Downtown Lake Wales is getting greener. A beautification project planned for Stuart Avenue is expected to bring new landscaping and outdoor seating areas to the corridor.
The work is unfolding in phases. As reported by lakewalesnews.net, the first phase calls for the city's horticulture team and contractors to install new irrigation systems, expand planting areas, and plant new shade trees with root barriers. Phase two, the outlet reported, “will focus on creating space for outdoor seating areas,” with four areas along Stuart Avenue set to become flex spaces for seating or outdoor dining.
Irrigation installation is part of the groundwork for the new landscaping, according to 10 Tampa Bay.
Why the Pipes Matter Before the Plants
City horticulturist Kevin Polk discussed planned enhancements. Rain gardens and wider sidewalks are among the elements planned for the broader downtown streetscape program.
Four areas along Stuart Avenue are set to become flex spaces for seating or outdoor dining, per lakewalesnews.net — a shift that echoes the flex-space concept the outlet described for the same stretch of Stuart Avenue.
Parking Changes, and What Stays the Same
Roughly 180 parking spaces are expected to become available on the west side of Stuart Avenue near First Street, by the Walesbilt Hotel.
Back in late August, the practical disruption was more immediate: road closures hit Stuart Avenue and Market Street from Saturday, Aug. 29 through Monday, Aug. 31, lakewalesnews.net reported, as part of the landscaping push. Sidewalks were expected to remain open for pedestrians throughout, the outlet noted, to allow continued shopping and dining downtown.
Part of a Much Bigger Civic Push
The Stuart Avenue work sits inside a far larger ambition for Lake Wales. The Lake Wales Connected plan, adopted around 2022, includes redevelopment or streetscaping in the city, and work has already been completed on three blocks of Park Avenue and two blocks of North First Street, lakewalesnews.net reported.
City officials describe the broader push as a revival of Lake Wales' historic self-image. “The City of Lake Wales is investing in beautifying the area, continuing an age-old historic mission,” according to a report from tampabay28.com, which also noted plans to add hundreds of canopy trees to shade the city's streets and sidewalks.
Earlier this year, the city also broke ground on streetscape projects for Orange and Crystal Avenues, North Market Street, and part of North First Street, with repaved streets, new rain gardens, street trees, lighting, benches, and upgraded sidewalks planned, lakewalesnews.net reported in January. The Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency also approved planning in October for a separate redesign of downtown blocks between Central and Stuart Avenues, flanked by First and Wetmore streets, that could bring utility, landscaping, sidewalk, lighting, and irrigation upgrades along with a large new parking area on West Stuart Avenue.
The city has already shown what a finished version of this vision looks like. Lake Wales devoted nearly $13 million to the Park Avenue and Market Plaza projects, which wrapped with a brick surface, abundant planters, and wide sidewalks set with benches, according to theledger.com.
The Stuart Avenue project is planned in phases, with landscaping work preceding the phase focused on outdoor seating.
