Oviedo leaders look to the future with emphasis on traffic and growth

OVEIDO, Fla. — The City of Oviedo has grown leaps and bounds in the last decade, adding nearly 10,000 residents.

Ingrid Bryant has lived in Oviedo since 1959 and said the once quiet farming town has outgrown its current capacity.

“This was a farming community to begin with. And I’d like it to slow down just to where we can get the infrastructure brought up. You see, the roads are all overfilled,” Bryant said.

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The 25-year comprehensive plan the city submitted to the state focuses on three areas of redevelopment.

Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said the plan focuses future development in three core areas of the city: Oviedo on the park, the water tower district, and the area around the Oviedo mall.

“We’ve got three places where the density will be mainly concentrated,” Sladek said. We’re trying to protect the suburban lifestyle for everybody who moved here for.”

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The mayor said the city just can’t build as many roads as they need and keep that small town feel so city leaders need to take “a mobility plan” approach.

“We simply cannot build as many roads as are needed to have people feel like there’s no congestion. So the alternative is, how do we get shorter trips?” Sladek said.

City leaders said even a 10% reduction would cut down on the congestion.

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Currently, 42,000 people live within the city and leaders said they expect that to grow to more than 57,000 residents over the next 25 years.

More information about the City of Oviedo comprehensive plan can be found here.

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