Kissimmee approved a $1,658,938 study on Nov. 3 to redesign 2.3 miles of Columbia Avenue for walkers, cyclists and buses. A $1.2 million HUD grant helps pay.

Kissimmee is about to start redesigning Columbia Avenue. The City Commission voted Nov. 3 on three items that pay for a study of about 2.3 miles of the road, from North Hoagland Boulevard to North Central Avenue.

Updated Nov. 5: The City Commission approved all three items on Nov. 3 as part of the consent agenda, the city’s action summary for the meeting shows: the Kimley-Horn study, the Toho agreement and the $1.2 million HUD grant. The study’s public meeting has not been scheduled yet.

The largest is a $1,658,938 contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates for the study and a conceptual design. All three are on the consent agenda for the commission’s meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at City Hall, 101 Church St., according to the meeting agenda and staff reports. Consent items pass in one vote unless a commissioner asks to discuss one separately.

What is on the agenda

  • Item 7.D: a $1,658,938 agreement with Kimley-Horn for the study and conceptual design. The commission chose the firm as top-ranked on Dec. 2, 2025, and staff have since negotiated the contract. The money is already in the project budget, the staff report said.
  • Item 7.J: an agreement with Tohopekaliga Water Authority, known as Toho. The city would pay $278,633.30 for a study of Toho’s water and sewer lines under the road, and Toho would repay it.
  • Item 7.U: accepting a $1.2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city requested it through U.S. Rep. Darren Soto’s office.

What could change on the road

The project would cover “multimodal, roadway, drainage, streetscape, signalization, lighting, and Toho utility improvements,” the staff report on the Toho agreement said. It could also extend up to 500 feet along North Hoagland Boulevard and North Central Avenue.

The same report lists what the improvements may include:

  • resurfacing or rebuilding the pavement
  • curbs and gutters
  • sidewalks and accessible curb ramps
  • a possible shared-use path
  • driveways and streetscape features

The aim is to fix accessibility problems and make the road safer for people walking, cycling and riding the bus, the report said.

The HUD grant report says the corridor serves stores, schools and low-income neighborhoods. It cites a MetroPlan Orlando study that found high numbers of vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle crashes on Columbia Avenue, and curb ramps and crossings that fall short of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

An older city case study, attached to the request for qualifications, found 4-foot bike lanes along most of the corridor and none in some places. It recommended a design and posted speed of 35 mph. That study dates from a March 2016 workshop with city staff, so its findings may have changed.

What happens next

The study comes first. The contract anticipates about 240 calendar days for this phase. The firm’s draft schedule includes a public meeting followed by a 10-day public comment period. That draft was written for a Sept. 1 start, which has passed, and it put the meeting in March 2027.

The $1.2 million HUD grant pays for part of the work only. HUD still has to approve the final scope, and the city must complete an environmental review first, the staff report said. The grant can be spent through Aug. 31, 2034.

The study would set the scope, feasibility and early costs of the work, the staff report said. Final design and construction would come later, and the Toho agreement says any second phase needs a written amendment.

What it means for you

Nothing changes on Columbia Avenue yet. No construction date or cost has been set.

If you live or drive along the corridor, the public meeting is your chance to shape the design. We will report its date when the city announces it.

You can also speak during the “Hear Audience” part of any City Commission meeting. Our guide to who to call at City Hall has commission contact details, and our getting around guide covers the city’s main roads.

The same meeting approved a new control tower at Kissimmee Gateway Airport and speed cameras in school zones. The city’s draft Vine Street redevelopment plan also lists a Columbia Avenue redesign among its high-priority actions.