Fort Thompson Avenue Remodel & Fred Johnson Memorial Parklet

Completed: 2015

LaBelle's Historic Downtown Plan called for reimagining Fort Thompson Avenue as the heart of the Walking District — and in 2015, LDRC made it happen. The remodel brought a new sidewalk, fresh street restriping, granite planters, and decorative light fixtures to the avenue, anchored by the Fred Johnson Memorial Parklet, a shaded public seating area in the middle of downtown.

The parklet is home to our "Pathways to the Future" campaign: engraved memorial bricks purchased by community members are displayed prominently in the parklet, honoring loved ones while funding continued downtown revitalization.

Today, Fort Thompson Avenue is the district's gathering street — home to the free Downtown Live concerts on the first Friday of every month and a favorite spot to enjoy a meal from the surrounding restaurants. The project was even featured in a Florida Department of Transportation case study on walkable small communities.