Orange Blossom Trail Project Wins APA Florida Award of Merit

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sept. 18, 2018 - PRLog -- The American Planning Association (APA) Florida Chapter presented GAI Consultants' (GAI) Community Solutions Group and the Orange Blossom Trail Development Board with the 2018 Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning Category for the Orange Blossom Trail (OBT) Corridor project, dubbed "OBT Next."

Highlights/Key Facts
About the Award
•  The award was presented to members of GAI's Community Solutions Group on September 12, 2018 at an awards ceremony during the APA Annual State Conference held at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
•  GAI staff was joined by Vanessa Pinkney, Executive Director of the Orange Blossom Trail Development Board, to accept the award.
•  GAI Community Solutions Group staff in attendance at the awards luncheon included Claudia Ray, Assistant Planning Manager; Patrick Panza, Assistant Planning Manager; and Pete Sechler, Senior Director.

About the Project
•  Supplied with a grant from the State of Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity, the nonprofit Orange Blossom Trail Development Board (OBTDB) tasked GAI's Community Solutions Group with creating a series of overall plans for an eight-mile segment of OBT from Colonial Drive (State Road 50) to the Beachline Expressway (SR 528).
•  Working with the OBTDB, City of Orlando, and Orange County, GAI's Community Solutions Group led a focused initiative to develop three complementary plans for Orange Blossom Trail—a Community Redevelopment Area Plan Update, a Safe Neighborhood Plan Update, and a Master Plan for the entire corridor.
•  Grounded in extensive public outreach, community input, and data analysis, the OBT Next Master Plan addressed the changing economic environment along with evolving demographic and market conditions in the community surrounding OBT, laying a roadmap for OBT as an area that can be economically competitive and socially relevant.
•  Read more about the OBT Next project in a GAI article titled "OBT Next Plan Rolls Toward Revitalization."

Quotes
•  Claudia Ray, Assistant Planning Manager, GAI Consultants:
"GAI is honored to receive an Award of Merit from APA Florida for OBT Next. Effective collaboration and open communication between local residents, businesses, organizations, and City and County staff is what made this plan a reality."

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