What you need to know:
- The commission voted 5-0 to begin designing Phase 2 of the Park Avenue Refresh, covering the blocks from Garfield to New England alongside Central Park.
- This stretch is lined with restaurants and shops and hosts major events like the Sidewalk Art Festival, making construction more complex than Phase 1.
- Phase 1 is on schedule to finish by fall 2026. Phase 2 construction is targeted for January 2027.
- The full three-phase project is projected to cost $8.5 million over three years.
With construction crews already at work on the north end of Park Avenue, the Winter Park City Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the design phase for the next stretch of the avenue’s first major overhaul in nearly 30 years.
The Commission voted 5-0 to approve a $240,250 contract with Stringfellow Planning & Design for Phase 2 of the Park Avenue Refresh, which covers the segment from Garfield Avenue south to New England Avenue — the blocks that run alongside Central Park. The contract covers project management, urban design, community engagement and all subconsultant costs, including $138,000 for civil engineering, landscape architecture, structural and electrical engineering, and Phase 1 construction administration, plus $102,250 for project management and urban design. Construction on Phase 2 is targeted to begin in January 2027.
“Park Avenue is the city’s crown jewel, and this Refresh project is intended to ensure the vibrancy of our gem by investing in infrastructure, aesthetic and safety improvements,” said Clarissa Howard, the city’s communications director and project manager for the Park Avenue Refresh. “We ask for our guests, residents and businesses’ patience as we ‘fluff our feathers — something beautiful is coming.'”
Phase 1 on schedule
Phase 1 of the Park Avenue Refresh launched Jan. 20, focusing on the blocks between Webster Avenue and Garfield Avenue at the north end of the corridor. Howard said the work is on schedule to wrap up by fall 2026, weather permitting.
“We are still early in our construction for Phase 1 and everything is going according to plan,” Howard said.
According to the city’s most recent construction update, dated Feb. 16, crews have finished air spading all the tree wells and installing irrigation conduit at the north end of the avenue. Workers are now demolishing concrete panels at 22 locations in preparation for new streetlight pole installations, with directional boring of electrical, fiber and irrigation conduit between those poles expected to begin in March. Additional parking spaces on Morse Boulevard between New York and Virginia avenues are now open.
The refresh is the most significant update to Park Avenue’s streetscape since the last restoration between 1996 and 1999. The total investment across all three phases is projected to reach $8.5 million, funded by Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) dollars. Phase 1 alone carries a $2.5 million price tag, approved by the CRA board in August 2025.
Phase 1 improvements include 110 custom-made “smart” light poles equipped with integrated smart hubs that support LED lighting, Wi-Fi routers, banner arms, hanging baskets, and irrigation — with capacity for future technology upgrades. The work also includes new sidewalks, reinforced concrete planter boxes that double as vehicle barriers, decorative bollards, trash and recycling receptacles, signage, underground conduit for electrical and fiber, and new live oak trees.
Commissioner Warren Lindsey asked about a delay penalty clause in a civil engineering subcontract with CFB Inc. (Clymer Farner Barley). Vice Mayor Marty Sullivan noted that CFB works under Stringfellow’s master contract with the city, which already includes timeline requirements. The item passed on consent without further debate.
Phase 2: A different challenge
The Phase 2 segment from Garfield to New England avenues will present a different set of design challenges than the relatively straightforward northern blocks. The stretch is home to a heavy concentration of restaurants and shops along the east side of the avenue — including Briarpatch, Prato, Tabla Indian Restaurant, Glass Kife, and Lululemon — while its west side borders Central Park, the tree-canopied public green space that anchors the corridor.
“Phase 2 is significantly different than Phase 1 due to the number of businesses along the eastern side of Park Avenue and Central Park on the west,” Howard said. “As we approach the heavy commercial areas of the Avenue, we will need to be as diligent on communication with the merchants on construction activity and also when we establish the construction zones making sure to keep pedestrian walkways to each merchant along Phase 2.”
Howard noted that Phase 2 also incorporates two major intersections — Morse Boulevard and New England Avenue — each with unique features that will need to be addressed. The segment is also a popular location for special events, including the Sidewalk Art Festival.
“We will work with event organizers on the type of construction that will be occurring during the event time and how best to accommodate any areas that are within a construction zone,” Howard said.
On the upside, she said, having Central Park on one side means the work will not interfere with shopping or dining on the west side of the avenue.
Alex Stringfellow, principal of Stringfellow Planning & Design and the project’s lead urban planner since its inception, said the design team plans to expand tree beds around the avenue’s established large oaks by introducing bulb-outs — curb extensions that push into the roadway — a technique that proved effective in Phase 1. He said there may also be an opportunity to expand the sidewalk near Briarpatch, a longtime Park Avenue restaurant, based on the curvature of the road in that section.
“We anticipate looking at opportunities to expand the tree beds around established large oak trees along the Avenue without removing seating areas for restaurants or constraining pedestrian paths,” Stringfellow said.
On the relationship between the streetscape and Central Park, Stringfellow said actual design and construction work in the park itself is expected to be limited, but that consistent design elements from the streetscape will extend into that space.
“The Park also provides more flexibility on laying out some of the furnishings, specifically benches and seating areas, so we may spill into the space here and there,” Stringfellow said. “If and when any work in Central Park occurs, we expect the selections used on the streetscape to be incorporated into that area, which will ensure a consistent look.”
Lessons from Phase 1
Stringfellow said watching Phase 1 construction unfold has already informed his team’s approach to Phase 2.
“So far I think the construction activities have helped our team visualize the impact this project could have on the businesses along the Avenue,” Stringfellow said. “The City, Ovation Construction and our design team spent countless hours working through the best way to execute this project while keeping the downtown active and comfortable.”
With the design vocabulary already established in Phase 1 — the custom light poles, planter pots, and other streetscape elements — Stringfellow said Phase 2 will focus less on designing individual components and more on studying how to deploy them in the most impactful locations.
“We have the kit of parts, and this Phase will allow us to deploy that design in the most impactful way,” Stringfellow said. Among the areas the team plans to study: the Morse Boulevard and Park Avenue intersection, the Rose Garden entry, and the edges of Central Park.
Asked about the overall design philosophy, Stringfellow described it as building on what already works rather than starting from scratch.
“Park Avenue is a very successful walkable main street, so the philosophy is building upon the great design elements that worked in the original vision and enhancing them,” he said. “The best way to enhance a destination like Park Avenue, is to enrich the user experience. So the approach is to leave no stone unturned and look for every way to make the streetscape feel uniquely ‘Winter Park.'”
Timeline and business engagement
Howard said the city expects to present a conceptual plan for Phase 2 this summer, gather community feedback, and work toward final construction documents by November, with construction targeted for January 2027. She said the city hopes to implement a similar process and schedule as Phase 1, but noted that each phase has different variables requiring customized plans.
The city has been engaging Park Avenue businesses through regular email updates, a dedicated project website at cityofwinterpark.org/ParkAveRefresh, and monthly Park Avenue District meetings with in-person updates. For Phase 1, the city has also distributed informational postcards to each business and makes weekly visits during construction. Construction barricades feature branded banners with project information.
Three-year, three-phase project
The full Park Avenue Refresh spans from Fairbanks Avenue on the south end to Webster Avenue on the north — the entirety of the avenue’s commercial and dining district. The city divided the work into three phases to minimize disruption to businesses along the popular commercial corridor.
Phase 3, covering New England Avenue south to Fairbanks Avenue, is expected to begin in January 2028.
The project grew out of stakeholder meetings that began in September 2024 and a citywide survey that drew 1,306 responses from residents and businesses. The Commission gave unanimous approval to Phase 1 design recommendations in February 2025.
The Phase 2 contract was approved as part of the consent agenda at the Commission’s Feb. 25 meeting, which lasted just 65 minutes — the shortest meeting in Mayor DeCiccio’s nearly six years on the dais.
This story was developed using AI analysis of public records, official transcripts and interview responses from sources. See our editorial standards for more information about how we produce coverage.