By Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore
I hope you read the first three columns on the benefits and recent successes of the Neighborhood Leader Program and Corridor of the Year. If not, the links are below.
I discussed the basis for developing a love of neighborhoods and community in the first three columns. I pointed to my regular involvement, such as being on hand every Saturday morning for clean-ups, the structure of the program, and the benefits of collaboration between members and local government. I will add a bit about historic housing construction and creating “outdoor” living rooms in this column.
I recently attended a state bicycle program in downtown Winter Garden. Nationally recognized speakers shared their thoughts on planning better walkable and bikeable communities. They alluded that Apopka and Winter Garden have street grids laid out exactly north to south and east to west. This was all before World War II.
Shorter blocks or city streets reduce traffic compared to a large subdivision, which dumps traffic all onto a singular four-lane road. Downtown Apopka has much of this pre-WWII grid system, as does northern Winter Garden. I could digress into how to fix downtown Apopka, but the subject of this column is how the Neighborhood Leader Program is repairing residents’ sense of place.
The streets in these pre-WWII neighborhoods have become more of a home. Neighbors have casual meetups while walking dogs, taking children out for bike rides, walking to work, etc. With less traffic and slower traffic, streets become more like living rooms where residents meet and grow. It is safer to walk and bike, and thus, there is more chance of meetups. We must encourage builders to return to smaller projects with duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes on grid-like streets. The big multi-national building of subdivisions is harmful to our collaborative culture.
Today, most of us experience ugly, boring, too long to walk anywhere pleasant, high-speed corridors. Even upscale areas like Lester Road have long, unappealing brick walls with cars traveling at high speeds. Yet, adding benches, outdoor furniture, art installations, walking clubs, and, of course, pressure washing could change this.
North Apopka residents, please join our quarterly meetings at Wekiva High School. Together, we can improve the culture along Lester Road.
Nevertheless, the pre-WWII downtown grids with shorter blocks and often brick roadways dissuade high rates of speed. They encourage greater pedestrian activity. While we aren’t discussing blight and homeless issues in this column, these challenges can be remedied with the same solutions. Clean, appealing, unique streets with greater walkability and bicycle riding are a solution. These individual streets provide the basis for greater communication and engagement between citizens.
The Neighborhood Leader Program incentivizes and grows residents into leaders who, in turn, create art and grow that love of place along existing corridors. The government can never make all of this happen alone. However, the government can stop additional sprawl and incentivize more pre-WWII development or redevelopment.
I first discovered the truth of personalized schools while serving on the Orange County School Board. Prototype schools were great for efficiency and cost savings but bad for creating a sense of ownership, care, and concern among students, staff, and parents. By adding art installations, murals, sculptures, and distinctive area pictures, students become connected to their community. I utilized corporate donations, small donors, and my office's discretionary funds to make these projects come to life.
I am disappointed that Clay Springs Elementary School staff took down a previous principal’s donation of personal photographs of Wekiva Springs. They helped teach students to love the uniqueness of their school zone and community. Not every school is named after a Class I spring. I recently taught fifty students at a Clay Springs Teach-In event. The only students who knew that Clay Springs was really Wekiwa Springs were my two granddaughters. How tragic.
So, in our District 2 suburban communities, we are working on distinctives celebrating and promoting our best features. We cannot change the layout now of massive suburban subdivisions. However, like the schools we can personalize corridors. For example, we hired artist Delia Miller to paint a mural celebrating “Wekiwa Springs” on a blighted gas station at the corner of Thompson and Votaw roads. Fence cup art declaring Eastern Apopka as “Wekiwa Springs” was erected on Wekiva Springs Road near the Sprouts. Rose art was painted on a blighted fence all along Rose Avenue. Lovely magnolia banners were erected along Magnolia Homes Road. Artist Lisa Mikler painted a Lockhart historical mural along Edgewater Drive. A welcome to cyclists on the Coast-2-Coast trail painted again by artist Delia Miller at the corner of Pine Hills and Clarcona Ocoee roads. I also had plans for “One Apopka” cup art installation along Clarcona Road, but that is when I broke my foot. Next year I hope to complete this project in collaboration with Jarette Schofield.
The top leaders in the Neighborhood Leaders Program have studied the book, Love Where You Live by author Peter Kageyama of St. Petersburg, Florida. These leaders are now pondering more projects in their neighborhoods. Installations require fundraising, planning, and engagement of nearby residents. The people who work together on projects become – A TEAM. Once we are a team, we can accomplish anything.
We have much more work to do in 2025. Ideas and opportunities are infinite to restore the love of community and collaboration between neighbors.
I kick off the 2025 Neighborhood Leader season with a nationally recognized speaker from the Strong Towns Organization on January 18th at Wekiva High School. I hope to see you there.
To read part one, go here.
To read part two, go here.
To read part three, go here.
