On March 30, 2013 City Council approved Resolution No. 32-13 requesting that the Mayor submit a letter to Florida’s Governor expressing the City’s desire to have FDOT pursue possible mitigation techniques available to mitigate noise including a sound attenuating wall on State Road 710. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) replied to the request sent to the Governor by stating that although the area did not meet requirements for “sound walls” that FDOT would construct perimeter walls on the north and south sides of State Road 710.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is currently in the midst of construction activities related to roadway reconstruction and landscape improvements to State Road 710 (aka MLK Boulevard). After the south side perimeter was constructed, the City began receiving calls from residents on the north side of State Road 710 stating that they would prefer that the wall not be constructed on the north side and those calls were followed by more calls. Shortly after receiving the calls, the City received a call from the FDOT construction administration representative stating that their firm had been receiving the same types of concerns from the residents not wanting the wall on the north side. After determining that there was genuine and collective concern to not have the wall constructed, the City and FDOT began discussing the possibility of not having the wall constructed.
FDOT has agreed to not construct the north side wall should the City desire to not have it constructed as planned. Additionally, FDOT has agreed to plant palm trees in the center of the median between the frontage road and the main road similar to what was done on State Road 710 near Avenue O.
As with all FDOT improvements, the City was required to execute a Maintenance Memorandum of Agreement (MMOA) between the City and FDOT for landscape maintenance and perimeter wall maintenance via Resolution 01-15. Should the City agree to not construct the wall on the north side of State Road 710 then the existing MMOA will have to be modified to correspond with elements actually being constructed and/or installed.
Staff requests City Council approval to authorize the City Manager to notify the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) of the City’s desire to not construct the perimeter wall on the north side of State Road 710 in both phase B and C and to authorize the City Manager to approve modifications to the existing Maintenance Memorandum of Agreement between the City and FDOT for perimeter wall and landscaping maintenance upon submission for approval from FDOT.