Lake Wales streetscape projects aim to connect neighborhoods to downtown

Lake Wales beautification projects continue

Work will begin next week on the next phase of Lake Wales "Connected Plan" to redevelop and beautify the city. FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports. 

LAKE WALES, Fla. - More streetscape projects are on the way in Lake Wales to attract more people and business downtown.

March will mark one year since Demetrius Leeks opened his barbecue restaurant, Smokin' DJ's. 

"What brought me to downtown Lake Wales is I saw they were redoing downtown, and it was a great opportunity to open a brick and mortar," Leeks said. "I started with a food truck, and I just wanted to get my own business going." 

The backstory:

Starting next week, First Street, the street right outside Leeks’ restaurant, will be resurfaced and beautified.

It's part of the city's "Connected Plan," which started with the Park Avenue and Market Plaza renovation projects.

Orange Avenue, Crystal Avenue and Market Street will also be redeveloped with the addition of trees, landscaping and sidewalks.

Big picture view:

"The overall arching purpose of doing all of these streetscapes is to connect these neighborhoods. We have the northwest neighborhood we want to be able to easily get to the downtown area," Sara Irvine, the city's special projects coordinator, said. "Also, we have the residents in the Lake Wales area down by the lake. We want them to be able to come up, enjoy the festivities without needing to get into a vehicle." 

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The projects are funded by a mix of grants and state and federal programs.

What they're saying:

Irvine says the good news is the upcoming projects won't be as intensive as the one on Park Avenue.

READ MORE: Lake Wales business owners concerned about ongoing Park Avenue construction project

"On Orange and Crystal, we will always have a lane open for businesses, not necessarily for traffic," Irvine said. "We have a detour route for that, and the project shouldn't last as long as that one did. I believe they get six to nine months for substantial completion." 

Leeks says the projects are a good thing for the city. He grew up in Lake Wales and has seen downtown change for the better.

"It has changed a whole lot. It looks better," Leeks said. "It attracts more people and have a lot of events, so that's bringing in more people also." 

What's next:

Construction on First Street is scheduled to start the week of Feb. 23.

Construction on Orange Avenue, Crystal Avenue and Market Street will start in March.