The north end of Park Avenue is nearly finished, and it shows what the Central Park blocks will look like in a year or two. Phase 1 of Winter Park's Park Avenue Refresh started on January 20 and covers the blocks from Webster Avenue down to Garfield Avenue. In its September 9 update, the city said crews were "adding the final touches" between Swoope and Garfield. Phase 2 picks up at Garfield and runs south along Central Park, and its construction is scheduled to start in January 2027.
That puts this fall in an unusual spot. The Autumn Art Festival, Winter on the Avenue and the Christmas Parade all take place on or beside the Central Park blocks, and they come right before the crews move there. Walk the north end and you can see what those blocks are in line to get.
Start at Canton and Walk South
The Refresh is a three-phase, $8.5 million project spread over three years. It's the avenue's first major overhaul in nearly 30 years. The city's project page lists what Phase 1 delivers on the north end:
- New smart streetlights with LED lighting, Wi-Fi, banner arms and hanging baskets
- Repairs to sidewalks, curbs and the raised planters
- Electrical, low-voltage, fiber and irrigation conduit under the street
- Safety treatments at intersections
- Seasonal landscaping and more live oaks
- Planter pots that double as bollards
- New trash and recycling bins
A few of these are easy to spot on a walk. At Park and Canton, the August 24 update recorded a pedestrian bump-out with bollards, plus new stormwater pipes and basins. Near Briarpatch, crews added tactile warning pads and an ADA-compliant ramp. That same update also mentioned The Spice & Tea Exchange. The city's early August update mentioned work by Briarpatch, the Morse Museum and Panera Bread, which gives you a sense of how much of the north end's daily foot traffic sat inside the work zone.
The planters show the clearest change. The Community Paper reported that the boxes were made bigger to leave room for tree growth, and that crews were building out the sidewalk at intersections for pedestrian safety. The September 9 update said the new decorative pots are "reinforced planters" that "double as protective bollards" to separate cars from pedestrians. New stone caps went on the raised brick beds, which were planted with Liriope and other seasonal landscaping. Seasonal plantings in the pots were set to start the week of September 14.
Some of the work is out of sight. In February, Bungalower reported that the Refresh includes 110 custom smart poles, new sidewalks, reinforced planter boxes that also act as vehicle barriers, and conduit for electrical and fiber running under the street. The same report said additional parking spaces had opened on Morse Boulevard between New York and Virginia avenues.
As of mid-October, the city's project page still lists the September 9 update as the latest. City communications director Clarissa Howard told The Community Paper that Phase 1 would "wrap up on time before the holiday shopping season gets underway."
Garfield Is Where the Next Phase Starts
South of Garfield, the street looks the way it has for decades. That's the stretch Phase 2 takes on, from Garfield Avenue to New England Avenue, with Central Park on the west side. On February 25, the City Commission voted 5-0 to approve a $240,250 design contract with Stringfellow Planning & Design for this segment. Bungalower's coverage of that vote noted that these blocks are lined with restaurants and shops and host big events like the Sidewalk Art Festival, which makes the work harder than Phase 1.
At the June 10 Commission meeting, the city showed a draft design presentation for Phase 2. It uses the same tools as the north end, plus a few features that only make sense beside the park.
| Feature | North end, Phase 1 | Central Park blocks, Phase 2 draft |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian bump-outs | Built at intersections, including Park and Canton | About 11, possibly including the south side of New England |
| Planter pots | Reinforced pots that double as bollards | About 70 at intersections |
| Safety bollards | Installed, including at Park and Canton | About 130 between raised planters |
| Stone wall caps on raised beds | Installed | About 30 beds |
| Light poles | New smart LED streetlights | About 38 new poles |
| Trees | Additional live oaks | About 4 new, a mix of crape myrtles and oaks |
| Handrails | Not listed | About 8 |
| Features found only in Phase 2 | None | Entry feature at Central Park and Lincoln, bus stop building, Rose Garden review |
The draft counts are approximate. The Rose Garden item is listed for discussion with the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, and the presentation marks that coordination as "forthcoming." In February, Bungalower reported a plan for a summer concept and community feedback, final construction documents by November, and monthly Park Avenue District meetings to keep businesses informed. Those were planned steps at the time, not confirmed results.
The Fall Calendar Comes Right Before the Crews
Phase 2 is scheduled to start in January 2027, according to The Community Paper's September 1 report, which makes this the last holiday season before construction reaches the Central Park blocks. In date order, the season looks like this:
- October 27: Best of Winter Park, on the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce's signature events calendar.
- November 14 and 15: the 53rd Winter Park Autumn Art Festival, in Central Park along Park Avenue. It runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and admission is free.
- December 4: Winter on the Avenue, in Central Park. The Chamber lists tree and menorah lightings, carolers, children's choirs, snow slides, and Santa and Mrs. Claus.
- December 5: the Leadership Winter Park Pancake Breakfast and the Christmas Parade. The parade runs 9 to 10:30 a.m.
The Saturday Farmers' Market keeps running through all of it. It's open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Central Park's West Meadow at New York Avenue and Morse Boulevard, and the city says it moves temporarily when major events take over the meadow. The city hasn't posted relocation dates for this fall, so check the market page before a festival weekend. The market also added something this season. In an August 20 release, the city announced a waste-sorting area with separate bins for trash, recycling and compost. Food scraps collected there go back to local farms and gardens as compost.
Phase 1 got the north end ready for the holidays. Phase 2 can't do the same for the park blocks, because it's scheduled to start after them. So this year's art festival booths, tree lighting and parade route will happen on blocks that haven't yet received the new light poles, planter pots and bump-outs in the Phase 2 draft.
What January Puts in Play
The main open question is how construction and the spring events will fit together. In February, the city's project manager told Bungalower that the team would work with event organizers on construction activity and on how to handle parts of events that fall inside a work zone. The Sidewalk Art Festival was the example. Nothing published so far gives a block-by-block plan for March 2027, and none of the coverage describes specific plans for the farmers market or holiday events once crews are on site.
The north end shows how the city handled those months. Throughout Phase 1, the city said Park Avenue and its businesses stayed open for shopping, dining and strolling. Its updates kept repeating that merchants, museums and restaurants were "open, accessible & ready to welcome you." Looking ahead, Howard told The Community Paper, "We are looking forward to even more improvements as we continue Phase 2 of the Refresh in the new year."
Phase 3 comes after that. It covers New England Avenue to Fairbanks Avenue, and construction is expected to start in January 2028. Update emails, construction notices and questions go through the city's Park Avenue Refresh page and [email protected].
If you're wondering how three years of work on Winter Park's main street could affect a home near the avenue, whether you're thinking of selling during construction or buying close to the finished blocks, Rebecca Simms is glad to go through the phase timeline with you, one block at a time. Schedule a Free Consultation.
