FL Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) officials made a presentation to the City Commission this week on the status of its plan to widen 441 from Pembroke Road to Fillmore Street in Hollywood. They said that funding is now in place to acquire the necessary property and widen the road to six lanes with a landscaped median, bike lanes, and 8-foot sidewalks on either side. The project also includes landscaped retention ponds for drainage and bus bays at Pembroke, Washington, and Hollywood Blvd. Construction is supposed to begin in 2012.
All of this sounded like progress. But then Commissioner Blattner announced that Hollywood's Senator Geller has introduced a bill in the State Legislature to provide a dedicated source of funding for Tri-Rail. And if the Geller bill passes in its current form, FDOT will cut other transportation projects from its budget, including $50 million from the Pembroke-Fillmore segment of 441.
It is certainly true that Tri-Rail needs funding if it is to support the type of transit-oriented development like Sheridan Stationside that was approved by the the City of Hollywood, Broward County, and the State Department of Community Affairs despite no assurance of reliable Tri-Rail transport into the future. But to think that we have to choose between support for Tri-Rail and FINALLY attending to the blighted, disinvested, traffic-congested and ugly 441 corridor is quite an unacceptable choice. Commissioner Sherwood said that Hollywood's legislative priorities should include sufficient funds for both.
In addition to Commissioner Blattner's concern about robbing Peter to pay Paul, several other commissioners raised questions about the project. Commissioner Asseff asked whether we would be putting the utilities underground while the road was torn up; Commissioner Sherwood asked whether there would be irrigation for the landscaping, and expressed her hope that money could be found to install sewer lines. Commissioner Furr lamented the lack of planning for light rail. Commissioner Blattner from time to time mentioned that there was no money. FDOT responded to the irrigation comment by suggesting Hollywood decide how much irrigation would be necessary and recommending the selection of native, drought-resistant plants.
Because the State has to acquire property on the east side of the roadway in order to widen it, the State will take by eminent domain approximately 51 properties on this stretch of 441. Of these, 23 will be only "partial takings," (perhaps some parking will be lost). FDOT urged the city to adopt a procedure now for the property owners subject to partial taking so they will know -- before the project gets started -- what to expect in terms of how easy or difficult it will be for them to stay in business when the size of their property is somewhat reduced.
The mayor asked staff to determine exactly which properties would be impacted and to what extent. Also staff is to determine how much tax revenue the city stands to lose as the State takes the private property needed for this road-widening project.
The big question now is how to get dedicated funding for Tri-Rail without losing FDOT's funding for 441. Senator Geller is in his last term in the State Senate because of term limits. Not one to give up the power of an elected official, he has announced his intent to challenge Commissioner Gunzburger to represent Hollywood on the Broward County Commission. But while he is still in Tallahassee, let's see whether he can reconcile Hollywood's need for TWO funding sources: Tri-Rail and 441.
