Local Planning Agency Chairman, Monty Knox. Staff answered questions one-on-one from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. and a brief presentation was made at 7:30 p.m. Following the presentation, several questions were asked by those in attendance during a question and answer session. A summary of the questions and answers is provided below.

Q & A Session Summary

Q: Will City water and sewer lines be installed when the road is reconstructed and will property owners be required to connect to these services?
A: Currently, the staff of the County's Engineering Department is not aware of plans to install water or sewer lines in conjunction with the roadway reconstruction. However, County staff will discuss this issue with the appropriate utility departments to find out whether there are plans to provide these services in this area. This information will be available at the second public workshop to be held later this year.

Q: What is the projected cost to build this road?
A: Since we are at the preliminary stages of the project, no cost estimates have been made yet. As the alternatives are refined, costs will be determined and presented to the public.

Q: How long will it be before the road is built?
A: The entire process, from the RCA Study to construction could take 6 to 8 years to complete.

Q: After the road is widened to 4 or 5 lanes, will new developments be required to build turn lanes as part of their improvements?
A: That will be determined during the permitting process with Orange County and will vary by the type of development and projected traffic generation of the development.

Q: Is this road project a done deal?
A: No. County staff will develop a recommended improvement for Edgewater Drive and present it to the Board of County Commissioners for their approval. The Board will make a final decision on whether to accept staff's recommendation, modify the recommendation or not approve the recommendation at all.

Q: How can the projected traffic volumes go up so much if this area does not have any vacant land for new development?
A: The traffic projections are developed using a regional traffic model that looks at a much larger area than just the neighborhoods adjacent to Edgewater Drive. Other areas of Orange County are developing rapidly and these new developments will use area roadways to get to other areas of the County.

Q: If the road is widened, will the wall next to the Edgewater Shores subdivision be raised to help reduce traffic noise?
A: The wall will not be raised to mitigate any increase in noise. If the wall is impacted by the road widening, there may be opportunities for other wall improvements to be considered.

Q: Will a sidewalk along the west side of Magnolia Homes Road be constructed with this project?
A: No. County staff will check to see if there are any projects in the County's sidewalk program that include sidewalk along Magnolia Homes Road.

Q: Will the impact lines shown on the graphics be modified at the next workshop?
A: Yes. The lines shown at this first meeting are very preliminary and during the next few months, the alignments will be refined to avoid business and residential impacts where possible.

Q: Will there be an overpass where Edgewater Drive crosses the railroad tracks?
A: No. An overpass would be very expensive and would result in substantial impacts to the properties adjacent to this intersection.

Q: Will zoning and setbacks change with the road improvements?
A: No. The zoning and setback requirements will not change as a result of the road improvements. If the road improvements encroach on the setback of an existing building, that building would be allowed to remain even if it is in violation of setback requirements. Any new development would have to follow the zoning and setback requirements.

Q: Will the County build retention ponds next to the road?
A: It is the County's preference not to construct retention ponds directly adjacent to their roads. However, at this time, potential stormwater retention pond sites have not been identified.

Q: What criteria do you use to decide whether to impact a business on one side of the road versus a business on the other side of the road?
A: There are several factors that are considered including roadway geometry, topography of the land, properties adjacent to the businesses in question and cost of the actual impact to the business or adjacent properties.

Q: What is the likelihood of this project going through?
A: It is too early in the study process to determine whether the project will go through. A need has been identified that resulted in the initiation of the Edgewater Drive RCA Study. County staff will continue with this study and develop a recommended improvement for Edgewater Drive and present it to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration. The Board has the final decision on whether the project will be implemented.

The Alternatives Public Workshop for the Edgewater Drive RCA Study, held on Thursday, March 14, 2002, was attended by approximately 75 residents and business owners. Also in attendance was Orange County District 2 Commissioner Bob Sindler. Staff answered questions one-on-one from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. and a brief presentation was made at 7:15 p.m. This presentation focus on the RCA Study process and the analysis of the alternative improvements that were being considered for Edgewater Drive. Following the presentation, several questions were asked by those in attendance during a question and answer session. A summary of the questions and answers is provided below.

Q & A Session Summary

Q: Is there a chance that the County will change their mind regarding the grassed median? I like the grassed median and think it will enhance the Lockhart community.
A: The preliminary preferred concept shown at this meeting includes a grassed median. The proposed improvements could change and the median could be removed based on public input and further refinement of the recommended alternative. However, the County will not eliminate the median later if it is included in the final recommended alignment that is approved by the Board of County Commissioners.

Q: How come there is no median opening for the Edgewater Shores neighborhood?
A: The entrance to Edgewater Shores is too close to the signalized intersection at Mott Avenue to provide another full median opening for Edgewater Shores. Roadway design standards and physical constraints limit the number of median openings along a roadway. In addition, the existing railroad crossing just east of Edgewater Shores would introduce a safety issue if a full median opening were provided at this location.

Q: Why do we need a median at all?
A: Roadways with raised medians are typically safer than roadways without medians or roads with a continuous center turn lane. The median directs traffic to a limited number of locations to make turns, which reduces the number of potential conflict points for vehicles along a roadway. In addition, the proposed 22-foot wide median provides a refuge area for vehicles crossing the road or waiting in the median without the front or back of the vehicle sticking out into the road. The median also provides an area for landscaping.

Q. Why doesn't the County put a traffic signal at the entrance to Edgewater Shores?
A: In order to install a new traffic signal, a detailed traffic study has to be done that shows the intersection has traffic volumes high enough to warrant the need for a traffic signal. The traffic study conducted as part of the Edgewater Drive RCA Study did not show the need for a traffic signal at this location.

Q: Will access to Lake Lockhart Drive be cut-off at Edgewater Drive as shown on the graphics?
A: It is not anticipated that Lake Lockhart Drive will be closed at Edgewater Drive. Following the small group meeting with the residents along Lake Lockhart Drive, the alternative to close Lake Lockhart Drive at Edgewater Drive and extend Lake Lockhart Drive to Dr. Love Road is no longer the preferred alternative. Since the analysis of alternatives for the connection of Lake Lockhart Drive to Edgewater Drive is not complete, none of the alternatives were shown at the Alternatives Public Workshop.

Q: Will the type of median be influenced by what the County has constructed on other road projects?
A: No. Each roadway project is looked at individually. The type of median selected is influenced by traffic volumes, accident history, existing and proposed types of land uses along the roadway and input from the community.

Q: My business is on Beggs Road, west of US 441 and I do not want a raised median.
A: The County understands that business owners typically prefer no restrictions to access to and from their businesses. Unfortunately, there will be raised concrete traffic separators included at signalized intersections, which will restrict access near these intersections. The stretch of Edgewater Drive between Pine Hills Road and Rose Avenue includes three signalized intersections. It is not anticipated that there will be sufficient lengths of roadway to provide a continuous center turn lane (5-lane roadway) through this portion of the project.

Q: Will the traffic signal at Rose Avenue and Beggs Road have a separate left turn signal for traffic heading northbound?
A: Yes. This intersection will have protected left-turn phases on all four approaches.

Q: Was there any consideration to impacting Lockhart Elementary School instead of the Lockhart Baptist Church?
A: Yes. There were three basic alignment alternatives considered through this area; left, right and centered widening. The right widening would have impacted the school and not touched the church property. The impacts to the school were greater than the impacts to the church associated with the left widening alternative.

Q: The center turn lane type of median is preferred because the County does not maintain the landscaping on other roads with raised medians.
A: This may be the case in some areas; however, the County has a regular maintenance program for County roadways. Some of the roads that are not maintained may not be roads that are under Orange County's jurisdiction.

Q: Will there be sidewalks along both sides of the road?
A: Yes. Five-foot sidewalks and four-foot on-road bicycle lanes will be provided along both sides of the road through the entire project.

Q: When the roadway typical section width is reduced from 120 feet to 98 feet, why is the raised median 22-feet wide in both cases?
A: The 22-foot width is the minimum raised median width for this type of roadway as defined in the roadway design standards used by the State of Florida's Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Orange County. This width allows for the development of left turn lanes in the median without having to widen the roadway and it also provides sufficient width for a normal vehicle to pull into the median from a side street to turn left onto Edgewater Drive without the front or the back of the car protruding into the adjacent travel lanes.

Q: Is the County taking into consideration impacts to people's homes? Most of the businesses along Edgewater Drive are owned by people who do not live in Lockhart.
A: Yes. Impacts to residences are heavily weighted when evaluating roadway alignment alternatives and impacts to residences are avoided if at all possible. However, no consideration is given to whether or not the owner of a house or business does not live in the project area.

Q: You showed the traffic projections on the area roadways at the last meeting and I noticed that the volumes on US 441 did not go up much but volumes on Edgewater Drive doubled or tripled. Aren't you widening Edgewater Drive to relieve US 441? 
A: Edgewater Drive is not being widened to relieve US 441, but to improve traffic flow for those who live and work along Edgewater Drive. Orange County does not have a policy of improving County roadways to relieve State roadways. If Edgewater Drive is not widened, US 441 will carry generally the same amount of traffic as projected with the widening of Edgewater Drive, but traffic will find cut-through routes through neighborhood streets to avoid US 441 and Edgewater Drive. In addition, if Edgewater Drive is not widened, it will reach gridlock. The traffic projections that were done for the Edgewater Drive RCA Study look at a twenty-year horizon and consider planned roadway improvements throughout the Orlando metropolitan area.

Q: Would you have widened to the other side of the road and impacted the Lockhart Elementary School if the Lockhart Baptist Church did not agree to work with you?
A: The alternative alignment analysis considered widening to both sides of the road through this area. The analysis indicated that widening towards the north side of the road and impacting the church property was preferable to widening to the south side of the road and impacting the school and was independent of the Church's preference.

Results of the Recommended Alternatives Public Workshop – May 23, 2002

The Recommended Alternative Public Workshop for the Edgewater Drive RCA Study was attended by approximately 83 residents and business owners. Also in attendance was Orange County District 2 Commissioner Bob Sindler. Staff answered questions one-on-one from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and a brief presentation was made at 7:30 p.m. Following the presentation, several questions were asked by those in attendance during a question and answer session.

Q & A Session Summary

Q: Why are you impacting the Lockhart Baptist Church instead of the Lockhart Elementary School's parking lot?
A: Several roadway alignments through this section of Edgewater Drive were evaluated, including an alignment that impacted the elementary school instead of the church. Due to roadway design standards and the need to correct the sharp curve through the Rose Avenue intersection, the impacts associated with the widening to the south side of the road (the school side) are greater than the impacts and costs associated with widening to the other side of the road and impacting the church building.

Q: If you take any of my property, my house will be too close to the road. How close to my house can you build the road?
A: There is no exact answer to this question because it would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. One factor that would need to be considered include whether the house is on septic and whether the drain field would be impacted and whether it could be relocated. Another consideration would include whether safe access can be made in/out of the driveway if the driveway is impacted. If you have additional questions, please contact Mr. Sid Gaines with Orange County's Real Estate Management Division at (407) 836-7070.

Q: If you build a raised median in front of my business, how will customers and delivery trucks get to my business?
A: Median breaks would be provided which would allow for u-turn movements. Most normal delivery trucks should be able to make u-turns on a four-lane divided roadway. Very large trucks may need to take an alternate route to get to your business.

Q: I do not want to have a raised median in front of the Edgewater Shores neighborhood so that I can turn left out of and left into my neighborhood.
A: The raised median is proposed through this area for two reasons. First, the County is proposing to include raised concrete traffic separators at each signalized intersection, including Mott Avenue. Second, there is insufficient room to develop a left turn lane for the Edgewater Shores neighborhood between Mott Avenue and Edgewater Shores. Third, the Florida Central Railroad track crossing is very close to the neighborhood entrance road and longer crossing gates, at a greater cost, would be needed in the median due to the width of the new road as well as gates across the Edgewater Shores entrance road, again at a greater cost. The County will meet again with Florida Central Railroad representatives to discuss any special design options for this crossing location and what the magnitude of the additional cost would be.

Several written comments were made and are summarized below.

• Comment 1: Eliminate the westbound to northbound right turn lane at Magnolia Homes Road to lessen the impacts on the new building in the northeast quadrant of this intersection (Halliday Products).
• Comment 2: I do not want there to be a raised median between Magnolia Homes Road and Clarcona-Ocoee Road.
• Comment 3: KDK Automotive does not want the raised median west of Magnolia Homes Road.
• Comment 4: As an owner of an auto repair shop, I have concerns with tow-trucks being able to make u-turns if a raised median is constructed.
• Comment 5: I have lived in the Lockhart community my whole life and support the raised landscape medians. This will enhance the community feel and make it look nicer.
• Comment 6: I do not want the medians and think that any landscaping that is done will die and look bad after a year.
• Comment 7: You should consider the wishes of the residents who live in Lockhart over the business owners who do not live here.

In addition to these questions and comments, a petition with almost 200 signatures was submitted to the County that supports the inclusion of raised landscaped medians along the entire Edgewater Drive RCA Study project.

Following the third public meeting, County staff agreed to look at some additional alternatives through certain areas along Edgewater Drive.

Orange County held the fourth Public Information Meeting for the Edgewater Drive Roadway Conceptual Analysis (RCA) Study on Tuesday, September 17, 2002. Participants had an opportunity to view exhibits and speak directly to staff in an open house format. A formal presentation was given by Orange County Staff. This presentation focused on the RCA Study process to date and the recommended improvements. This additional workshop was held as a result of public input received at the May 23, 2002 workshop. Following the presentation, Orange County Staff were again available to answer questions and receive comments on the project.

The Local Planning Agency (LPA) Public Hearing for the Edgewater Drive RCA Study was held on Thursday, November 21 2002 at 2:30 p.m. A presentation was made to the LPA Board by County Staff and three citizens made comments regarding the proposed improvements following the presentation. Two citizens spoke in favor of the project and thanked the County Staff for working with the public during the process. The third comment involved a request for a full median opening by a business owner. The LPA approved the findings of the Edgewater Drive RCA Study and found the RCA Study consistent with Orange County's Comprehensive Policy Plan.

The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) Public Hearing for the Edgewater Drive RCA Study was held on January 14, 2003. A presentation was made to the BCC by by County Staff. The BCC approved the findings of the Edgewater Drive RCA Study and found the RCA Study consistent with Orange County's Comprehensive Policy Plan.

Project newsletters were mailed to property owners within the study area. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system to view the newsletters.

• Newsletter 1 (PDF - 502 KB) - Mailed the week of October 1st, this newsletter describes the study process and the study area, as well as provides a project location map and a project schedule.
• Newsletter 2 (PDF - 738 KB) - Mailed on February 27, 2002, this newsletter provides an updated project schedule, as well as notification of the second public meeting.
• Newsletter 3 (PDF - 594 KB) - Mailed the week of May 6, 2002, this newsletter provides an updated project schedule, as well as notification of the third public meeting.
• Newsletter 4 (PDF - 1.29 MB) - Mailed on August 29, 2002, this newsletter provides an updated project schedule, as well as notification of the fourth public meeting.