Madeira WayRestructuration Plan Outline

Madeira Beach Boundaries

Brief Intro

The City of Madeira Beach is home to about 4,263 people, and is a major tourist destination in Pinellas County; approximately 8,000 tourists visit the City every year. The tourism sector therefore plays an important role in Madeira Beach’s economy.

Since 2001, the City of Madeira Beach has devoted significant effort and considerable amount of resources to rethinking and reshaping the heart of the community. Through the efforts and dedication of the charrette, the City of Madeira Beach Master Plan was drafted and amended with the goal to assist Madeira Beach in this quest. In the study key themes were highlighted to guide the City in achieving this end. These include a proposal to designate pedestrian- oriented activity Centers within the City, to clarify the Zoning and Development Codes to promote the vision, and to create a True Civic Center around Madeira Way, among others. A decade has passed, but the City has yet to establish a workable program to implement this vision.

Madeira Way

Madeira Way, the main street of the Town Center is considered to be the psychological center of Madeira Beach. It intersects with Municipal Drive, Gulf Boulevard and Tom Stuart Causeway (150th Avenue). It encompasses a range of stores and restaurants, and facilitates access to City Hall and adjacent civic facilities. On the other hand, Madeira Way lacks a sense of place. The design and current condition of the street does not allow viable mobility choices for bicyclists, pedestrians as well as outdoor activities. There has been a desire to create a True Civic Center around Madeira Way by revitalizing and upgrading the quality of the public amenities there and the surrounding areas. However, no disposition to come up with an implementation plan to achieve this vision is on the horizon.

Below is an outline drawn from the Madeira Beach Master Plan and the Town Center Special Area Plan that summarizes the key relevant features of Madeira Way, the issues that need to be addressed, and the proposed recommendations to redevelop and beautify the corridor.

Relevance

Madeira Way, a short commercial street lined on both sides by on- story retail buildings, is considered by many to be the historic “heart” of the City of Madeira Beach

One of the fundamental incentive for the Madeira Beach Master Plan was the City’s desire to encourage both redevelopment and new development within; community

early work, including the visioning workshop; identified two Key areas for such activities Madeira Way/Civic Center area, and the area around John’s Pass Village

Madeira Way intersects with Municipal Drive that leads directly to the Municipal Building and the Beaches Library, as well as to the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center

Madeira Way is an essential element within the City; but aesthetically and in real estate terms’ it is sorely lacking.

The area around the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and the Tom Stuart Causeway (150 th

Avenue) in particular along Madeira Way serves as the civic and possibly the psychic center of the community

Madeira Way plays a special functional and psychological role within the City. Only two blocks long Madeira Way contains the Apple Restaurant, a community fixture, a bookstore, a video store, a Subway franchise and the local branch Post Office among others

Madeira Way also plays an important functional role within the community. The street connects the two dominant arterials, 150th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard at a 45-degree angle

Madeira Way shopping Center from the City Hall and the City’s recreational playing fields sit just behind City Hall. The bulk of the uses found in this sector relate to the needs and activities of the full time and seasonal residents of the City

One and a half miles south of Madeira Way lies John’s Pass Village, the heart of Madeira Beach for tourists and non-residents visitors

Madeira Way intersects with Municipal Dr. and Links Gulf Boulevard & Tom Stuart Causeway (150th Ave)

Issues

Madeira Way is one of the location of the City that attempts to create a desirable pedestrian- friendly environment

Lack of pedestrian quality is noticeable between the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and Madeira Way

The street has been very poorly laid out for all users: pedestrians , drivers in cars and drivers looking to park along the street

Efforts to calm traffic along the Way are somewhat ham-fisted, rendering the street difficult and potentially dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians

The speed of traffic along 150th Avenue discourages pedestrians traffic between the residential, commercial and open space use on alternate sides of the avenue

Madeira Way is poorly design, there is no uniform management of the uses along the Way, which create haphazard programming of space as well as uncoordinated hours of operation

Current layout uses landscaping haphazardly and is not pedestrians friendly, and is ineffective for accommodating parking

Small lots size and unusual lot configurations poses challenge to parking and loading for the wide variety of commercial and civic uses in the town center

Recommendation

The Madeira Way and/Municipal Center district will become increasingly diverse and pedestrian- oriented with an increase sense of place

The City should commission a full-pledged urban design and redevelopment study of Madeira Way with the goal of enticing subsequent interest from developers

New Streetscapes are recommended along Madeira Way and within the Commercial Core District

New structures on Madeira Way should continue the pattern of continuous party-wall structures sitting directly at the edge of the right of way

New Structures should be mixed use building rising between two and four stories tall, with pedestrian- oriented commercial uses on the ground floor, and offices or residences above. Ground floor uses could include restaurants, cafes, boutiques and other specialty shops

The triangle created by the intersection of Madeira Way, Gulf Boulevard and the Causeway should be developed as a single project. The buildings should include retail uses at grades with office uses on the upper floors facing the Boulevard and the Causeway, and residential uses on the upper floor facing Madeira Way

The redevelopment should include a central parking structure, with two or three levels of above-grade parking; space in the structure should be reserved for the office tenants and residents, with additional space use for visitor parking

North East side of Madeira Way should be redeveloped possibly, as a two-stories mixed-use building, with retails at- grade and office and residential uses above Dedicated parking for these purpose can be tucked behind the building or in small carefully

located surface lots adjacent to the buildings The ground floor of the building on each side of the street (Madeira Way) should include

some form of protection from the sun, wind and rain Full structural arcade A fixed one story continuous arcade Or a variety of awning & arcades for a more diverse appearance

Given the different orientation of the buildings on each side of the street, the redevelopment on the north- east side of the Way might incorporate an arcade, while the buildings on the south- west side, across, the street might use a variety of different awnings

No matter what the ultimate design, the ground floor façade should include a high percentage of glass

Glazing should be clear & should extend from just above grade to at least eight feet

Urban Design Guidelines

Apply only to streets designated as primary pedestrian streets

Building Placement

Along the east and west side of Madeira Way, Front Setback: Zero (0) feet Build-to-line

Building Height and Massing

No Building shall be less than two stories and no more than six stories, including a grade parking measured from grade at the front entrance of the building to the top of the parapet or roof eaveExceptions: are sites designated as such within their respective community district, where individual and developed height and massive guidelines shall pertain

Streetwalls

Occupied Spaces: facades of buildings enfronting streets within the pedestrians shed shall be continuously occupied for a minimum of 75% of the façade width of each building, to a depth of at least 20 feet

Entrances: streetwalls shall have pedestrian entrances at minimum intervals of no more than 75 feet. Doors shall be recessed to a minimum of three feet and the area of this setback shall not exceed 100 feet

Retail Façade: for retail facades 75% of the facade at the sidewalk level shall be assigned permanently to retail use with a minimum depth of 20 feet

Parking Garages: the ground floor of parking garages enfronting pedestrian streets shall include retails or commercial uses to a depth of at least 20 feet

Architectural of parking structures above the occupied first level shall be consistent with that of the first floor

Note: The interior of a parking garage shall not open to a primary pedestrian street under any circumstances

Awnings are recommended & shall be placed as follow They shall be placed to solid wall, no higher than 1 foot above an upper window

edge Shall extend at a minimum of 6 feet from the building face and may extend to

the three line or to within two feet of the curve Shall have a metal structure cover with canvas or synthetic canvas Shall be rectangular in shape with straight edges Shall not have side panel or a bottom soffit panel and shall not be backlit All awnings on a single shop shall have the same form material and color

Other than address number a single side band shall be permitted on each store frontage not to exceed two-feet high by any length. The design shall be integral with the color the design and character of the store front

Streetscapes

The Way is considered to be the main business arterial of the community. It hosts many different types of businesses which include the Apple Restaurant, a community fixture, a bookstore, a video store, a Subway franchise and the local branch Post Office among others. Additionally, it intersects with Municipal Drive which leads directly to City Hall, the Gulf Beaches Library, the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center, and the City’s recreational playing fields sit just behind City Hall. However, as the main business corridor of the Town Center, aesthetically and in real estate terms Madeira Way is lacking. Current layout uses landscaping haphazardly and is not pedestrians- friendly. Since the Town Center Special Area Plan was put together, not much has been done to implement it. With the new City Hall/Civic Center under construction, City Officials should turn their attention to Madeira Way and make it their top priority. A potential effect that the new Civic Center may have on the area is that we might begin to see a sharp increase in the volume of traffic and pedestrians activities in the Town Center District, mainly in

the business corridor along Madeira Way. The implementation of a project to redesign and redevelop the public realm along the Way to make it more pedestrian and bicycle- friendly will certainly help create a friendlier public ambiance, which in turn will have a positive impact on businesses in the area.

Concept Plan’s Recommendations

Streetscaping

Quality Streetscapes are needed throughout the Town Center and in the Commercial Core District in Particular. The first Focus Should be on Madeira Way

The streetscape must provide room for pedestrian through traffic, outdoor seating for cafes, for window shopping, for street furniture and street trees

There should be as few interruptions of the pedestrian way as possible, which means limiting the number of intervening driveways as much as possible

Street Oriented Retail

Street oriented retail caters to passing pedestrian traffic. Therefore, it is essential that the building entrance be immediately adjacent to the streetscape to encourage window shopping

Parking must be located to the side, or preferably to the rear behind the building Doors and windows should face the street Signs should be small- scale and pedestrian-oriented in place and design

Building Wall

Building heights of at least two stories are recommended along both sides of Madeira Way, and ideally throughout the Commercial Core District

View Corridors

The view of the Water from the Causeway when driving onto the island, and the view of the beach and water from Madeira Way should be restored if the opportunity become available

Madeira Way Streetscape Concept

(Adopted draft April 2009)

Summary__________________________________________________________

46 Parking Spaces

(2) 12’ travel lanes typical

8’ wide pedestrian zone within ROW on North side

19’ wide pedetrian zone within ROW on South side

10’ Bulding setback shown

Notes_____________________________________________________________

2 raised table top crossing located at Municipal Drive & mid-block

2 street level crosswalks at the ends of streetscape- with distinct pavement type

cohesive streetscape will require 10’ construction easement on each side

of street or building development at ROW line

See; Madeira Beach Town Center Area Plan pg. 54

City Code

From the beginning of the visioning process, many citizens and members of the Commission expressed concerns about the current Zoning Code. For instance, they speculated that the codes were not producing the desired results (in term of development) that the community wanted and that the complex and redundant nature of the existing codes, instead, impede redevelopment and suppress potential new development.

The team that put together the Master Plan made a number of discoveries during the planning process that corroborated these concerns and advised City Officials to take the appropriate steps to address irregularities within the Codes that are at odds with the general intent of the Plan. Otherwise, it would create obstacles. But again, no initiative whatsoever was taken to revise the existing Zoning Codes and make the necessary modification to specific requirements of particular sections that are regarded as a source of conflict and conform those sections to the general intent of the amended Master Plan.

Origin of the Code

Existing Land Development Regulations for the City of Madeira Beach were developed by the Municipal Code Corporation of Tallahassee Florida in 1999.

Problems with the Code

The Code reflects a generally suburban bias in its content, is possibly over- regulated in its format

The use of fill to raise the elevations of new structures to the mandatory minimum base flood elevation produces “ant-hills” within the neighborhoods with new buildings sitting atop mound of fill

Sign standards reflect a suburban character of the existing Code. They are devised around the requirements of people moving at high speed in automobiles

Numbers of Spaces: measure for required parking spaces tend to reflect the suburban characteristics of the current code

Recommendations

The requirements that land development regulations be enforced by the City’s building official should be changed to require plan approval by a duly selected and hired planning official

Section 94-76 of the zoning code: The first sentence of this section should be retained “Pilings or tem walls are permitted.” The subsequent section on the use of fill should be removed

Chapter 102: in general the entire section should be revisited, possibly as part of a consultant contract to devise an appropriate effective and coordinate signage package for the entire City

At a minimum the size requirement for signs should be reduced. The practice of allowing attached wall signs of up to 50 square feet should be disallowed, and replaced by a general maximum size of 20 square feet

Parking Option

Diagonal vs. Parallel Parking

Recommendation

Madeira Way’s current layout is ineffective for accommodating parking. Although the current pattern of diagonal on street parking along the Way provides higher parking density and allows the easiest maneuvers. Diagonal parking occupies a lot more spaces. This makes it almost impossible to stripe bicycle lanes along the street. The diagonal pattern also creates the most negative sidewalk experience. The parallel on street parking alternative will provide additional rooms to widen the sidewalk, to add trees, benches for outdoors seating, bicycle lanes and possibly bicycling parking on both sides along the Way. Parallel parking will also be a good alternative to further calm vehicular traffic along Madeira Way.

The parallel parking alternative will provide additional space for bicycle lanes on both sides along the Way

Again the new Municipal Building is designed to incorporate a Civic Center for public use. Thus, this has the potential to increase vehicular traffic and pedestrian activities in the Town Center, particularly along Madeira Way. In order to make the Town Center more pedestrian-friendly, street crossing must be a priority, especially for the intersections of Madeira Way and 150 th

Avenue, Madeira Way and Gulf Boulevard.

The Concept Plan has made the recommendation that the City acquires lands for a public parking deck on Gulf Boulevard to serve as a commercial core for the Town Center as well as the beach. It has also proposed the use of better pedestrian signals, texture crosswalks, raised crosswalks, and upgraded signage to enhance streets crossing along the triangular area, which comprises the intersection of Madeira Way, Gulf Boulevard and 150th Avenue.

Speed Management

Even though speed bumps help reduce the speed of through traffic along Madeira Way, the City should consider narrowing the lanes if there is an opportunity to do so. It has been observed that narrowing the lane’s width to 10 feet as opposed to the usual 12 feet can significantly help calm traffic along a street. The application of this approach to the Way, not only will help calm down traffic, It will also provide a great opportunity to create additional space to stripe bike lanes on both side along the street.

Signs along Madeira Way

Suggestions The city can use flashing speed limit signs at the entrance of the

street instead, to alert drivers and make them aware of their speed.

Crosswalk signs along Madeira Way can be replaced with flashing pedestrian- crossing signs to entice drivers’ attention and make them aware of their environment.

In addition to signs, the speed limit can be communicated to drivers directly on the paved surface. Pavement marking has been used as an alternative to speed bumps in many senior and/or school zones, and in streets with significant pedestrian activities.

Countdown signals should be installed at the intersections Flashing pedestrians crossing

of Gulf Boulevard and 150th Avenue’s with Madeira Way signs are used in streets with

for safer crossing significant pedestrian

activities

Intersections crossing

Gulf Boulevard & Madeira Way

Poor pedestrian quality is a major issue between the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and Madeira Way. The Concept Plan has recommended that a high quality at- grade pedestrian crossing be designed to assist crossing on Gulf Boulevard.

150th Avenue & Madeira Way

Moreover, it was noticed that the speed of vehicular traffic along 150th Avenue discourages pedestrians’ traffic between the residential, commercial and open space use on alternate sides of the avenue. Improved signal would make it safer for pedestrians to cross from one side of the avenue to the other and to Madeira Way. One strategy would be to use countdown timer as oppose to conventional signal at the intersection with Madeira Way. This will greatly improve pedestrian access to both sides of the avenue and will allow better connection with Main Street.

Municipal Drive

Currently, there are no signs that indicate the speed limit along Municipal Drive. Once the New Civic Building is opened to the public, it certainly will transform Municipal Drive. As visitors come and leave, the volume of vehicular traffic and pedestrian activities along the street will increase. For safety reasons, the City may have to slowdown through traffic along Municipal Drive.

There may also be the need to make Municipal Drive more bicycle- friendly to make it safer for city’s residents and tourists who will choose or prefer to use bicycles to commute to the Civic Center. Due to limited space and width constraint, it might be impossible to make any accommodation as to incorporate bicycle lanes along Municipal Drive and 153 rd Avenue. One strategy would be to design the street to allow both bicycle and motor vehicles to share the same lane, without assigned space for each. Bicycle sign (e.g., MAY USE FULL LANE sign) or the SHARE THE ROAD warning assembly and pavement marking can be used for guidance to alert drivers that they are sharing the road with bicyclists.

Older faded signs along Municipal Drive should be replaced with new ones

Streetscaping will be needed along Municipal Drive and 153th Avenue Texture crosswalks, pedestrian signs are required along Municipal Drive, especially at

the intesection between Municipal Drive and Rex Place.

Note: Share lanes should not be used in streets where the speed limit exceeds 35 mph, but currently there are no speed limit signs along Municipal Dr. and 153rd Avenue.

For bicycle policy and design guidelines

See; Florida Green Book: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rddesign/FloridaGreenbook/FGB.shtm

Also see: https://www.pinellascounty.org/mpo/docs/BikePedPlan.pdf

Temple Terrace (SHARE THE ROAD) assembly used on (56th street) and in area where the streets are too narrow to accommodate bicycle lanes

Conclusions

Madeira Way is a small corridor with great strategic significance. Archibald Beach Park, the Beaches Library and City Hall are within a few feet away, It also intersects three major streets and links the two most important streets in the City (150 th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard the Backbone of Madeira Beach). Its strategic location makes it also ideal for businesses. It is not for any reason that it is viewed as the psychological center of the City. The original vision’s goal was to restructure and redevelop Madeira Way and transform it into the optimal place where residents, visitors and tourists can come to socialize, eat, shop and be at the same time within accessible distance of the City’s public amenities. A great amount of times, efforts and resources have been already dedicated toward this aim. The new Civic Center once open to the public will undoubtedly attract a large number of visitors to the Town Center. This presents an opportunity for fresh attention to be given to Madeira Way “the historical heart of the City.”

The City must renew its commitment to the vision and design a workable restructuration plan to give the Way a sense of place as the charette original intent desired.