Results

Public Official: Vice Mayor Scott Newton
November 2003 Session

Final Report

Description of Project
The City of Wilton Manors is looking for an overall design framework for its primary main streets while addressing the demands of development and redevelopment within the City. Wilton Station is a projected station site for the proposed FEC double-tracking and passenger service project on that line.

The following topic areas need to be addressed:

• What is the ideal location for the municipal complex and City Hall as a functional civic space?
• How can the transit-oriented design of Wilton Station be coordinated with commercial development along Wilton Drive and the Dixie Corridor?
• How can greenway and blueway projects be incorporated into development and transportation goals?
• What suggestions does the Design Institute have for an appropriate balance of commercial development along Wilton Drive ?
• What is the appropriate location for a parking garage to serve current and future transit and retail?
• How does Wilton Manors address the need for workforce housing?

Design Institute Recommendations
The Design Institute focused first on the need for developing a master plan for the City of Wilton Manors. This master plan would serve as a guide for potential developers and help to encourage development in specific areas. While the Design Institutes' experts believed that the City has done a fine job of working with developers and reacting to market demand for residential redevelopment, they believe that a citywide master plan would strengthen a unified long-term vision for the City. The master plan would also serve as a valuable tool in directing commercial redevelopment and offering developers certainty. The Design Institute experts compiled the elements of a good master plan and gave examples of cities whose master plans may serve as models for Wilton Manors. Additionally, the following points were made:

• Pursue the creation of the CRA and financing for redevelopment projects.
• Forge relationship with Oakland Park regarding the future location of the FEC station.
• Look at the corridor in a regional way; coordinate with Oakland Park and Ft. Lauderdale .
• Don't rely upon FEC transit for the success of the redevelopment plan.
• Coordinate the Main Street program with a city vision and regional road issues.

Results

The City of Wilton Manors considers itself to be at 100% of built-out. As such, it is now embracing the vision and subsequent creation of a “sustainable urban village.”  As part of its growth management strategy and in anticipation of redevelopment, Wilton Manors recently completed a major rewrite of its Comprehensive Plan and Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR’s).  The ULDR’s include regulations that promote New Urbanism and Smart Growth principles.

Private development ventures in the city already reflect these changes. Wilton Drive, the City’s signature thoroughfare, is maturing in accordance with plans. A newly acquired, historically oriented, park will grace the Drive. A potential site for a new city hall has been acquired. A new townhouse complex recently opened on a site formerly occupied by a derelict trailer park. A number of mixed use (primarily residential) projects are planned for the corridor. Around the corner (5 points) Wilton Station is well underway. Such projects provide the initial anchors for a pedestrian-oriented environment; one which allows residents and visitors to shop, dine and work. Hope remains that an FEC rail station and parking garage will someday abut this site; securing its status as a true “destination area”. 

March 2006

On the March 14, 2006 ballot, the voters of Wilton Manors approved a bond issue that will allow the city to build a municipal complex to replace the current City Hall and Police Station. This $6 million bond will supplement money that the city has set aside over the past seven years to replace its current deteriorated City Hall. The present building, which was built in 1957 and is the oldest city hall in the county, houses several administrative offices and the Police Department. The facility originally served as a city hall, fire station and police station. As the city developed, its needs outgrew the building. The Fire Department built its own station; the Public Services and Community Services Departments moved to a location on Dixie Highway; and the Human Resources Department is operating out of a temporary trailer next to City Hall. 

Additional Contacts

Harold Horne, Director of Community Services (954) 390-2180
hhorne@wiltonmanors.com