Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study From Florida s Turnpike to Pleasant Hill Road, Osceola County, Florida Financial Project Number: 433693-1-22-01 Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Date/Time: Location: Agenda: August 27, 2013, 10:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Field Trip from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Disney Wilderness Resort, Disney Wilderness Preserve Conservation Learning Center 2700 Scrub Jay Trail, Kissimmee, Florida 34759 Attached Alex Hull from Inwood Consulting Engineers, Inc., began the meeting at 10:15 a.m. by asking the attendees to introduce themselves. The Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector (Southport Connector) Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) is a diverse mix of representatives from various agencies, city and county staff, and private interest groups. Forty attendees signed in (see sign-in sheets attached) for this meeting. Mr. Hull gave a presentation about the project and encouraged discussion from the group throughout the meeting. Presentation Poinciana is ranked as one of the places in Florida with the longest commute. There is no direct connection to expressway routes, employment and business centers, and no evacuation route that directly serves the Poinciana community. The Southport Connector project is included in MetroPlan Orlando s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), and the Florida Department of Transportation s (FDOT) State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), as well as the Osceola County Expressway Authority s (OCX) Master Plan. The purpose of the project is to reduce traffic and enhance traffic operations, provide connectivity with regional transportation networks, provide multi-modal facilities and enhance emergency evacuation by connecting to Florida s Turnpike. Comments: I ve experienced the traffic on Poinciana s local roads. Often, during peak travel periods in the morning and the evening, traveling northbound on Pleasant Hill Road and north on U.S. 17-92 to Kissimmee, there is gridlock. When there is an accident, these roadways can be completely shut down. This is an issue for emergency vehicles. Are all of the project alignments for this project going to run from west to east? There are issues on Poinciana Parkway in the morning. Traffic can come to a dead stop during peak hours.
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Page 2 How did Poinciana get to this condition? The Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process was implemented by the Florida Environmental Land and Water Management Act of 1972. Prior to that time, development was simply done by the numbers with no local concurrency. Historically, development companies promised to build roads along with their new developments. Over time, some of the development companies changed hands and were re-named, etc. Some of the developers backed out of the projects, and some of the planned roads were never built. Poinciana is composed of ten (10) villages and governance has changed hands over the years. Polk County has recently amended their Comprehensive Plan from pre-dri to land use planning. There are some old DRIs in Osceola County. It has been suggested to local governments that development be brought up to the current standards in the Comprehensive Plan. If the purpose of this project is to relieve congestion, until there is a clear origin/destination that looks at traffic counts, how can you plan a project for congestion relief? Is there a destination point at Florida s Turnpike to the east and another destination that could be taken to the north? The Turnpike system is designed for inter-city travel; it s not designed to relieve local congestion or commuter travel. If the project is built as shown on the map, would it have a real effect on traffic conditions in Poinciana? The origins and destinations need to be examined. Alex Hull: Comment: Alex Hull: This is a four-year study. There will be time to discuss these issues and determine what the best answers will be. Another consulting firm is working with the FDOT to conduct the traffic analysis. Currently there is a preliminary purpose and need. The purpose and need will be finalized after the traffic analysis is completed. The traffic numbers will be a better indicator of what is needed to relieve congestion. There are large branches of the transportation system within the study area. There are commercial and residential properties to the west and agriculture and environmental lands with very little population to the east. Hopefully both Polk County and Osceola County will become engaged with this project. Three out of five of the DRIs in this area were developed at least 10 years ago and were not part of a Master Plan. Has the FDOT checked to see what DRIs are still out in the area? The South Lake Toho Master Plan looked at the Green Island DRI and members of this project team have met with Green Island. It is basically dormant until a Master Plan is developed.
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Page 3 Comment: Clif Tate: Comments: Southport Ranch has no current plans to develop the Bronson property. The Kelly family also prefers to continue ranching at this time. DRIs have no real planning value without encumbrances. Large-scale development may never happen in this area. This is a planning issue and subject to change until entitlements are awarded to land owners. The County has considered the impacts of the DRIs. The toll authorities rely on population density and land use. The DRIs that received entitlement were north of Lake Toho, not to the south. The land owners in the study area did not seek to get entitlements. Beyond entitlements, there is the issue of post-recession market value. Is there a marketability and viability that will lead ranchers to do something else with their land? For one, there is the Mitigation Bank at South Lake Toho. From the recession bubble up through 2013, is the viability the same? There s no guarantee that you could guarantee toll revenue. This comes into play with the other alignments as well. The DRIs need to be kept in the loop and be engaged in conversations. The best route would be more likely be to the northeast of Lake Toho. Alex Hull: Comment: The project team will continue to have conversations with land owners throughout the project. When will the traffic study be complete? Alex Hull: We anticipate completion of the Traffic Report in September 2013. Comment: There have been plans for an additional 20,000 to 30,000 homes south of St. Cloud. Several of the DRIs have changed ownership since the entitlements were obtained. Some have gone back on the agreements; others had a change in interest when ownership was transferred.
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Page 4 Alex Hull: In the next few weeks, both of the Poinciana Parkway studies will be moving through the Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) screening process. This process will help determine the environmental Class of Action which is part of the federal process that is needed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It will determine the level of development that needs to be part of these studies; whether they will require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Assessment (EA). An analysis or preliminary evaluation assessment will be conducted to determine the estimated level of environmental impacts. Corridors with the highest level of impact will be avoided. Alternatives will less potential impacts will be moved forward. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has agreed to this type of corridor evaluation and a report will be submitted for FHWA review. It is anticipated that the Class of Action for this study will be determined by spring 2014; keeping in mind that this is a four-year study. The presentation explained the overall study process, the steps of the analysis and the NEPA documentation. The first step is to screen out the non-viable alternatives and carry the viable alternatives forward for further evaluation. Based on the land sustainability mapping process, the following steps will be taken during the study: The corridor study area will be defined. The study area will be screened using weighted Geographic Information System (GIS) layers. The most sensitive environmental corridors will be eliminated. The corridor width and design criteria will be identified. The corridor alignments will be identified and evaluated. Local government input and public input will be obtained. A corridor workshop will be held in spring 2014. The Corridor Report will be prepared and submitted to the FHWA and the Environmental Technical Advisory Team (ETAT) for approval. A large study area is being evaluated to determine the best way to tie into an existing roadway or build a new roadway to Florida s Turnpike. Comments: You should also consider a northern alignment. Look at the study areas west and east of the Cypress Parkway segment. There is a missing link. Cypress Parkway was between the design/build and approach to Pleasant Hill Road. Is there a regional Turnpike objective here? The
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Page 5 only real possibility for a Turnpike Connection is to the north, in order not to impact Downtown Poinciana. There are environmental issues south of Lake Toho, including a mitigation bank and smoke shed. We also need a route that is away from the Disney Preserve. Environmental Concerns The preliminary environmental screening is scheduled to begin next week (week of September 2, 2013). Environmentalists will go along each of the proposed corridors to see if there is anything that would preclude an alignment in those areas. There is a possibility that eagles, crested caracara and snail kites have established nests in some of these areas that may become an issue later on. This is the densest bald eagle nesting area in the world. We must do everything we can to avoid nesting areas so we don t end up with a conflict. South of the study area the Everglades Boundary encompasses the Disney Wilderness Preserve and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). A second effect is the proximity of the road to the urban development line. This could push a potential alignment south to the eco system, which is a more perilous location. Routes across the lake could also be considered. There are critical nesting areas for the endangered snail kites and other birds along the lake. Comments: Lake Toho is a top fishing destination for major tournaments with hundreds of boats participating. A bridge would have to be lighted to allow operators of high speed boats to see the bridge in the early morning darkness. Lights on the bridge may have an impact on these areas. Lighting on deck is more common than underneath; however, there isn t a lot of data on light and noise pollution or other disturbances that may be caused by a bridge. There are also significant wetland issues south of Lake Toho with wading birds as well as potential issues of boat collisions with the bridge piles. The study team has had specific agency coordination regarding scrub jay habitat; however, none has been found within the study area to date. Field visits have noted caracara and eagles. Grasshopper sparrows have not been observed in the southeastern portion of the study area; however, no detailed surveys have been done. In spring 2014, the project team will coordinate with the FDOT and Reed Noss from the University of Central Florida to discuss wildlife surveys for these species and others, and a Listed Species Matrix will be prepared. A Draft Comparative Evaluation Matrix should be available by the end of September 2014. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated they would be issuing an updated list of proposed and candidate endangered species within the next two to four years. Project team members requested a copy of the list so additional species, as required, can by included in the wildlife surveys for this project.
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Page 6 Managed Lands A Cultural Resources evaluation will be done to assess archeological and historic properties. A Section 4(f) review will be done to avoid conflict with public lands. Questions: Who should we submit comments to? Comments can be submitted to Alex Hull, Consultant Project Manager from Inwood Consulting Engineers, Inc.; Amy Sirmans, FDOT Project Manager, or Eileen LaSeur, Public Involvement Coordinator from QCA. Comments can also be submitted from the website: www.southportconnector.com. Are you coordinating with the other Poinciana study? Yes there will be continuous coordination between the two projects. Representatives from both projects will be attending the public meetings. Poinciana area traffic needs a thorough analysis. Are you looking at all the pieces? Yes, we are working together to obtain traffic analysis throughout the area. Traffic is good at U.S. 17-92 at Pleasant Hill Road. Is that also part of the study? A regional traffic study is being done, so U.S. 17-92 at Pleasant Hill Road will be included. Public Involvement Public kick-off meetings for this project will be held on September 10, 2013 in Poinciana and September 12, 2013 in St. Cloud. A PowerPoint presentation with voice-over will be available on a continuous loop throughout both evenings. Display boards will include the project location map, the OCX Master Plan and Central Polk Parkway map and the project schedule. Members of the consultant project team and FDOT staff will be available to answer questions and discuss concerns with attendees. Representatives from the other Poinciana study currently determining potential corridors to Interstate 4 (I-4) will be at both public meetings for coordination between the two studies.
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study Agency Project Advisory Group (APAG) Meeting August 27, 2013 Page 7 Question: Alex Hull: The eastern terminus joins another corridor study, initiated by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) to begin in late September/October. This study will include the FDOT Central Office, OOCEA, Florida s Turnpike and Deseret Ranch. How will that study tie in with this one? Is there potential in that study for additional eastern movement? We will be coordinating with that study as well. The APAG meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m. A box lunch was available (at $5.00 each) to attendees planning to participate in a field visit following the meeting. Twenty-six people attended the field visit. Vans were available to transport participants. Stops were made at the following locations and the project team reviewed the areas and discussed potential issues at each. 1. Reedy Creek Swamp South representative habitat for the Reedy Creek Swamp. 2. Reedy Creek Swamp North additional habitat for the Reedy Creek Swamp. 3. Osceola County Environmental Education Center owned by SFWMD, education facility for the Legacy Program. 4. Osceola County Landfill (this site was observed from the vans as a potential contamination site). 5. Yoder Frey Auction Site heavy equipment auction site with minimal wildlife habitat. 6. 2013 Caracara nest location undocumented caracara nest; representative habitat for the corridor. 7. Southport Park view of Lake Toho and snail kite habitat. END OF MEETING SUMMARY
Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study Agency Project Advisory Group Kick-off Meeting Location: Disney Wilderness Preserve Meeting Room Date: August 27, 2013, Meeting Time: 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. Optional Box Lunch and Field Trip: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m AGENDA I. Introductions II. III. IV. Project Overview PD&E Study Purpose ETDM Status V. Preliminary Corridor Analysis VI. Environmental / GIS Information Sharing VII. Other Discussion VIII. Box Lunch and Field Trip