Kathy Ebaugh

Motorists down Homestead Road got a glimpse of two large groups of people walking the sidewalk this past Saturday morning, a rare sight in an area that few people use sidewalks to traverse.

The people, about 40 or so, were taking a walk in “downtown Lehigh” headed south to get a feeling about changes that are coming to the shopping area, thanks to the efforts of the Lee County Planning Dept.

Kathy Ebaugh, a principal planner, who is overseeing plans for a future Lehigh Acres, spoke to the group when the meeting began at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room of Bravo Station of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, a change of location from previous monthly meetings that have been held at the East Coast Regional Library for the last year or so.

Ebaugh and other planners have been on hand to discuss future plans for Lehigh and get public intake about what local residents want to see in Lehigh in the years ahead.

Ebaugh who is in charge of the Lehigh Plan has worked with others in her department and an outside source in future planning for the community that has little room for commercial development.

MEL TOADVINE Those attending the Saturday morning meeting are shown walking down Homestead Road, and asked by planners to imagine a new look with buildings closer to the sidewalks, new middle grassy landscaped area in the middle of the street and an overall look of a friendly downtown.

Currently, development is on two basic roadways, Homestead Road, and Joel Boulevard, but heavily traveled main routes in Lehigh.

At the meeting, Ebaugh gave a computerized presentation of the so-called downtown area of Lehigh, a presentation she has given to local clubs and organizations over the past few months.

The plan has been tweaked and improved as residents bring up ideas and county planners insert them in the future plan.

This past Saturday’s meeting included for the first time, a walking tour down Homestead Road headed south from the Sheriff’s Office. Ebaugh and planners she brought to Lehigh for the presentation, wore bright colored safety vests.

The group at the meeting broke up into two groups of people each walking down the other side of the street from one another. During the walking tour, planners explained how changes would be made at certain areas, where walkways would be landscaped with trees and where center lanes would be done away with and where bicycle paths would be located.

MEL TOADVINE Planners explain how Homestead Road could look once a redevelopment is completed along Homestead Road.

It was an effort to see Homestead in a different light than driving a motor vehicle down the street. At the meeting at the Sheriff’s Office, Ebaugh and other planners illustrated the appearances of other downtowns in the country that have made changes to make the downtown areas more shopping friendly and more beautiful.

The Lee County Commission is funding the project and once the plan has been officially okayed by them, work will begin negotiating with retail stores and other businesses and new developers to build close to the more attractive sidewalk.

Ebaugh noted that Homestead Road would take on the appearance of a downtown area where shoppers, visitors and tourists could find convenient parking behind buildings and walk to stores, restaurants and other businesses.

“No front parking lots are planned. People don’t like to walk the distance in front of a parking lot on the main street of a community. Instead, those sites would contain business establishments.

She said trees down the sidewalks would enhance the beauty of the new downtown Lehigh and she also explained how Homestead Rd. would be changed.

MEL TOADVINE Here residents who attended Saturday’s meeting about the future of Homestead Road are told about buildings being erected close to sidewalks with trees and other landscaping being included.

A center lane now would be replaced with landscaped areas. She talked about roundabouts where retail property becomes more valued because of the easy walk for shoppers. She talked about bicycle paths.

A bicyclist zoomed down the sidewalk of one group that had to move as he sped through the area.

Mohamad Yasin, a community activists, was among the people on the walking tour.

“You get a different feeling when you walk down Homestead Rd. It is different than when you drive. You see things while walking that you miss when you drive,” he said.

His comments echoed words from Ebaugh who noted that visitors to the downtown area want a safe and attractive downtown. She noted that beautifully landscaped sidewalks with trees would draw the shopper’s interest into the sidewalk and the retail establishments bordering the street.

The speed limit would be changed and marked crossings for pedestrians would be part of the project.

After the half-hour trek on foot, the group returned to the Sheriff’s Office where those present were able to ask questions and more information was shared by planners.

Two other areas in Lehigh have been earmarked for similar changes, but the Homestead Rd. project is the first to be considered and it is the largest. Other areas for future discussions will include the Joel Blvd. area near the Admiral Lehigh Golf Course and an area on Gunnery Rd.

“When people walk to stores in a downtown area, they enjoy a different experience, one that is more friendly and inviting,” one of the planners said.

“This is what we are going to do for the Homestead Rd. area,” another said.

How long it will take for the changes to be made may be years off but at least there is a direction for planners to go now. Ebaugh noted that in Lehigh there are 125,000 platted lots and 123,000 are all residential. The rest includes small strip malls on both Homestead Rd. and Joel Blvd.

During the walking tour, motorists driving down Homestead Rd. mostly ran over the 35-mile speed limit. That would change in a specially planned downtown area where walkers could feel safe, planners said.