master plan update - City of Boca Raton

SECTION EINITIATIVESinitiativesIn order to implement this Vision, theMaster Plan Update includes a series ofproposed Initiatives. Preliminary draftsof these were presented in the course ofthe public process and received broadbasedendorsement.Each initiative combines both publicimprovements and private development.Their success depends on creating theappropriate public realm and on usingthe design guideline approach describedin the last section of this report.Each Initiative is located within oneof the Quarters. The initiatives are:West Palmetto Park Road &NW Second Street with theFederal/City Hall QuarterThe barrier effect of Federal Highwaymust be overcome in order to begin theprocess of integrating the City HallQuarter into Downtown. The majorcatalyst will be a new library, publicparking for Downtown, and the futurecommuter rail station.East Palmetto Park RoadConsiderable development activity isoccuring along this link to the waterfront.The character of the pedestrianrealm needs to be improved in order toprovide an active and lively urban place.There are options for the ways in whichthis can be accomplished.Central Palmetto Park Roadand Plaza Real South QuarterThe most urgent initiative is to provideadequate pedestrian crossing in the centerof Palmetto Park Road between FederalHighway and Mizner Boulevard. Byovercoming the barrier that blocks midblockpedestrian movement, this link,combined with additional developmentin Plaza Real South, would extend thepedestrian zone of Downtown.NE Second Street andthe Sanborn Square QuarterAnother urgent priority is connectingthe southern end of Mizner Park to theSanborn Square Quarter. The redesignof NE Second Street will make it morecomfortable to cross, but it will not befully successful without the redevelopmentof at least this portion of the SanbornSquare Quarter to permit pedestrianlinkages to Boca Raton Road andto Palmetto Park Road.Detail views of the four initiatives52