The city of Orlando is moving forward with another effort to transform the historic Church Street Station district into a more active 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 tied to the city’s Downtown Orlando Action Plan.
The project will remake 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. That work will reconstruct the corridor with two 11-foot travel lanes, a curbless roadway that connects the street more directly to pedestrian areas, a semi-pervious street surface, loading and unloading zones, and expanded landscaping opportunities. Construction is expected to begin after the groundbreaking and be finished in winter 2026.
City officials say the project is intended to reduce cut-through traffic while creating a more flexible streetscape that can better serve residents, workers, visitors and downtown businesses.
The broader Church Street Festival Street project will be completed in three phases.
Phase II, running from the railroad tracks to Orange Avenue, will continue the festival street design with textured paving, expanded sidewalk-like visual elements, traffic-calming features, loading and unloading areas, benches, planters and movable furniture. That phase is expected to be completed in spring 2028.
Phase III, covering Orange Avenue to Magnolia Avenue, will convert the corridor from one-way eastbound traffic to two-way traffic. The plan also calls for LYMMO bus service to be integrated into regular travel lanes. That phase is expected to be completed by early summer 2028.
The Church Street corridor has long been one of downtown Orlando’s most recognizable areas, but city leaders have sought for years to bring more activity and investment back to the district.
As construction begins, the city is urging motorists, pedestrians and downtown visitors to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
Once completed, Orlando officials say the redesigned Church Street will provide a more walkable public space for community events, dining, business activity and downtown gatherings.
