The City of Orlando is moving forward with a new initiative to transform the historic Church Street Station area into a more vibrant downtown destination.
Orlando’s Community Redevelopment Agency will host a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase I of the Church Street Festival Street Project, a downtown improvement effort related to the City of Orlando’s Downtown Orlando Action Plan.
The project will transform Church Street from Garland Avenue east to Magnolia Avenue into what city officials describe as a “festival street” designed to support outdoor dining, local businesses, public events and pedestrian activity.
The first phase will focus on the stretch from Garland Avenue to the railroad tracks. The work will reconstruct a corridor with two 11-foot travel lanes, a curbless roadway that directly connects the street to the pedestrian area, a semi-permeable surface, a loading and unloading zone, and expanded landscaping opportunities. Construction will begin after that, with completion scheduled for winter 2026.
City officials say the project aims to reduce rush traffic while creating a more flexible streetscape that can better serve residents, workers, visitors and downtown businesses.
The wider Church Street Festival Street project will be completed in three phases.
The second phase, which runs from the railroad tracks to Orange Avenue, continues the Festival Street design with textured pavement, visual elements like expanded sidewalks, traffic calming features, loading and unloading areas, benches, planters, and moveable furniture. This phase is expected to be completed in spring 2028.
Phase 3, which covers Orange Avenue to Magnolia Avenue, will convert the corridor from one-way eastbound to two-way traffic. The plan also calls for integrating LYMMO bus service into regular travel lanes. This phase is expected to be completed by early summer 2028.
The Church Street Corridor has long been one of the most recognizable areas in downtown Orlando, but city leaders have long sought to bring more activity and investment back to the area.
As construction begins, the city is reminding motorists, pedestrians and downtown visitors to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
Orlando officials say the redesigned Church Street, when completed, will provide a more walkable public space for community events, dining, business activities and downtown gatherings.
