LONGWOOD, Fla. — Longwood leaders are proposing upgrades to its SunRail station as part of a larger project to improve the city’s mobility for pedestrians, bikers and motorists. 

The idea is to make it easier and safer for people to navigate the city, including getting to and from its SunRail station.  

What You Need To Know

  • Longwood city leaders approved a multi-million dollar mobility project to add more bike lanes, bike and walking paths and parking spaces across the city

  • The project would also add a parking structure as part of what would be called “Sun Hub” near the SunRail station

  • Longwood city leaders have approved the project, but there are still parts of it that need to be worked out before the work can begin.

  • The project will take about ten years to complete

Matthew Gemmell says SunRail, which stops right next to Alestone Brewing Co., helps bring in some customers.

“People come in to grab a pizza while they’re waiting for the next train to come, and I feel like Longwood’s a pretty big biking community – there are a lot of people that are riding their bikes to get around,” said Gemmell.

But Longwood city leaders say they need to make it easier for those bikers, and SunRail riders to get around. They’ve approved a multi-million dollar mobility project to add more bike lanes, bike and walking paths and parking spaces across the city. The project would also add a parking structure as part of what would be called “Sun Hub” near the SunRail station. 

Gemmell, the lead brewer at Alestone, says those upgrades to the city could help boost business.

“The more interconnected trails you can have, the better it’s going to be for safety for people on the bikes, it’s going to be better for car traffic - and it’s going to be better for small businesses like us,” said Gemmell.

Longwood city leaders hope the improvements will help bring more people into the city.

“So that folks that don’t want to have to drive everywhere and they want to go on a biking trip – like I do with my son and my wife – they can bring their car and park and get on their bikes, and they will be able to go anywhere,” said Longwood Deputy Mayor Matt Morgan.

Morgan says money from Seminole County’s additional penny sales tax, along with county mobility fees, will pay for the improvements.

“Not our current residents, not our current business owners, not our current property owners – but future property owners and people that want to develop in our community have got to pay their fair share of our infrastructure,” said Morgan.

Gemmell says the easier it is for people to get to the brewery, the better.

“Small businesses like this can’t pass up sales,” said Gemmell. “If somebody wants to come here, we want them to be able to come here.”

Longwood city leaders have approved the project, but there are still parts of it that need to be worked out before the work can begin. The project will take about ten years to complete.