GAI’s Community Solutions Group has completed a master plan for the Maitland Downtown, including the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) area and neighborhood adjacencies. Maitland has a diverse and rich collection of community assets, including museums, theaters, green spaces, and community centers loosely organized as a central “downtown,” which has both urban and suburban patterns. However, these assets are highly disconnected from the neighborhoods as a result of an incomplete urban street network and arterial roadways, which are suburban in nature. The challenge is to define a market-driven and community-supported vision for downtown that responds to diverse public opinion, market reality, and local government policy.

The plan is put into action through a framework of physical connections, strategic market positioning (including collaboration with private development interests), and modifications to public policy documents. The result is a “living” master plan, informed by substantial stakeholder and community input that is meant to provide a clear framework for vision and intent, with flexibility in terms of implementation to meet future needs over the next 10 years. Private development and local street and park improvements are already underway.