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City Living
Park Place, Orlando
And Avenue Lofts in Downtown Fort Lauderdale
Most prospective home buyers make note of room sizes, number of bathrooms and whether the kitchen needs updating. Dan Kirby looks at sidewalks. "Living in a neighborhood with a sidewalk is very important to us," says the director of development services at Boyken International. "We wanted to find somewhere that was walkable and convenient, where we could also have some fun."
 In Step: The Kirbys (Dan, wife Allison and 11-month-old Elliana) live within walking distance of the Central City Market in Thornton Park. "It's critical to have a mixture of uses within close walking distance," says urban planner Dan Kirby. [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
With the YMCA, Lake Eola Park, shops, restaurants and a new Publix Urban Market under construction two blocks away, the family can walk everywhere for their shopping and entertainment. The only places they can't get to on foot are their offices.
Kirby's devotion to city living spans his professional life as well. With degrees in architecture and urban planning, he's "all about cities and urban environments and what makes them tick."
Kirby is also vice chairman of the Orange County Urban Design Commission, served several terms on the county's planning and zoning commission as well as on the Mayor's Downtown Transition Team and is working with the city as it pursues a commuter rail system, new events center, new performing arts center and a renovated Citrus Bowl. "It's critical to have a mixture of uses within close walking distance," he says.
 [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
